A Study to Assess the Safety, Tolerability, and Pharmacokinetics of BIIB078 in Adults With C9ORF72-Associated Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
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ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03626012 |
Recruitment Status :
Completed
First Posted : August 10, 2018
Last Update Posted : January 14, 2022
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Condition or disease | Intervention/treatment | Phase |
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Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis | Drug: BIIB078 Drug: Placebo | Phase 1 |
Study Type : | Interventional (Clinical Trial) |
Actual Enrollment : | 106 participants |
Allocation: | Randomized |
Intervention Model: | Sequential Assignment |
Masking: | Quadruple (Participant, Care Provider, Investigator, Outcomes Assessor) |
Primary Purpose: | Treatment |
Official Title: | A Phase 1 Multiple-Ascending-Dose Study to Assess the Safety, Tolerability, and Pharmacokinetics of BIIB078 Administered Intrathecally to Adults With C9ORF72-Associated Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis |
Actual Study Start Date : | September 10, 2018 |
Actual Primary Completion Date : | November 17, 2021 |
Actual Study Completion Date : | November 17, 2021 |

Arm | Intervention/treatment |
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Experimental: Cohort 1: BIIB078 First Dosage
BIIB078 will be administered as a loading regimen of 3 doses, on Day 1 and two later days, followed by two maintenance doses on two later days.
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Drug: BIIB078
Administered as specified in the treatment arm. |
Experimental: Cohort 2: BIIB078 Second Dosage
BIIB078 will be administered as a loading regimen of 3 doses, on Day 1 and two later days, followed by two maintenance doses on two later days.
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Drug: BIIB078
Administered as specified in the treatment arm. |
Experimental: Cohort 3: BIIB078 Third Dosage
BIIB078 will be administered as a loading regimen of 3 doses, on Day 1 and two later days, followed by two maintenance doses on two later days.
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Drug: BIIB078
Administered as specified in the treatment arm. |
Experimental: Cohort 4: BIIB078 Fourth Dosage
BIIB078 will be administered as a loading regimen of 3 doses, on Day 1 and two later days, followed by five maintenance doses on five later days.
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Drug: BIIB078
Administered as specified in the treatment arm. |
Experimental: Cohort 5: BIIB078 Fifth Dosage
BIIB078 will be administered as a loading regimen of 3 doses, on Day 1 and two later days, followed by five maintenance doses on five later days.
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Drug: BIIB078
Administered as specified in the treatment arm. |
Experimental: Cohort 6: BIIB078 Sixth Dosage
BIIB078 will be administered as a loading regimen of 3 doses, on Day 1 and two later days, followed by five maintenance doses on five later days.
|
Drug: BIIB078
Administered as specified in the treatment arm. |
Placebo Comparator: Cohorts 1-6: Placebo
Matching placebo will be administered as a loading regimen of 3 doses, on Day 1 and two later days, followed by two maintenance doses on two later days (Cohorts 1 through 3) and five maintenance doses on five later days (Cohorts 4 through 6).
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Drug: Placebo
Administered as specified in the treatment arm. |
- Number of Participants with Adverse Events (AEs) and Serious Adverse Events (SAEs) [ Time Frame: Baseline through End of Study (Approximately Day 323) ]An AE is any untoward medical occurrence in a participant who received study drug without regard to possibility of causal relationship. An SAE is an AE resulting in any of the following outcomes or deemed significant for any other reason: death, places participant at immediate risk of death, requires initial or prolonged inpatient hospitalization, results in persistent or significant disability/incapacity, results in congenital anomaly, is a medically important event.
- Serum BIIB078 Concentration [ Time Frame: Baseline and at multiple time points up to Day 260 ]
- Area Under the Concentration-Time Curve (AUC) from Time 0 to Infinity (AUCinf) [ Time Frame: Baseline and at multiple time points up to Day 260 ]
- AUC from Time 0 to Time of the Last Measurable Concentration (AUClast) [ Time Frame: Baseline and at multiple time points up to Day 260 ]
- Maximum Observed Concentration (Cmax) [ Time Frame: Baseline and at multiple time points up to Day 260 ]
- Time to Reach Cmax (Tmax) [ Time Frame: Baseline and at multiple time points up to Day 260 ]
- Terminal Elimination Half-Life (t 1/2) [ Time Frame: Baseline and at multiple time points up to Day 260 ]
- Change from Baseline in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Functional Rating Scale - Revised (ALSFRS-R) Scores [ Time Frame: Baseline up to Day 323 ]The ALSFRS-R has been demonstrated to predict survival. The ALSFRS-R measures 4 functional domains, including respiratory, bulbar function, gross motor skills, and fine motor skills. There are a total of 12 questions, each scored from 0 to 4 for a total possible score of 48 [Cedarbaum 1999], with higher scores representing better function.
- Change from Baseline in Percent of Predicted Slow Vital Capacity (SVC) [ Time Frame: Baseline up to Day 260 ]
- Change from Baseline in Muscle Strength [ Time Frame: Baseline up to Day 260 ]Quantitative muscle strength will be evaluated using hand-held dynamometry (HHD), which tests isometric strength of multiple muscles using standard participant positioning. Approximately 8 muscle groups will be examined (per each side) in both upper and lower extremities.
- Change from Baseline in Bulbar Strength [ Time Frame: Baseline up to Day 260 ]Bulbar strength will be measured by the Iowa Oral Pressure Instrument (IOPI). The IOPI is a commercially available tongue pressure measurement system composed of an air-filled bulb connected to a pressure transducer. The bulb can be placed in different positions in the mouth in order to assess different aspects of tongue weakness.

Choosing to participate in a study is an important personal decision. Talk with your doctor and family members or friends about deciding to join a study. To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contacts provided below. For general information, Learn About Clinical Studies.
Ages Eligible for Study: | 18 Years and older (Adult, Older Adult) |
Sexes Eligible for Study: | All |
Accepts Healthy Volunteers: | No |
Key Inclusion Criteria:
- Ability of the participant to understand the purpose and risks of the study, to provide signed and dated informed consent, and to authorize the use of confidential health information in accordance with national and local participant privacy regulations; or, in the event of the participant's physical incapacity to sign, to confirm that understanding and consent orally to a legally authorized representative (LAR) for the express purpose of having said informed consent and authorization signed on his/her behalf.
- All participants of childbearing potential must agree to practice highly effective contraception during the study and be willing and able to continue contraception for 5 months after their last dose of study treatment.
- Must meet the possible, laboratory-supported probable, probable, or definite criteria for diagnosing ALS according to the World Federation of Neurology El Escorial criteria and have documentation of a clinical genetic test demonstrating the presence of a pathogenic mutation in C9ORF72.
- Slow vital capacity (SVC) ≥ 50% of predicted value as adjusted for sex, age, and height (from the sitting position).
- Participants taking concomitant riluzole at study entry must be on a stable dose for ≥ 30 days prior to the first dose of study treatment (Day 1).
- Participants taking concomitant edaravone at study entry must be on a stable dose for ≥ 60 days prior to the first dose of study treatment (Day 1).
- ALS Cognitive Behavioral Screen (ALS-CBS) score ≥ 11 for the cognitive portion; ≥ 33 for the behavioral portion.
- Medically able to undergo the study procedures, and to adhere to the visit schedule at the time of study entry, as determined by the Investigator.
- Screening values of coagulation parameters including platelet count, international normalized ratio (INR), prothrombin time (PT), and activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) should be within normal ranges.
- Has an informant/caregiver who, in the Investigator's judgment, has frequent and sufficient contact with the participant as to be able to provide accurate information about the participant's cognitive and functional abilities at Screening.
Key Exclusion Criteria:
- History of drug abuse or alcoholism ≤ 6 months of Screening that would limit participation in the study, as determined by the Investigator.
- Tracheostomy.
- Prescreening ALSFRS-R slope less than 0.4 points/month, where prescreening ALSFRS-R slope is defined as follows: (48 - ALSFRS-R score at Screening) / (months from date of symptom onset to date of Screening).
- History of or positive test result at Screening for human immunodeficiency virus. .
- History of, or positive test result at Screening for, hepatitis C virus antibody.
- Treatment with another investigational drug or biological agent within 1 month of Screening or 5 half-lives of study agent, whichever is longer.
- Treatment with an antiplatelet or anticoagulant therapy that cannot safely be interrupted for lumbar puncture (LP) according to local standard of care and/or institutional guidelines, in the opinion of the Investigator or Prescriber.
- Current or anticipated need, in the opinion of the Investigator, of a diaphragm pacing system during the study period.
- Female participants who are pregnant or currently breastfeeding.
NOTE: Other protocol defined Inclusion/Exclusion criteria may apply.

To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contact information provided by the sponsor.
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier (NCT number): NCT03626012
United States, California | |
Research Site | |
La Jolla, California, United States, 92037-0886 | |
Research Site | |
Los Angeles, California, United States, 90048 | |
Research Site | |
Palo Alto, California, United States, 94303 | |
United States, Florida | |
Research Site | |
Jacksonville, Florida, United States, 32224 | |
Research Site | |
Miami, Florida, United States, 33136 | |
United States, Georgia | |
Research Site | |
Atlanta, Georgia, United States, 30322 | |
United States, Maryland | |
Research Site | |
Baltimore, Maryland, United States, 21287 | |
United States, Massachusetts | |
Research Site | |
Boston, Massachusetts, United States, 02114 | |
United States, Missouri | |
Research Site | |
Saint Louis, Missouri, United States, 63110 | |
United States, Nebraska | |
Research Site | |
Lincoln, Nebraska, United States, 68506-2960 | |
United States, New York | |
Research Site | |
New York, New York, United States, 10032 | |
United States, Tennessee | |
Research Site | |
Knoxville, Tennessee, United States, 37920 | |
Canada, Alberta | |
Research Site | |
Calgary, Alberta, Canada, T2N 1N4 | |
Canada, Ontario | |
Research Site | |
Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M4N 3M5 | |
Canada, Quebec | |
Research Site | |
Montreal, Quebec, Canada, H3A 2B4 | |
Ireland | |
Research Site | |
Dublin, Ireland, DUBLIN 8 | |
Netherlands | |
Research Site | |
Utrecht, Netherlands, 3508 GA | |
Switzerland | |
Research Site | |
St. Gallen, Switzerland, 9007 | |
United Kingdom | |
Research Site | |
London, Greater London, United Kingdom, SE5 9RS | |
Research Site | |
Sheffield, South Yorkshire, United Kingdom, S10 2HQ | |
Research Site | |
London, United Kingdom, NW1 2PG |
Study Director: | Medical Director | Biogen |
Responsible Party: | Biogen |
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: | NCT03626012 |
Other Study ID Numbers: |
245AS101 2017-000294-36 ( EudraCT Number ) |
First Posted: | August 10, 2018 Key Record Dates |
Last Update Posted: | January 14, 2022 |
Last Verified: | January 2022 |
Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated Drug Product: | Yes |
Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated Device Product: | No |
Motor Neuron Disease Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Sclerosis Pathologic Processes Neurodegenerative Diseases Nervous System Diseases |
Neuromuscular Diseases Spinal Cord Diseases Central Nervous System Diseases TDP-43 Proteinopathies Proteostasis Deficiencies Metabolic Diseases |