Astellas Pharma Inc.

Zolbetuximab is being studied in people with cancer in and around the stomach or where the food pipe (esophagus) joins the stomach, called GEJ cancer. Most people with this type of cancer have a protein called Claudin 18.2 in their tumor. Zolbetuximab is thought to work by attaching to the Claudin 18.2 protein in their tumor, which switches on the body's immune system to attack the tumor. There is an unmet medical need to treat people with advanced stomach cancer or GEJ cancer. This study will give more information about how well zolbetuximab works when given with chemotherapy in adults with advanced stomach cancer or GEJ cancer. In this study, adults with advanced stomach cancer or GEJ cancer will either be given zolbetuximab with chemotherapy or a placebo with chemotherapy. A placebo looks like zolbetuximab but doesn't have any medicine in it. Zolbetuximab with chemotherapy has already been approved to treat stomach cancer and GEJ cancer in some countries. This study is being done in countries where zolbetuximab has not yet been approved for use. If zolbetuximab becomes approved for use in those countries taking part in this study, the people taking part in those countries will leave this study and receive licensed zolbetuximab. The main aim(s) of the study is(are) to determine the efficacy of zolbetuximab combined with chemotherapy compared to a placebo combined with chemotherapy in treating adults with Claudin 18.2-positive, HER2-negative, locally advanced unresectable or metastatic gastric or GEJ adenocarcinoma. Adults with locally advanced unresectable or metastatic stomach cancer or GEJ cancer can take part. Locally advanced means the cancer has spread to nearby tissue. Unresectable means the cancer cannot be removed by surgery. Metastatic means the cancer has spread to other parts of the body. A tumor sample of their cancer will also have the Claudin 18.2 protein. They may have been previously treated with certain standard therapies but have not been treated with chemotherapy for their cancer. People cannot take part if they need to take medicines to suppress their immune system, have blockages or bleeding in their gut, have specific uncontrollable cancers such as symptomatic or untreated cancers in the nervous system, or have a specific heart condition, or infections. The study treatments are either zolbetuximab with chemotherapy or placebo with chemotherapy. People who take part will receive just one of the treatments by chance. Study treatment will be double-blinded. That means that the people in the study and the study doctors will not know who takes which of the study treatments. Study treatment will be given in cycles. The study treatment is given to people slowly through a tube into a vein. This is called an infusion. The chemotherapy is called CAPOX (capecitabine and oxaliplatin) and will be given as an infusion and also as tablets. People will have 1 infusion of either zolbetuximab or placebo together with oxaliplatin chemotherapy in 3-week (21-day) cycles. People will also take 1 tablet of capecitabine (chemotherapy) twice a day for the first 2 weeks (14 days) of each cycle. People may receive zolbetuximab or placebo until their cancer worsens, they cannot tolerate the treatment, or they need to start another cancer treatment. People will receive CAPOX for up to about 6 months (8 treatment cycles). After the 6 months, people may receive capecitabine chemotherapy only, until their cancer worsens, they cannot tolerate the study treatment, or they need to start another cancer treatment. People will visit the clinic on certain days during their treatment. The study doctors will check if people had any medical problems from zolbetuximab or the other study treatments. Also, people in the study will have health checks. On some visits, they will have scans to check for any changes in their cancer. People will have the option of giving a tumor sample after their study treatment has finished. People will visit the clinic within 7 days after they stop their study treatment. People will be asked about any medical problems and will have a health check. People who start treatment with licensed zolbetuximab will not need to attend the clinic for further visits and will receive standard of care health checks. People who continue study treatment will visit the clinic at 1 and 3 months after they stop their study treatment. They will continue to have scans every 9 or 12 weeks to check for any changes in their cancer. They will have telephone health checks every 3 months. The number of visits and checks done at each visit will depend on the health of each person and whether they completed their treatment or not.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

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

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

People with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) are usually treated with chemotherapy. Some people with AML have a changed FLT3 gene which causes leukemia cells to grow faster. Therefore, chemotherapy is less suitable to treat AML in people with the changed FLT3 gene. Gilteritinib, given with venetoclax and azacitidine, is a potential new treatment for people with AML with the changed FLT3 gene. They cannot have chemotherapy due to old age or other conditions. Before these combined 3 medicines are available as a treatment, the researchers need to understand how they are processed by and act upon the body when given together. In this study, they do this to find a suitable dose for venetoclax and to check for potential medical problems from the treatment. In this study, people newly diagnosed with AML who have the changed FLT3 gene and cannot have chemotherapy can take part. The main aims of this study are: to find suitable doses of gilteritinib, venetoclax and azacitidine as a combined treatment; to learn how they are processed by and act upon the body; to learn the remission rate; to check for medical problems during this treatment. In the study, people will visit the study clinic many times. The first visit is to check if they can take part. People will be asked about their medical history, have a medical examination, and have their vital signs checked. Also, they will have an ECG to check their heart rhythm and have some blood and urine samples taken for laboratory tests. They will have a chest X-ray and a bone marrow sample will be taken. The changed FLT3 gene will be confirmed, either by the bone marrow or a blood sample. This study will be in 2 phases. In Phase 1, different small groups of people will take venetoclax tablets containing lower to higher doses in the combined treatment. The doses of gilteritinib and azacytidine will be unchanged. This is done to find a suitable dose of venetoclax to use in phase 2 of the study. People will take tablets of gilteritinib and venetoclax once a day on a 28-day cycle. They will be given azacytidine as an infusion or an injection just under the skin. This will be for 7 days at the beginning of each 28-day cycle. They will continue cycles of treatment throughout this phase of the study. In Phase 2, more people newly diagnosed with AML with the changed FLT3 gene will take part. They will be treated with the suitable doses of the combined treatment worked out from Phase 1. Treatment will be on a 28-day cycle. People will continue on cycles of treatment throughout this phase of the study. Researchers will work out the remission rate from this phase of the study. In each phase of the study, people can continue with up to 12 cycles of treatment if they can manage any medical problems. People will visit the study clinic many times during their first treatment cycle, and less often during the next cycles. During these visits, medical problems will be recorded and some blood samples will be taken for laboratory tests. On some visits, people will also have their vital signs checked. Bone marrow samples will be taken during cycle 1, and at the beginning of cycle 3. More samples will be taken during the study from people who are not in remission. When people have finished treatment, those who have responded well to treatment and are in remission will be invited to continue with up to 24 more cycles of gilteritinib plus azacitidine. All people taking part in the study will visit the study clinic for an end-of-treatment visit. During this visit, medical problems will be recorded and some blood samples will be taken for laboratory tests. People will have a medical examination, an ECG, and will have their vital signs checked. Also, a bone marrow sample will be taken. There will be a follow-up visit 30 days later to check for medical problems. Then people will visit the clinic or get a phone call every 3 months for up to 3 years. This is to give an update on their current treatment for AML. Some people can have a stem cell transplant during the study if they meet certain study rules. They will pause their study treatment during the stem cell transplant process and continue study treatment afterwards.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

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