Journal Article

A Randomized, Double‐Blind, 2‐Treatment, 2‐Period, Crossover Phase 1 Study to Compare the Pharmacokinetics, Safety and Tolerability of 60 IU/Kg of Abcertin and Cerezyme in Healthy Volunteers Following a Single Intravenous Administration

Hwang, Soojin, Yoo, Han Wook, Kim, Dohyung, Lee, Beom Hee, Lemech, Charlotte, Kang, Eungu, Lee, Yongyoon, Wharton, Jessica

2025

Overview

Background Imiglucerase (Cerezyme; Sanofi, Paris, France), an analogue of β‐glucocerebrosidase produced by recombinant DNA technology, has been a safe and effective treatment for Gaucher disease (GD) for over 25 years. A new imiglucerase, Abcertin (Seongnam‐si, Gyeonggi‐do, Republic of Korea) has shown a similar safety and efficacy profile in previous clinical studies. This study compared the pharmacokinetics, immunogenicity, safety, and tolerability to EU‐sourced Cerezyme following a single 60 IU/kg dose. Methods This phase 1, single‐center, randomized, double‐blind, two‐way crossover study enrolled 36 healthy volunteers aged 18–45 years. Participants were randomly assigned to receive either Abcertin or Cerezyme in a predetermined sequence. Results Abcertin reached peak plasma concentrations at a median tmax of 61 min (range: 40–121 min). The mean Cmax, AUC0–last, and AUC0–inf were 115.4 mU/mL, 12,190 min·mU/mL, and 12,210 min mU/mL, respectively, indicating bioequivalence to Cerezyme. The mean t½, CL, and Vz were 6.88 min, 376.7 mL/min, and 3.62 L, respectively, and were comparable between the two treatments. One participant in the Cerezyme group developed anti‐drug antibodies, which were non‐neutralizing A total of 24 subjects experienced treatment‐emergent adverse event (TEAE). The most common TEAE was headache (3 in the Abcertin group and 5 in the Cerezyme group), followed by general disorders and administration site condition (3 in Abcertin group and 5 in Cerezyme group). Two participants in the Cerezyme sequence experienced severe TEAEs: one had a urinary tract infection, and the other developed urticaria, which leading to study withdrawal. Conclusion Abcertin demonstrated pharmacokinetic equivalence to Cerezyme, with a comparable safety, immunogenicity, and tolerability profile. These findings support its potential as an affordable biosimilar for GD treatment. This study evaluates the pharmacokinetic equivalence, immunogenicity, and safety profiles of Abcertin and Cerezyme in healthy volunteers. It demonstrated the pharmacokinetic bioequivalence of Abcertin to Cerezyme, highlighted favorable safety and tolerability profiles with no clinically significant adverse events for Abcertin, and confirmed its low immunogenic potential.

• Publisher: John Wiley & Sons, Inc,John Wiley and Sons Inc,Wiley
• Subject: Administration, Intravenous / Adolescent / Adult / biosimilar / Cross-Over Studies / Disease / Double-Blind Method / Drug dosages / Effectiveness / Electrocardiography / enzyme replacement therapy / Enzymes / FDA approval / Female / Gaucher disease / Gaucher's disease / Glucosylceramidase / Glucosylceramidase - administration & dosage / Glucosylceramidase - adverse effects / Glucosylceramidase - pharmacokinetics / Health services / Healthy Volunteers / Humans / Immunogenicity / Immunology / Intravenous administration / Male / Medical history / Middle Aged / Original / Pharmacokinetics / Recombinant DNA / Safety / Urinary tract / Urticaria / Variance analysis / Young Adult