Summary of safety profile
Adverse reactions in patients treated with Tzield were evaluated in a pool of adult and paediatric patients who participated in five controlled clinical studies (one study in patients with Stage 2 T1D [Study TN-10], three placebo-controlled studies in an unapproved population (Stage 3 T1D), and one open-label standard-of-care controlled study of Tzield in an unapproved population (Stage 3 T1D)).
Lymphopenia, leukopenia, neutropenia, blood bicarbonate decreased, and rash were the most frequently reported adverse reactions, which occurred at a higher frequency in the teplizumab group compared to the control group.
Tabulated list of adverse reactions
The adverse reactions occurring in ≥5% of patients in the pooled safety analysis of clinical studies are shown in Table 1 per System Organ Class presented by frequency categories: very common: (≥1/10), common: (≥1/100 to <1/10), uncommon: (≥1/1000 to <1/100), rare: (≥1/10,000 to <1/1000), very rare: (<1/10,000), not known: (cannot be estimated from the available data).
Table 1. Adverse reactions occurring in ≥5% of patients in the pooled safety analysis of clinical studies.
| System Organ Class | Frequency Category |
| | Very common | Common | Not known |
| Blood and lymphatic system disorders | Lymphopenia, Leukopenia, Neutropenia, Haemoglobin decreased, Thrombocytopenia | | |
| Immune system disorders | | Cytokine release syndrome | |
| Nervous system disorders | Headache | | |
| Respiratory, thoracic and mediastinal disorders | | Nasopharyngitis | |
| Gastrointestinal disorders | Nausea | Diarrhoea | Vomiting |
| Skin and subcutaneous tissue disorders | Rash, Pruritus | Urticaria | Rash Pruritic |
| General disorders and administration site conditions | Pyrexia | Chills | Fatigue, Pain, Illness |
| Investigations | Alanine aminotransferase increased, Aspartate aminotransferase increased, Blood bicarbonate decreased, Blood calcium decreased | | |
Description of selected adverse reactions
Cytokine Release Syndrome (CRS)
In Study TN-10, CRS was reported in 2% of patients treated with Tzield compared to 0% of patients in the placebo group.
Of the 46 patients treated with Tzield that developed CRS (6% of all patients treated with Tzield) in the pool of 5 clinical trials, 13% of the CRS cases were serious adverse reactions (see section 4.4). Liver transaminase elevations were observed in 56% of patients treated with Tzield who experienced CRS: 64% were up to 2.5 times ULN, 32% were more than 2.5 to 5 times ULN, and 4.5% were 5-10 times ULN.
Serious Infections
In Study TN-10, serious infections (cellulitis, gastroenteritis, pneumonia, wound infection) were reported in 9% (4/44) of patients treated with Tzield compared to 0% (0/32) of patients treated with placebo any time during or after the first dose of study treatment.
Lymphopenia
In Study TN-10, lymphopenia was reported in 73% of patients treated with Tzield compared to 6% of patients in the placebo group. The average lymphocyte count nadir occurred at Day 5 of treatment, with recovery and return to baseline by Week 6 (see section 4.4).
Rash and Hypersensitivity Reactions
Hypersensitivity reactions were reported with Tzield in Study TN-10. Serum sickness was observed in 2% (1/44) of patients treated with Tzield compared to 0% (0/32) of patients in the placebo group. The patient who developed serum sickness had a prior history of positive anti-nuclear antibody and presented with arthralgias and elevated c-reactive protein and low C4 complement five days after completing their course of Tzield; illness resolved in 2.5 months.
In the pool of 5 clinical trials of patients:
• Anaphylaxis (with hypoxia and bronchospasm) was observed in one patient treated with Tzield who was hospitalised.
• Angioedema (periorbital and facial) was observed in 0.3% patients treated with Tzield, compared to 0% of patients in the control group. Peripheral and generalised oedema was reported in 1.6% of patients treated with Tzield and 0% of patients in the control group.
• Rash was observed in 35% of patients treated with Tzield compared to 10% of patients in the control group. The majority of events of rash observed with Tzield treatment were not serious and resolved without intervention; although 0.3% (2/791) of patients treated with Tzield had a serious rash compared to 0% (0/245) of patients in the placebo group.
• Urticaria was reported in 1.9% of patients treated with Tzield and in 1.2% of patients in the control group.
Other Adverse Reactions
Haemoglobin Decreased and Thrombocytopenia
In the pool of 5 clinical trials of patients, haemoglobin decreased was reported in 28% of patients treated with Tzield compared to 22% of patients in the placebo group, and thrombocytopenia was reported in 22% of patients treated with Tzield compared to 10% of patients in the placebo group during the 14‑day treatment course; recovery occurred within 2 to 4 weeks of treatment. In clinical trials, 1.5% of patients treated with Tzield discontinued treatment due to haemoglobin less than 85 g/L (or a decrease of more than 20 g/L to a value less than 100 g/L), and 1% discontinued Tzield due to platelet count less than 50 x 109 platelets/L.
Liver Enzyme and Bilirubin Elevations
Liver enzyme and bilirubin elevations were observed in patients treated with Tzield, both in the context of CRS and in patients without CRS. On laboratory analysis, 5.1% of patients treated with Tzield experienced a peak ALT more than 3 times the ULN compared to 0.8% of patients in the control group. Most liver enzyme elevations were transient and resolved 1-2 weeks after treatment; 98% resolved by follow-up week 14.
Immunogenicity
The observed incidence of anti-drug antibodies (ADA) is highly dependent on the sensitivity and specificity of the assay. Differences in assay methods preclude meaningful comparisons of the incidence of anti-drug antibodies in the studies described below with the incidence of anti-drug antibodies in other studies, including those of Tzield or of other teplizumab products.
In the placebo-controlled study in patients aged 8 years of age and older with Stage 2 type 1 diabetes (Study TN-10) (see section 5.1), approximately 57% of patients treated with Tzield developed anti-teplizumab antibodies, 46% of whom developed neutralising antibodies. There was a higher incidence of rash in patients treated with Tzield who developed anti-teplizumab antibodies (39%) compared to those who did not develop anti-teplizumab antibodies (33%). There is insufficient information to characterise the effects of ADA on pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, or effectiveness of Tzield.
Reporting of suspected adverse reactions
Reporting suspected adverse reactions after authorisation of the medicinal product is important. It allows continued monitoring of the benefit/risk balance of the medicinal product. Healthcare professionals are asked to report any suspected adverse reactions via the Yellow Card Scheme at: www.mhra.gov.uk/yellowcard or search for MHRA Yellow Card in the Google Play or Apple App Store.