Safety and Efficacy of Neublastin in Painful Lumbosacral Radiculopathy: a Randomized, Double-blinded, Placebo-controlled Phase 2 Trial Using Bayesian Adaptive Design (the SPRINT Trial)

Neublastin (BG00010) is a first-in-class, glial cell-derived neurotrophic factor shown in preclinical studies and an early clinical trial to have potential for the treatment of neuropathic pain. SPRINT was a phase 2, multicenter, double-blinded, placebo-controlled study to evaluate efficacy/safety of 5 neublastin doses (50, 150, 400, 800, and 1200 μg/kg) administered as an intravenous injection 3 times/week for 1 week in patients with chronic painful lumbosacral radiculopathy, utilizing Bayesian response-adaptive study design. Primary endpoint was change from baseline in mean 24-hour average general pain intensity over a 5-day period (week 1) after the last dose, analyzed using a Bayesian normal dynamic linear model. One hundred seventy-six patients were randomized and received treatment (placebo n = 48, 50 μg/kg n = 38, 150 μg/kg n = 13, 400 μg/kg n = 16, 800 μg/kg n = 20, 1200 μg/kg n = 41). Among the tested neublastin doses, the lowest dose (50 μg/kg) showed the greatest difference from placebo for change from baseline in mean average general pain intensity at week 1 after last dose, followed by the highest dose (1200 μg/kg) (posterior mean difference -1.36 [95% credible interval -2.22 to -0.52] and -0.75 [-1.59 to 0.08], respectively). Similar trends were observed in secondary efficacy endpoints. The most common adverse event in all neublastin dose groups was pruritus (79% vs 10% with placebo). There was no dose-response relationship with respect to primary/secondary efficacy outcomes or incidence of pruritus, despite dose-proportional increases in serum neublastin concentrations. In conclusion, while this study showed some evidence of pain relief with neublastin, particularly at the lowest dose, there was no clear dose-response relationship for pain reduction or the most common adverse event of pruritus.