Astellas Pharma Inc.

Macular dystrophies are a group of inherited eye conditions that affect the macula. The macula is in the center of the retina, the light sensitive part at the back of the eye. In people with macular dystrophies, some of the cells in the macula gradually stop working and may die over time. This leads to loss of central vision, which can make it harder to read, recognize faces or see fine details. What's seen out of the corner of the eye (peripheral vision) is mostly unaffected. Stargardt disease (STGD) is a type of macular dystrophy which is caused by 1 faulty gene (ABCA4). Vision loss most typically begins in childhood or teenage years but may also develop in adulthood. As well as STGD, there are other macular dystrophies that look very similar to STGD and are called STGD-like macular dystrophies. These are caused by many other different genes. Together, STGD and STGD-like conditions can be called STGD-type macular dystrophies. This is an early development study of ASP2020 in adults, teenagers, and children with STGD-type macular dystrophies. ASP2020 are human stem cells which have been changed into cells found in the macula. In this study ASP2020 will be given to people for the first time. The main aim of the study is to check the safety of ASP2020 and how well people tolerate it. Other aims are to learn if people have an immune reaction to ASP2020, and if there are signs that the stem cells replace damaged cells in the retina, and vision improves for people with STGD-type macular dystrophies. ASP2020 will be given as a single injection into the eye, under the retina. This requires a surgical procedure where the person is put to sleep by a general anesthetic. At the end of surgery, a steroid will be injected into the eye to reduce any swelling. The study has 2 parts. In Part 1, different small groups will receive a lower to higher dose of ASP2020. This is done to find a suitable dose to use in Part 2. The adults will receive the lower dose and higher dose before the teenagers. There will be a 6-month gap between the last adult receiving the lower dose of ASP2020 and the first teenager receiving the same lower dose. This will also happen for the last adult receiving the higher dose of ASP2020 and the first teenager receiving the higher dose of ASP2020. Any medical problems will be recorded for each dose in each group. Children will not receive ASP2020 in Part 1. In Part 2, different groups of adults, teenagers and children will receive the most suitable dose of ASP2020 worked out from Part 1. People will be in the study for about 1 year and they will visit the clinic several times. In both parts of the study, safety checks will be done at each visit, and the study doctors will continue to check for any medical problems throughout the study. Various eye tests and eye imaging will be done throughout the study. Blood tests will also be done at some of the visits during the study.Show more

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is an eye disease which causes people to lose their sharp central vision over time. Aging damages the macula, which is in the middle of the retina - the light-sensitive part at the back of the eye. There are 2 types of AMD - wet AMD and dry AMD. The advanced stage of dry AMD causes vision loss. This is known as geographic atrophy. AMD makes everyday tasks like reading or driving difficult. ASP7317 is a potential new treatment for people with AMD. ASP7317 are human stem cells which have changed into cells found in the retina. ASP7317 is injected under the macula. It is hoped that ASP7317 will replace some of the damaged cells in the macula and improve vision for people with dry AMD. Before ASP7317 is available as a treatment, the researchers need to check its safety and how well it is tolerated. They will also check for signs of improved vision. People taking part in this study will be older people who have geographic atrophy caused by dry AMD. This is an open-label study. This means that people in this study and clinic staff will know that people will receive ASP7317. There will be 3 doses of ASP7317. These are low, medium and high numbers of cells. ASP7317 will be injected under the macula after the person is given either a local or a general anesthetic. To prevent the body from rejecting the cells, people will take tablets of tacrolimus a few days before receiving ASP7317 for up to a few weeks afterwards. Other medicines will be taken during this time to stop infections. There will be 2 groups in the study. Group 1 will be people with severe vision loss and Group 2 will be people with moderate vision loss. There will be different small groups of people within Group 1 and Group 2, with each small group receiving 1 of the 3 doses of ASP7317. Different small groups of people within Group 1 and Group 2 will receive lower to higher doses of ASP7317. Each small group will only receive 1 dose. Group 1 will start treatment first. At each dose, a medical expert panel will check the results of the first person in the group to decide if the rest of the group will receive the same dose. Then, the panel will decide if more people may receive the same dose or if the next group may receive the next highest dose. The panel will use the results from the lower dose of Group 1 to decide when Group 2 starts treatment (also at the lower dose). The panel will also use the results of the middle and higher doses in Group 1 to decide when and how many people in Group 2 can receive these doses. During the study, people will visit the clinic several times for up to 12 months (1 year). During all visits, the study doctors will check for any medical problems after receiving ASP7317. Vital signs will be checked a few days before treatment with ASP7317 and up to about a month afterwards. Vital signs include blood pressure, pulse, and temperature. At some visits, the study doctors will also take blood samples for blood tests. At most visits, people will have eye tests and have different images, scans, and measurements taken. This could be for the affected eye or both eyes, depending on the test. People can visit the clinic extra times, if needed.Show more

Macular dystrophies are a group of inherited eye conditions that affect the macula. The macula is in the center of the retina, the light sensitive part at the back of the eye. In people with macular dystrophies, some of the cells in the macula gradually stop working and may die over time. This leads to vision loss in the center of the eye. Side vision (peripheral vision) is mostly unaffected. Stargardt disease (STGD) is a type of macular dystrophy which is caused by 1 faulty gene (ABCA4). Vision loss most typically happens in childhood, but many people do not develop it until they are adults. As well as STGD, there are other macular dystrophies that look very similar to STGD but that are caused by many other different genes. Together, STGD and STGD-like conditions can be called STGD-type macular dystrophies. This is because they look the same clinically and have similar symptoms. Since different genes can cause these conditions, genetic testing is the only way to be sure which specific condition a person has. In this study, researchers want to learn if the disease progresses in a similar way in people with STGD and STGD-like macular dystrophies. People taking part in the study will continue to manage their condition, as agreed with their own doctor. People will visit their clinic every 6 months to have various standard eye tests and imaging. The information collected will include questions about people's wellbeing, general health, medication and supplements taken, and daily activities. Children over 6 years old and adults with STGD-type macular dystrophies may take part in this study. They will be in the study for up to 24 months (2 years). The study sponsor (Astellas) will not decide how people's condition is managed. However, the sponsor will provide instructions on when people visit their clinic and what is recorded during the study. If available, medical records, clinical and imaging data from previous visits going back 24 months will also be reviewed.Show more

The goal of this observational study is to learn about the natural progression of Angelman syndrome (AS) in children and adults with a confirmed genetic diagnosis of AS. The main questions it aims to answer are: * How do developmental skills, such as communication, motor abilities, and adaptive behaviors, change over a 1-year period in people with AS? * Are there specific patterns in brain activity or sleep that are associated with changes in AS symptoms over time? Participants will: * Attend 3 in-person and 2 virtual study visits over 1 year for assessments. * Complete tests and questionnaires about development, behaviors, and sleep with the help of their caregivers. * Undergo electroencephalograms (EEGs) to measure brain activity and wear a sleep-monitoring device at home (to collect actigraphy data).Show more

Pompe disease is a genetic condition which causes muscle weakness over time. People with Pompe disease have a faulty gene that makes an enzyme called acid alpha-glucosidase (or GAA). This enzyme breaks down a type of sugar called glycogen. Without this enzyme, there is a build-up of glycogen in the cells of the body. This causes muscle weakness and other symptoms. Pompe disease can happen at any age, but in late-onset Pompe disease, symptoms generally start from 12 months old onwards. The standard treatment for people with Pompe disease is to receive regular infusions of the GAA enzyme. This is known as enzyme replacement therapy. However, people can build up antibodies against the GAA enzyme over time. Gene therapy is used to treat conditions caused by a faulty gene. It works by replacing the faulty gene with a working gene inside the cells of the body. The working gene is delivered into the cells using certain viruses as carriers (vectors). Viruses are often used as carriers as they can easily get inside cells. The genetic material of the original virus is replaced with the working gene, so only the working gene gets inside the cells. A common virus used as a carrier in gene therapy is the adeno-associated virus (or AAV). This is like an adenovirus, which causes the common cold. The original type of AAV does not cause any harm to humans. However, people that have previously been infected with the original type of AAV may have built up antibodies against AAV. These antibodies may stop the AAV carrier with the working gene getting inside the cells. Researchers want to learn more about antibody levels against AAV and the GAA enzyme in people with late-onset Pompe disease. They also want to learn about other substances in the blood that provide more information about late-onset Pompe disease. These are known as biomarkers. In this study, older teenagers and adults with late-onset Pompe disease will take part. They will not have had gene therapy using AAV. There will be 2 groups - those who have never had enzyme replacement therapy, and those who have had enzyme replacement therapy for 6 months or more. No study treatment will be given during the study, but blood and urine samples will be taken for testing. The main aims of the study are to check antibody levels against AAV8 (a type of AAV) in people with late-onset Pompe disease who had not received any treatment using AAV, to check antibody levels against the GAA enzyme in people previously treated with GAA as part of enzyme replacement therapy, to check levels of biomarkers for Pompe disease, and to check for medical problems. In the study, people will visit the study clinic several times. Some visits may be in the person's home. The first visit is to check if they can take part. Those who can take part will have a medical examination, and have their vital signs checked. Vital signs include blood pressure, heart rate, breathing rate and temperature. Blood samples will be taken to check antibody levels against the GAA enzyme and against AAV8. Blood and urine samples will also be taken to check for biomarkers for Pompe disease. Blood and urine samples will be taken about every 4 months for up to 2 years.Show more

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is an eye disease which causes people to lose their vision over time. AMD damages the macula, which is in the middle of the retina - the light sensitive part at the back of the eye. In AMD, the cells in the macula die over time, usually over several years, leading to vision loss. When AMD gets worse, it can turn into either geographic atrophy (GA), neovascular AMD, or both. This study is for people in Japan of 40 years of age or older, who have geographic atrophy. The main aim of this study is to collect information about the safety of ASP3021 and how well people tolerate treatment with ASP3021. During the study, people will receive monthly injections of ASP3021 for 12 months. ASP3021 is given by injection into the affected eye. This procedure is called an intravitreal injection. People will be in the study for about 1 year. People will visit their study clinic several times for health checks.Show more

This study is for people who have geographic atrophy due to age-related macular degeneration (AMD). AMD happens when the macula, the light-sensitive layer at the back of the eye called the retina, becomes damaged and causes a person's central vision to worsen. Geographic atrophy is an advanced form of AMD where cells in the retina waste away and die. Over time this can lead to permanent loss of vision. Avacincaptad pegol can help slow down the worsening or progression of geographic atrophy. Avacincaptad pegol is a treatment approved in the US to treat geographic atrophy. This study is about collecting information on how people with geographic atrophy are treated in routine clinical practice. This includes recording any medical problems from avacincaptad pegol. This is known as an observational study. Information will be collected from the peoples' medical records during and after treatment. The people in this study will have geographic atrophy in 1 or both eyes and they and their doctor have decided they will be treated with avacincaptad pegol. The individual's doctor decides on treatment, not the study sponsor (Astellas). People that want to take part in the study will have eye examinations that they would usually have as part of their routine care. People will also be asked to complete surveys about their eye health. These surveys will occur when treatment starts and then every 6 months for the first 2 years. After 2 years the surveys will happen once a year. The people on the study can take part if their doctor provides treatment with avacincaptad pegol and they want to continue with the study. The people on the study can take part for around 5 years.Show more

Astellas Pharma is a Japanese multinational pharmaceutical company with dedicated gene therapy division focused on rare diseases of the eye, central nervous system, and neuromuscular systems. The company invests in innovative scientific approaches for genetically defined rare disorders.

Astellas Pharma Inc. has active programs across 20 rare diseases: Adrenocortical Carcinoma, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, Angelman Syndrome, Aplastic Anemia, Chronic Graft-versus-Host Disease, Dermatomyositis, Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis, Friedreich Ataxia, Geographic Atrophy, Hodgkin Lymphoma, IgA Nephropathy, Multiple Sclerosis, Myasthenia Gravis, Pompe Disease, Retinitis Pigmentosa, Sickle Cell Disease, Sjögren's Syndrome, Spinal Muscular Atrophy, Stargardt Disease. These span several therapeutic areas. Each disease page on Trial Friend shows the latest recruiting trials, FDA-approved treatments, and patient resources.

Astellas Pharma Inc. is a diversified pharmaceutical company headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, founded in 2005. While it operates across multiple therapeutic areas, it maintains a significant rare disease portfolio with 20 active rare disease programs including Adrenocortical Carcinoma, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, Angelman Syndrome. Many of its rare disease treatments hold orphan drug designations from the FDA.

The clinical trials section on this page shows active and recruiting rare disease trials sponsored by Astellas Pharma Inc., pulled live from ClinicalTrials.gov. Each trial card includes the study phase, recruitment status, conditions being studied, number of trial sites, and a direct link to the full study record. You can also explore individual disease pages to see trials from all sponsors for a specific condition.

To explore enrollment, find a recruiting trial in the clinical trials list on this page and click "View full study" to see the full ClinicalTrials.gov record, which includes eligibility criteria, study locations, and contact information for each trial site. Your doctor can also help determine if a specific trial is appropriate for your condition. Not all trials are open at every location, so check the site list for one near you.

Astellas Pharma Inc. was founded in 2005 and is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. The company has been active for 21 years. It trades publicly under the ticker symbol 4503.