Sprifermin (
INN) (developmental code name AS-902330), is a recombinant human
fibroblast growth factor 18
Fibroblast growth factor 18 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the ''FGF18'' gene.
The protein encoded by this gene is a member of the fibroblast growth factor (FGF) family. FGF family members possess broad mitogenic and cell survival acti ...
(rhFGF18) analog, which is under development by
Merck and Nordic Bioscience for the treatment of
osteoarthritis.
FGF18 and sprifermin are
potent agonists of the
FGFR2,
FGFR3 and
FGFR4.
In 2020, Merck reported 5-year follow-up data from the Phase 2 clinical trial for knee osteoarthritis, which demonstrated that sprifermin was able to promote statistically significant improvement in cartilage thickness relative to control in a dose-dependent manner, meeting the primary endpoint of the study.
Sprifermin was well tolerated with no severe adverse events associated with the treatment.
Long-term follow up showed that continual injections, up to 12 per year of bilateral treatment, may need to be sustained over a period of multiple years to prevent recurrence of cartilage loss.
Improvement in
WOMAC, a secondary endpoint, was met for the Subgroup at Risk.
References
External links
Sprifermin - AdisInsight
Human proteins
Recombinant proteins
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