Scientific Review of the Proarrhythmic Risks of Oligonucleotide Therapeutics: Are Dedicated ICH S7B/E14 Studies Needed for Low-Risk Modalities?

Oligonucleotide therapeutics (ONTs) represent a new modality with unique pharmacological and chemical properties that modulate gene expression with a high degree of target specificity mediated by complementary Watson-Crick base pair hybridization. To date, the proarrhythmic assessment of ONTs has been influenced by International Conference on Harmonization (ICH) E14 and S7B guidance. To document current hERG/QTc evaluation practices, we reviewed US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA) Approval Packages (source: PharmaPendium.

Integration of cardiac energetics, function and histology from isolated rat hearts perfused with doxorubicin and doxorubicin-ol; a model for use in drug safety evaluations.

The isolated rat heart (Langendorff) assay combined with NMR spectroscopy and histology were used to elucidate functional, metabolic, and histological signs of cardiotoxicity resulting from acute exposure to clinically relevant concentrations of doxorubicin and its metabolite dox-ol. Doxorubicin blood concentrations and pharmacokinetic parameters were assessed following a clinically relevant dose of 2 mg/kg in order to select concentrations for isolated heart perfusions. Isolated rat hearts were exposed to 1 or 10 μM of doxorubicin or 0.

A 90-day oral toxicity study of glycolipids from Dacryopinax spathularia in Beagle dogs.

The subchronic toxicity of glycolipids from Dacryopinax spathularia (herein referred to as "AM-1") was studied in male and female Beagle dogs administered AM-1 by oral capsule at doses of 150, 500 or 1000 mg/kg/day for 90 days. AM-1 was well tolerated at all dosages and there were no test article-related effects on survival, clinical observations, neurological screening (functional observational battery) parameters, clinical pathology parameters, organ weights, macroscopic or microscopic evaluations. Test article-related changes were limited to minimal effects on food consumption and body weight changes in the 1000 mg/kg/day group females.

Neurobehavioral and Cardiovascular Effects of Potassium Cyanide Administered Orally to Mice.

The Food and Drug Administration Animal Rule requires evaluation of cardiovascular and central nervous system (CNS) effects of new therapeutics. To characterize an adult and juvenile mouse model, neurobehavioral and cardiovascular effects and pathology of a single sublethal but toxic, 8 mg/kg, oral dose of potassium cyanide (KCN) for up to 41 days postdosing were investigated. This study describes the short- and long-term sensory, motor, cognitive, and behavioral changes associated with oral dosing of a sublethal but toxic dose of KCN utilizing functional observation battery and Tier II CNS testing in adult and juvenile mice of both sexes.