Journal of Clinical and Diagnostic Research, ISSN - 0973 - 709X

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Dr Mohan Z Mani

"Thank you very much for having published my article in record time.I would like to compliment you and your entire staff for your promptness, courtesy, and willingness to be customer friendly, which is quite unusual.I was given your reference by a colleague in pathology,and was able to directly phone your editorial office for clarifications.I would particularly like to thank the publication managers and the Assistant Editor who were following up my article. I would also like to thank you for adjusting the money I paid initially into payment for my modified article,and refunding the balance.
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Dr Mohan Z Mani,
Professor & Head,
Department of Dermatolgy,
Believers Church Medical College,
Thiruvalla, Kerala
On Sep 2018




Prof. Somashekhar Nimbalkar

"Over the last few years, we have published our research regularly in Journal of Clinical and Diagnostic Research. Having published in more than 20 high impact journals over the last five years including several high impact ones and reviewing articles for even more journals across my fields of interest, we value our published work in JCDR for their high standards in publishing scientific articles. The ease of submission, the rapid reviews in under a month, the high quality of their reviewers and keen attention to the final process of proofs and publication, ensure that there are no mistakes in the final article. We have been asked clarifications on several occasions and have been happy to provide them and it exemplifies the commitment to quality of the team at JCDR."



Prof. Somashekhar Nimbalkar
Head, Department of Pediatrics, Pramukhswami Medical College, Karamsad
Chairman, Research Group, Charutar Arogya Mandal, Karamsad
National Joint Coordinator - Advanced IAP NNF NRP Program
Ex-Member, Governing Body, National Neonatology Forum, New Delhi
Ex-President - National Neonatology Forum Gujarat State Chapter
Department of Pediatrics, Pramukhswami Medical College, Karamsad, Anand, Gujarat.
On Sep 2018




Dr. Kalyani R

"Journal of Clinical and Diagnostic Research is at present a well-known Indian originated scientific journal which started with a humble beginning. I have been associated with this journal since many years. I appreciate the Editor, Dr. Hemant Jain, for his constant effort in bringing up this journal to the present status right from the scratch. The journal is multidisciplinary. It encourages in publishing the scientific articles from postgraduates and also the beginners who start their career. At the same time the journal also caters for the high quality articles from specialty and super-specialty researchers. Hence it provides a platform for the scientist and researchers to publish. The other aspect of it is, the readers get the information regarding the most recent developments in science which can be used for teaching, research, treating patients and to some extent take preventive measures against certain diseases. The journal is contributing immensely to the society at national and international level."



Dr Kalyani R
Professor and Head
Department of Pathology
Sri Devaraj Urs Medical College
Sri Devaraj Urs Academy of Higher Education and Research , Kolar, Karnataka
On Sep 2018




Dr. Saumya Navit

"As a peer-reviewed journal, the Journal of Clinical and Diagnostic Research provides an opportunity to researchers, scientists and budding professionals to explore the developments in the field of medicine and dentistry and their varied specialities, thus extending our view on biological diversities of living species in relation to medicine.
‘Knowledge is treasure of a wise man.’ The free access of this journal provides an immense scope of learning for the both the old and the young in field of medicine and dentistry as well. The multidisciplinary nature of the journal makes it a better platform to absorb all that is being researched and developed. The publication process is systematic and professional. Online submission, publication and peer reviewing makes it a user-friendly journal.
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I wish JCDR a great success and I hope that journal will soar higher with the passing time."



Dr Saumya Navit
Professor and Head
Department of Pediatric Dentistry
Saraswati Dental College
Lucknow
On Sep 2018




Dr. Arunava Biswas

"My sincere attachment with JCDR as an author as well as reviewer is a learning experience . Their systematic approach in publication of article in various categories is really praiseworthy.
Their prompt and timely response to review's query and the manner in which they have set the reviewing process helps in extracting the best possible scientific writings for publication.
It's a honour and pride to be a part of the JCDR team. My very best wishes to JCDR and hope it will sparkle up above the sky as a high indexed journal in near future."



Dr. Arunava Biswas
MD, DM (Clinical Pharmacology)
Assistant Professor
Department of Pharmacology
Calcutta National Medical College & Hospital , Kolkata




Dr. C.S. Ramesh Babu
" Journal of Clinical and Diagnostic Research (JCDR) is a multi-specialty medical and dental journal publishing high quality research articles in almost all branches of medicine. The quality of printing of figures and tables is excellent and comparable to any International journal. An added advantage is nominal publication charges and monthly issue of the journal and more chances of an article being accepted for publication. Moreover being a multi-specialty journal an article concerning a particular specialty has a wider reach of readers of other related specialties also. As an author and reviewer for several years I find this Journal most suitable and highly recommend this Journal."
Best regards,
C.S. Ramesh Babu,
Associate Professor of Anatomy,
Muzaffarnagar Medical College,
Muzaffarnagar.
On Aug 2018




Dr. Arundhathi. S
"Journal of Clinical and Diagnostic Research (JCDR) is a reputed peer reviewed journal and is constantly involved in publishing high quality research articles related to medicine. Its been a great pleasure to be associated with this esteemed journal as a reviewer and as an author for a couple of years. The editorial board consists of many dedicated and reputed experts as its members and they are doing an appreciable work in guiding budding researchers. JCDR is doing a commendable job in scientific research by promoting excellent quality research & review articles and case reports & series. The reviewers provide appropriate suggestions that improve the quality of articles. I strongly recommend my fraternity to encourage JCDR by contributing their valuable research work in this widely accepted, user friendly journal. I hope my collaboration with JCDR will continue for a long time".



Dr. Arundhathi. S
MBBS, MD (Pathology),
Sanjay Gandhi institute of trauma and orthopedics,
Bengaluru.
On Aug 2018




Dr. Mamta Gupta,
"It gives me great pleasure to be associated with JCDR, since last 2-3 years. Since then I have authored, co-authored and reviewed about 25 articles in JCDR. I thank JCDR for giving me an opportunity to improve my own skills as an author and a reviewer.
It 's a multispecialty journal, publishing high quality articles. It gives a platform to the authors to publish their research work which can be available for everyone across the globe to read. The best thing about JCDR is that the full articles of all medical specialties are available as pdf/html for reading free of cost or without institutional subscription, which is not there for other journals. For those who have problem in writing manuscript or do statistical work, JCDR comes for their rescue.
The journal has a monthly publication and the articles are published quite fast. In time compared to other journals. The on-line first publication is also a great advantage and facility to review one's own articles before going to print. The response to any query and permission if required, is quite fast; this is quite commendable. I have a very good experience about seeking quick permission for quoting a photograph (Fig.) from a JCDR article for my chapter authored in an E book. I never thought it would be so easy. No hassles.
Reviewing articles is no less a pain staking process and requires in depth perception, knowledge about the topic for review. It requires time and concentration, yet I enjoy doing it. The JCDR website especially for the reviewers is quite user friendly. My suggestions for improving the journal is, more strict review process, so that only high quality articles are published. I find a a good number of articles in Obst. Gynae, hence, a new journal for this specialty titled JCDR-OG can be started. May be a bimonthly or quarterly publication to begin with. Only selected articles should find a place in it.
An yearly reward for the best article authored can also incentivize the authors. Though the process of finding the best article will be not be very easy. I do not know how reviewing process can be improved. If an article is being reviewed by two reviewers, then opinion of one can be communicated to the other or the final opinion of the editor can be communicated to the reviewer if requested for. This will help one’s reviewing skills.
My best wishes to Dr. Hemant Jain and all the editorial staff of JCDR for their untiring efforts to bring out this journal. I strongly recommend medical fraternity to publish their valuable research work in this esteemed journal, JCDR".



Dr. Mamta Gupta
Consultant
(Ex HOD Obs &Gynae, Hindu Rao Hospital and associated NDMC Medical College, Delhi)
Aug 2018




Dr. Rajendra Kumar Ghritlaharey

"I wish to thank Dr. Hemant Jain, Editor-in-Chief Journal of Clinical and Diagnostic Research (JCDR), for asking me to write up few words.
Writing is the representation of language in a textual medium i e; into the words and sentences on paper. Quality medical manuscript writing in particular, demands not only a high-quality research, but also requires accurate and concise communication of findings and conclusions, with adherence to particular journal guidelines. In medical field whether working in teaching, private, or in corporate institution, everyone wants to excel in his / her own field and get recognised by making manuscripts publication.


Authors are the souls of any journal, and deserve much respect. To publish a journal manuscripts are needed from authors. Authors have a great responsibility for producing facts of their work in terms of number and results truthfully and an individual honesty is expected from authors in this regards. Both ways its true "No authors-No manuscripts-No journals" and "No journals–No manuscripts–No authors". Reviewing a manuscript is also a very responsible and important task of any peer-reviewed journal and to be taken seriously. It needs knowledge on the subject, sincerity, honesty and determination. Although the process of reviewing a manuscript is a time consuming task butit is expected to give one's best remarks within the time frame of the journal.
Salient features of the JCDR: It is a biomedical, multidisciplinary (including all medical and dental specialities), e-journal, with wide scope and extensive author support. At the same time, a free text of manuscript is available in HTML and PDF format. There is fast growing authorship and readership with JCDR as this can be judged by the number of articles published in it i e; in Feb 2007 of its first issue, it contained 5 articles only, and now in its recent volume published in April 2011, it contained 67 manuscripts. This e-journal is fulfilling the commitments and objectives sincerely, (as stated by Editor-in-chief in his preface to first edition) i e; to encourage physicians through the internet, especially from the developing countries who witness a spectrum of disease and acquire a wealth of knowledge to publish their experiences to benefit the medical community in patients care. I also feel that many of us have work of substance, newer ideas, adequate clinical materials but poor in medical writing and hesitation to submit the work and need help. JCDR provides authors help in this regards.
Timely publication of journal: Publication of manuscripts and bringing out the issue in time is one of the positive aspects of JCDR and is possible with strong support team in terms of peer reviewers, proof reading, language check, computer operators, etc. This is one of the great reasons for authors to submit their work with JCDR. Another best part of JCDR is "Online first Publications" facilities available for the authors. This facility not only provides the prompt publications of the manuscripts but at the same time also early availability of the manuscripts for the readers.
Indexation and online availability: Indexation transforms the journal in some sense from its local ownership to the worldwide professional community and to the public.JCDR is indexed with Embase & EMbiology, Google Scholar, Index Copernicus, Chemical Abstracts Service, Journal seek Database, Indian Science Abstracts, to name few of them. Manuscriptspublished in JCDR are available on major search engines ie; google, yahoo, msn.
In the era of fast growing newer technologies, and in computer and internet friendly environment the manuscripts preparation, submission, review, revision, etc and all can be done and checked with a click from all corer of the world, at any time. Of course there is always a scope for improvement in every field and none is perfect. To progress, one needs to identify the areas of one's weakness and to strengthen them.
It is well said that "happy beginning is half done" and it fits perfectly with JCDR. It has grown considerably and I feel it has already grown up from its infancy to adolescence, achieving the status of standard online e-journal form Indian continent since its inception in Feb 2007. This had been made possible due to the efforts and the hard work put in it. The way the JCDR is improving with every new volume, with good quality original manuscripts, makes it a quality journal for readers. I must thank and congratulate Dr Hemant Jain, Editor-in-Chief JCDR and his team for their sincere efforts, dedication, and determination for making JCDR a fast growing journal.
Every one of us: authors, reviewers, editors, and publisher are responsible for enhancing the stature of the journal. I wish for a great success for JCDR."



Thanking you
With sincere regards
Dr. Rajendra Kumar Ghritlaharey, M.S., M. Ch., FAIS
Associate Professor,
Department of Paediatric Surgery, Gandhi Medical College & Associated
Kamla Nehru & Hamidia Hospitals Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh 462 001 (India)
E-mail: drrajendrak1@rediffmail.com
On May 11,2011




Dr. Shankar P.R.

"On looking back through my Gmail archives after being requested by the journal to write a short editorial about my experiences of publishing with the Journal of Clinical and Diagnostic Research (JCDR), I came across an e-mail from Dr. Hemant Jain, Editor, in March 2007, which introduced the new electronic journal. The main features of the journal which were outlined in the e-mail were extensive author support, cash rewards, the peer review process, and other salient features of the journal.
Over a span of over four years, we (I and my colleagues) have published around 25 articles in the journal. In this editorial, I plan to briefly discuss my experiences of publishing with JCDR and the strengths of the journal and to finally address the areas for improvement.
My experiences of publishing with JCDR: Overall, my experiences of publishing withJCDR have been positive. The best point about the journal is that it responds to queries from the author. This may seem to be simple and not too much to ask for, but unfortunately, many journals in the subcontinent and from many developing countries do not respond or they respond with a long delay to the queries from the authors 1. The reasons could be many, including lack of optimal secretarial and other support. Another problem with many journals is the slowness of the review process. Editorial processing and peer review can take anywhere between a year to two years with some journals. Also, some journals do not keep the contributors informed about the progress of the review process. Due to the long review process, the articles can lose their relevance and topicality. A major benefit with JCDR is the timeliness and promptness of its response. In Dr Jain's e-mail which was sent to me in 2007, before the introduction of the Pre-publishing system, he had stated that he had received my submission and that he would get back to me within seven days and he did!
Most of the manuscripts are published within 3 to 4 months of their submission if they are found to be suitable after the review process. JCDR is published bimonthly and the accepted articles were usually published in the next issue. Recently, due to the increased volume of the submissions, the review process has become slower and it ?? Section can take from 4 to 6 months for the articles to be reviewed. The journal has an extensive author support system and it has recently introduced a paid expedited review process. The journal also mentions the average time for processing the manuscript under different submission systems - regular submission and expedited review.
Strengths of the journal: The journal has an online first facility in which the accepted manuscripts may be published on the website before being included in a regular issue of the journal. This cuts down the time between their acceptance and the publication. The journal is indexed in many databases, though not in PubMed. The editorial board should now take steps to index the journal in PubMed. The journal has a system of notifying readers through e-mail when a new issue is released. Also, the articles are available in both the HTML and the PDF formats. I especially like the new and colorful page format of the journal. Also, the access statistics of the articles are available. The prepublication and the manuscript tracking system are also helpful for the authors.
Areas for improvement: In certain cases, I felt that the peer review process of the manuscripts was not up to international standards and that it should be strengthened. Also, the number of manuscripts in an issue is high and it may be difficult for readers to go through all of them. The journal can consider tightening of the peer review process and increasing the quality standards for the acceptance of the manuscripts. I faced occasional problems with the online manuscript submission (Pre-publishing) system, which have to be addressed.
Overall, the publishing process with JCDR has been smooth, quick and relatively hassle free and I can recommend other authors to consider the journal as an outlet for their work."



Dr. P. Ravi Shankar
KIST Medical College, P.O. Box 14142, Kathmandu, Nepal.
E-mail: ravi.dr.shankar@gmail.com
On April 2011
Anuradha

Dear team JCDR, I would like to thank you for the very professional and polite service provided by everyone at JCDR. While i have been in the field of writing and editing for sometime, this has been my first attempt in publishing a scientific paper.Thank you for hand-holding me through the process.


Dr. Anuradha
E-mail: anuradha2nittur@gmail.com
On Jan 2020

Important Notice

Original article / research
Year : 2022 | Month : August | Volume : 16 | Issue : 8 | Page : XC01 - XC07 Full Version

Comparison of Efficacy and Safety of Lupin’s Pegfilgrastim with Neulastim® as an Adjunct to Chemotherapy in Patients with Non Myeloid Malignancies: A Randomised Phase III Clinical Study


Published: August 1, 2022 | DOI: https://doi.org/10.7860/JCDR/2022/57833.16768
Minish Jain, Sharad Desai, Rajnish Nagarkar, Rakesh Neve, Unmesh Takalkar, Dhananjay Bakhle, Chirag Shah

1. Director, Department of Medical Oncology, Ruby Hall Clinic, Pune, Maharashtra, India. 2. Director, Department of Oncology, Mahatma Gandhi Cancer Hospital, Miraj, Maharashtra, India. 3. Chief Surgical Oncologist, Department of Surgical Oncology, Curie Manavata Cancer Centre, Nashik, Maharashtra, India. 4. Surgical Oncologist, Department of Oncology, Sterling Hospital, Pune, Maharashtra, India. 5. Chairman and Managing Director, CIIGMA Group of Hospitals, Department of Cancer General and Endoscopic Surgeon, Kodlikeri Memorial Hospital, Aurangabad, Maharashtra, India. 6. Executive Vice President, Department of Medical Research, Lupin Limited, Pune, Maharashtra, India. 7. Director, Department of Clinical Development, Lupin Limited, Pune, Maharashtra, India.

Correspondence Address :
Dr. Chirag Shah,
Lupin Research Park, Survey No. 46 A/47 A, Village Nande, Taluka Mulshi, Pune-411042, Maharashtra, India.
E-mail: chiragshah@lupin.com

Abstract

Introduction: Pegfilgrastim is indicated in patients receiving myelosuppressive anticancer drugs to reduce the Duration of Severe Neutropenia (DSN) and incidence of Febrile Neutropenia (FN). The efficacy and safety of a proposed Pegfilgrastim biosimilar should be compared with an approved biologic drug to establish therapeutic equivalence.

Aim: To compare the efficacy of Lupin’s biosimilar Pegfilgrastim versus Neulastim® (Amgen Inc.) as an adjunct to chemotherapy in patients with non-myeloid malignancies.

Materials and Methods: The present prospective, open-label, randomised phase lll clinical study was conducted on a total of 170 patients with histologically or cytologically confirmed non-myeloid malignancies eligible to receive a myelosuppressive chemotherapy regimen. The participants were administered Lupin’s Pegfilgrastim (n=86) or Neulastim® (n=84) 6 mg by subcutaneous injection, once in each chemotherapy cycle for a maximum of three cycles. Patients were chemotherapy naive or had not received myelosuppressive chemotherapy within last 12 months of screening. The primary efficacy endpoint was DSN (number of days on which absolute neutrophil count <0.5×109/L) in cycle 1 of chemotherapy. Equivalence was confirmed, if 95% Confidence Intervals (CI) were within the equivalence margin of ±1 day. Safety evaluation included assessment of Adverse Events (AEs), rate of discontinuation due to AEs, vital signs, and laboratory parameters. Statistical analysis were done using SAS Enterprise guide 9.4 (SAS Institute Inc., Cary, 2000).

Results: Of the 170 patients balanced for demographic characteristics, 161 patients completed cycle 1, 151 patients completed cycle 2, and 142 patients completed cycle 3. The mean±Standard Deviation (SD) DSN in cycle 1 was 0.127±0.5533 days with Pegfilgrastim (n=63) and 0.197±0.6615 days with Neulastim® (n=66) in the Per Protocol (PP) assessment; and 0.174±0.636 days with Pegfilgrastim and 0.193±0.671 days with Neulastim® in the modified Intent-to-Treat (mITT) assessment. The mean DSN between the groups did not differ significantly (PP: p=0.5167, mITT: p=0.8554). The 95% CI of difference in mean DSN in PP (-0.2796 to 0.1481) and mITT (-0.2103 to 0.1889) assessments was contained within the predefined equivalence margin of ±1 day. Secondary outcomes and safety profiles were also comparable between the two groups.

Conclusion: The present study establishes Lupin’s Pegfilgrastim as a therapeutically equivalent biosimilar alternative to Neulastim® in patients with non-myeloid malignancies receiving myelosuppressive chemotherapy.

Keywords

Absolute neutrophil count, Biosimilars, Febrile neutropenia, Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor, Therapeutic equivalence

Biologics show great therapeutic potential but are mostly limited in terms of their availability and cost. Biosimilar development may reduce therapy costs and provide easy access to medicines (1). The European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) established guidance for biosimilar development and approval, where biochemical, immunological, safety and efficacy studies are recommended to demonstrate equivalence to a reference product (2),(3).

Lupin’s Pegfilgrastim has been approved as a biosimilar to innovator’s product Neulastim® (Pegfilgrastim of Amgen Inc.) in India in 2013 and is currently under active development for advanced markets (4). Pegfilgrastim is used for chemotherapy-induced neutropenia and to reduce the incidence of FN in patients treated with cytotoxic chemotherapy for malignancy (5).

The FN is characterised by Absolute Neutrophil Count (ANC) <1×109/L and temperature of ≥38.3°C or a sustained temperature of ≥38°C for more than 1 hour (6). FN and other infectious complications are the most serious treatment-related toxicities of chemotherapy, with a mortality rate upto 11% (7). FN occurs in 10-50% of patients with solid tumours and >80% of patients with blood malignancies receiving chemotherapy (7). Real-world data indicate that the FN rates are significantly higher than those observed in clinical trials (8). FN and other infectious complications require hospitalisations, reducing the quality of life, and increasing costs (8). Moreover, FN also restricts the full dose and schedule of chemotherapy, thereby compromising treatment efficacy and outcomes (6).

Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factors (G-CSFs) help in the recovery of neutrophils and the prevention of potentially life-threatening FN, thus, reducing the risk of chemotherapy-induced neutropenia and its complications (9). Furthermore, there is no need for chemotherapy dose reductions and delays that may restrict chemotherapy dose intensity (5). Thus, the prophylactic use of G-CSFs increases the potential for prolonged disease-free and overall survival in the curative setting. The 2020 National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) (10) and 2015 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) (11) guidelines recommend G-CSFs for patients above an FN risk threshold of 20%.

Filgrastim is a G-CSF that regulates granulopoiesis and enhances the functions of normal mature neutrophils. Pegfilgrastim is a sustained-duration form of filgrastim created by the addition of a Polyethylene Glycol (PEG) moiety to filgrastim (6). It is comparable to filgrastim with respect to clinical benefits but has novel pharmacokinetic properties, allowing a single dose administration per chemotherapy cycle as opposed to daily dose administrations of filgrastim (12),(13),(14).

Biosimilar clinical studies are designed to demonstrate equivalent efficacy and comparable safety versus the reference product. Clinical equivalence provides adequate scientific justification for the approval of a biosimilar for the specific indication studied (1). The present phase III study from India was conducted as per protocol approved by Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) (15), India and aims at assessing the comparative efficacy and safety of subcutaneous injection of Lupin’s Pegfilgrastim versus Neulastim® as an adjunct to chemotherapy in subjects with non-myeloid malignancies receiving myelosuppressive chemotherapy to establish therapeutic equivalence. This is one of the first biosimilar trials conducted in India with stringent protocols before CDSCO and the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) recommended equivalence study designs for biosimilar approval (15).

Material and Methods

This was a prospective phase III, open-label, randomised, multi-centre, comparative, active-controlled, parallel, two-arm study in patients with non-myeloid malignancies, comparing equal doses of Lupin’s Pegfilgrastim and Neulastim® (Pegfilgrastim manufactured and marketed by F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd, Switzerland under license from Amgen Inc.). The study was conducted across 11 centres in India from 16th January 2012 to 11th September 2012. The study protocol was approved by Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) and Institutional Review Board (IRB)/Independent Ethics Committee (IEC) of the participating sites. The study complied with the ethical principles specified in the Declaration of Helsinki, Good Clinical Practice (GCP) guidelines, and Schedule Y ‘Guidelines for Clinical Trials on Pharmaceutical Products in India’ issued by CDSCO, India. Patients provided written informed consent before enrolling in the study. The present study is registered with the Clinical Trials Registry- India, CTRI/2012/01/002338.

Sample size calculation: A sample size of 63 patients per treatment group was computed assuming clinical equivalence between biosimilar Pegfilgrastim and Neulastim®, the two-sided 95% Confidence Interval (CI) for the difference in Duration of Severe Neutropenia (DSN) within the equivalence range (±1 day), 80% power for rejecting the null hypothesis, and assuming an expected difference in mean DSN of <0.1 days and a Standard Deviation (SD) of 1.4 days (16),(17).

Inclusion criteria: The study included male and non-pregnant/non-lactating female patients between 18 to 75 years of age with histologically or cytologically confirmed non-myeloid malignancies. Cancer staging was done using the TNM (Tumour, Nodes, Metastasis) method (18). Patients included were eligible to receive a myelosuppressive chemotherapy regimen that contained atleast one chemotherapeutic agent viz. docetaxel, paclitaxel, doxorubicin, or epirubicin. Patients were chemotherapy naive or had not received myelosuppressive chemotherapy within last 12 months of screening; had a baseline ANC of ≥1.5×109/L and platelet count ≥100×109/L; with Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status of 0 or 1 (19).

Exclusion criteria: Patients weighing <45 kg; with history of hypersensitivity to study drugs; components or similar products; 2with myeloid malignancies and myelodysplasia; receiving radiation therapy during the study duration or had completed radiation therapy within four weeks before study initiation; with prior bone marrow or stem cell transplantation; with chronic use of oral corticosteroids (except ≤20 mg/day dose of prednisolone); with history of systemic antibiotic use within 72 hours prior to chemotherapy; with any active infection which may require systemic antimicrobial therapy; who had received haematopoietic growth factors or cytokines within last one month of screening; with congestive heart failure class III/IV as per New York Heart Association (NYHA) classification (20) were excluded from the study.

Study Procedure

The study had a screening period of a maximum of five days, after which eligible patients were randomised as per the randomisation list across all centres to one of the two treatment arms (Lupin’s Pegfilgrastim or Neulastim®) in a 1:1 ratio. The randomisation list was prepared in-house by using block design. Once patient eligibility was confirmed, a sequential unique randomisation number was assigned to the patients and they received treatment corresponding to the randomisation number. The study flow chart is outlined in (Table/Fig 1).

Study endpoints: DSN, defined as the number of days on which ANC <0.5×109/L) (7), in cycle 1 of chemotherapy was the primary efficacy endpoint. Secondary efficacy endpoints included DSN in cycle 2, the incidence of severe neutropenia, depth of ANC nadir and time to ANC recovery in cycles 1 and 2, the incidence of FN, rate of hospitalisations due to FN and the proportion of patients requiring systemic antibiotics for FN in cycles 1, 2 and 3. Assessments were performed during the 21 days of each chemotherapy cycle (Table/Fig 1).

Safety evaluation included assessing Adverse Events (AEs) at every visit, rate of discontinuation due to AEs, vital signs, and laboratory parameters. Additionally, patients were assessed for the occurrence of FN by measuring daily body temperature. Other assessments included recording of medical history, physical examination, and review of concomitant medications.

For data analyses, the treatment groups were divided into modified Intent-to-Treat (mITT) population, Per Protocol (PP) population, and ITT population (21).

The mITT population, a subset for efficacy population (defined for each cycle) comprised patients who were randomised, had received assigned Investigational Product (IP), had one post-dose ANC, and had received the correct chemotherapy regimen. The PP population (defined for each cycle) comprised patients who completed the respective chemotherapy cycles or other procedures as PP without any major protocol deviations. The ITT population comprised patients who received atleast one dose of IP in the treatment period, had a baseline and atleast one post-baseline assessment. Efficacy was analysed in mITT and PP populations. Safety was analysed in the ITT population.

Statistical Analysis

Statistical analysis were done using SAS Enterprise guide 9.4 (SAS Institute Inc., Cary, 2000). Variables measured on a continuous scale were compared using a t-test, the proportions data were compared using Fisher’s-Exact test, and stratified data were compared using the Cochran-Mantel-Haenszel (CMH) test. Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) was applied using “DSN in cycle 1” as a dependent variable, including the factors such as but not limited to “treatment”, and with the baseline ANC value as a covariate. Equivalence of biosimilar Pegfilgrastim and Neulastim® was assessed based on the PP set, using the ANCOVA model to calculate a two-sided 95% CI for “Lupin’s Pegfilgrastim minus Neulastim®”. Equivalence was concluded, if the 95% CI lay within the equivalence range (±1 day).

Results

A total of 201 patients were screened in the study out of which 170 were randomly assigned to receive either Lupin’s Pegfilgrastim (n=86; mean age 49.02±11.69 years) or Neulastim® (n=84; mean age 51.11±10.32 years). Out of 170 randomised patients, 56 (32.94%) were males and 114 (67.06%) were females. All patients were Asian. There were no significant between-group differences in demographic characteristics (Table/Fig 2). The patients presented different cancer types-breast cancer [n=86 (50.59%)] and head and neck cancer [n=53 (31.18%)] were most common. There was no significant between-group difference in cancer stages, baseline ECOG status and baseline mean ANC. Most of the patients in this trial were on paclitaxel [n=91 (53.52%)], followed by doxorubicin [n=60 (35.29%)], epirubicin [n=9 (5.29%)] and docetaxel [n=10 (5.89%)]. Other chemotherapeutic agents used were cyclophosphamide, 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), carboplatin, cisplatin, rituximab, and vincristine (as a part of the chemotherapy regimen).

A total of 147 patients (86.47%) were chemotherapy-naive, whereas 23 (13.53%) had received chemotherapy 12 months prior to screening. All patients received a single dose of the drug on either day 2 or day 3 of respective cycles depending on the duration of chemotherapy administration. Patient disposition and analysis of population are outlined in (Table/Fig 3).

Efficacy

Efficacy was analysed in protocol-defined mITT and PP populations.

Primary endpoint: In the PP analysis, the mean±SD DSN in cycle 1 was 0.127±0.5533 days in the Pegfilgrastim arm and 0.197±0.6615 days in the Neulastim® arm, whereas in the mITT analysis, it was 0.174±0.636 days in the Pegfilgrastim arm and 0.193±0.671 days in Neulastim® arm. In cycle 1, the mean DSN was comparable between the Pegfilgrastim and Neulastim® arms (PP: p=0.5167, mITT: p=0.8554) (Table/Fig 4). The maximum DSN observed in both the arms was 3 days. The difference of mean DSN between both the groups in the PP population was -0.0657 (95% CI: -0.2796 to 0.1481) and in the mITT population was -0.0107 (95% CI: -0.2103 to 0.1889), which lie in the predefined interval (±1 day) for equivalence.

Secondary endpoints: In cycle 2, the mean DSN was comparable between the Pegfilgrastim and Neulastim® arms (PP: p=0.5317, mITT: p=0.5056) (Table/Fig 4). The maximum DSN observed was 2 days in the Pegfilgrastim arm and 3 days in the Neulastim® arm. The difference of mean DSN between both the groups in cycle 2 in the PP population was -0.05854 (95% CI: -0.2440 to 0.1269) and in the mITT population was -0.0490 (95% CI: -0.1926 to 0.0946) which lie in the predefined interval (±1 day) for equivalence.

The results of secondary efficacy endpoints such as the proportion of patients with severe neutropenia, depth of ANC nadir, time to ANC recovery, the incidence of FN, rates of hospitalisation due to FN, and proportion of patients requiring systemic antibiotic(s) were comparable between the Pegfilgrastim and Neulastim® arms (Table/Fig 4).

In the PP population, FN was observed in 1 patient (1.59%) in cycle 1 and none in cycle 2 in the Pegfilgrastim arm. In the mITT population, FN was observed in 1 patient (1.16%) in cycle 1 and 1 patient (1.28%) in cycle 2 in the Pegfilgrastim arm. These patients were hospitalised and received antibiotic for FN. No FN was observed in the Neulastim® arm. However, the incidence of FN was not statistically significant between the two arms (PP: p=0.3061, cycle 1 mITT: p=0.3259, cycle 2 mITT: p=0.3112) (Table/Fig 4).

In cycle 3, none of the patients experienced FN. The incidence of FN, rates of hospitalisation due to FN, and proportion of patients requiring systemic antibiotic(s) were nil for both treatment arms and for both PP and mITT populations.

Thus, both treatments successfully prevented FN in subsequent cycles and avoided the complication of FN in patients receiving myelosuppressive chemotherapy with comparable efficacy.

Safety

The common AEs observed in both treatment groups with a frequency of >5% were anaemia, leukopenia, neutropenia, constipation, diarrhoea, nausea, vomiting, asthenia, pain, pyrexia, back pain, weight decrease, pain in extremity, and headache.

The ADRs common to both groups were neutrophilia and musculoskeletal pain. Musculoskeletal pain of severe degree was the only serious ADR noted once in each arm.

No patient was withdrawn from the study due to AE in any of the arms. There were no statistically significant differences in the incidence of AE, ADR or SAEs in any of the cycles between the groups (Table/Fig 5). Both the groups were comparable in terms of vitals and laboratory parameters also.

Discussion

In this prospective, randomised, multi-centre, comparative study, Lupin’s Pegfilgrastim was shown to be equivalent in terms of efficacy and safety to Amgen’s Neulastim® in patients with non-myeloid malignancies receiving myelosuppressive chemotherapy. In the PP analysis, the mean DSN in cycle 1 was 0.127 days in the Pegfilgrastim arm and 0.197 days in the Neulastim® arm, whereas in the mITT analysis, it was 0.174 days in the Pegfilgrastim arm and 0.193 days in Neulastim® arm. The mean DSN was comparable between the Pegfilgrastim and Neulastim® arms in cycles 1 and 2. The 95% CI for the difference in cycle 1 was within the equivalence range of ±1 day, thus meeting the primary endpoint.

The DSN is dependent on G-CSF efficacy; a difference in DSN signifies clinical differences in the activity of the reference product and biosimilar. Previous studies by Blackwell K et al., Harbeck N et al., and Desai K et al., comparing a Pegfilgrastim biosimilar with a reference product have used similar endpoints, both primary and secondary (22),(23),(24). Moreover, FN and risk of infection are directly proportional to DSN, making it a sensitive and clinically relevant endpoint (25). This indicates that Lupin’s Pegfilgrastim has a G-CSF efficacy similar to Neulastim®. In addition, the other endpoints assessed in these studies viz. DSN in cycle 2, the incidence of severe neutropenia, depth of ANC nadir, time to ANC recovery, the incidence of FN, rate of hospitalisations due to FN, the proportion of patients requiring systemic antibiotics for FN were also analysed and were comparable between Lupin’s Pegfilgrastim and Neulastim®.

Results from established studies have reported a mean DSN in cycle 1 ranging from 1.19 to 1.4 days and depth of ANC nadir of <1×109/L (22),(23),(24). In the present study, the mean DSN in cycle 1 was <1 day and depth of ANC nadir was >3.5×109/L. While these studies enrolled a homogenous patient population for the study, the present study enrolled a heterogenous patient population-six different cancers, four stages of cancer, and four different chemotherapy regimens. This difference in patient populations may have contributed to the difference in values. Blackwell K et al., reported a time to ANC recovery ranging from 2.04 to 2.11 days, Harbeck N et al., reported 1.72 to 1.76 days, and Desai K et al., reported 9.2 to 9.5 days, while the present study reports 2.9 to 3.6 days (22),(23),(24). Blackwell K et al.,and Harbeck N et al,. have recorded the proportion of patients with ≥1 fever episodes and they report as high as 34.5% of patients; Desai K et al., report rates of FN <10% (22),(23),(24). In the present study, only two patients experienced FN in the mITT population. While comparing values across different studies offer insights about the clinical implications of the drug, in case of biosimilars, the efficacy and safety comparisons must be with the reference biologic in a head-to-head trial (15).

Very few patients experienced severe neutropenia (<10%) in the present study. Similarly, the incidence of FN, rates of hospitalisation, and proportion of patients requiring systemic antibiotic(s) were also low. This could be due to the successful prophylaxis provided by Pegfilgrastim and Neulastim® in majority of patients randomised in the present study. With regards to safety endpoints, the Pegfilgrastim arm did not show any new and significant safety concerns. The safety profile of Pegfilgrastim was comparable to that of Neulastim®.

The present phase III study was amongst the first few well-controlled therapeutic equivalence trials for the biosimilar Pegfilgrastim approval in Indian patients conducted prior to the introduction of Indian Biosimilar Guidelines by CDSCO and the DBT which recommends use of equivalence study designs for biosimilar approval in India (15). The study assessed 129 subjects in PP population and showed that, the difference in DSN in cycle 1 is well within the equivalence range of ±1 day. Similarity in efficacy was also demonstrated for all the secondary efficacy endpoints in both the PP and mITT populations.

Most of the biosimilar G-CSF trials have demonstrated clinical equivalence in one or a few cancer types. However, in clinical practice, G-CSFs are prescribed in patients with diverse non-myeloid malignancies, receiving various myelosuppressive anticancer agents. The evidence of therapeutic equivalence demonstrated in the present study in patients with various non-myeloid malignancies receiving different myelosuppressive chemotherapies is relevant for extrapolation to real-world clinical practice where diversity of cancer types and chemotherapy regimens is a norm. Also, various myelosuppressive chemotherapeutic agents used in this study have >20% risk of FN, which is the recommended risk threshold for prophylactic use of G-CSFs [5,26]. This gives the results of the present study a scope for extrapolation to all non-myeloid malignancies and makes it relevant to routine clinical practice (27).

Limitation(s)

Indian Biosimilar Guidelines recommend immunogenicity assessment in biosimilar clinical trials. Since, the authors initiated the present study prior to the introduction of Indian Biosimilar Guidelines, immunogenicity was not planned in the present study, which is one of the limitations of this trial. However, a dedicated immunogenicity study was planned subsequently after the product was introduced in India (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier NCT03511378).

Conclusion

Lupin’s Pegfilgrastim is equivalent in efficacy with comparable safety profile to Neulastim® as an adjunct to chemotherapy in Indian patients with non-myeloid malignancies receiving myelosuppressive chemotherapy. Lupin’s Pegfilgrastim can be potentially used as a therapeutically equivalent biosimilar alternative to Neulastim® when used in routine clinical practice to reduce the DSN and incidence of FN. Indian healthcare providers can opt for this economically viable and easily accessible Pegfilgrastim biosimilar for supportive care.

Acknowledgement

The authors would like to acknowledge the overall contributions of the following members of Lupin Limited: Dr. Arpit N. Shah and Aparajita Sharma (Medical Writing Department), Dr. Shashank Deoghare (Medical Monitoring, Medical Research Department), and Mr. Mohammed Izhar (Clinical Operation, Medical Research Department).

The authors are thankful to the following investigators and co-investigators who participated in the study: Dr. Umesh Balasaheb Kulkarni (Kodlikeri Memorial Hospital, Aurangabad); Dr. Leela Desai (Mahatma Gandhi Cancer Hospital, Miraj); Dr. Shriram Inamdar (Noble Hospital, Pune); Dr. Linu Abraham Jacob and Dr. Aswathy Mary James (Mahabodhi Mallige Hospital, Bangalore); Dr. Ashish Kaushal and Dr. Shirish Alurkar (HCG-Medisurge Hospital, Mithakhali, Ahmedabad); Dr. Bhushan Nemade (Curie Manavata Cancer Center, Nasik); Dr. Anand Pathak and Dr. Kamlesh Madankar (Cancer Care Clinic and Hospital, Nagpur); Dr. Smita Gupte and Dr. Rohidas Kalamkar (Cancer Clinic, Nagpur); Dr. Rajender Singh Arora, Dr. Arun Harwani, Dr. Neeta Arora, and Dr. Anupama Jaiswal (Sujan Surgical Cancer Hospital and Amravati Cancer Foundation, Amravati); Dr. Suresh Attili and Dr. Shakeela (Bibi General Hospital and Cancer Centre, Hyderabad). The authors also acknowledge the support of the staff at the clinical trial sites.

Editorial assistance was provided under the direction of the authors by Hashtag Medical Writing Solutions Private Limited, Chennai, India.

Declaration: The authors declare that the results of the present study are purely for research purposes and not for promoting any product.

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DOI and Others

DOI: 10.7860/JCDR/2022/57833.16768

Date of Submission: May 19, 2022
Date of Peer Review: Jun 22, 2022
Date of Acceptance: Jul 16, 2022
Date of Publishing: Aug 01, 2022

AUTHOR DECLARATION:
• Financial or Other Competing Interests: None
• Was Ethics Committee Approval obtained for this study? Yes
• Was informed consent obtained from the subjects involved in the study? Yes
• For any images presented appropriate consent has been obtained from the subjects. NA

PLAGIARISM CHECKING METHODS:
• Plagiarism X-checker: May 20, 2022
• Manual Googling: Jun 22, 2022
• iThenticate Software: Jul 11, 2022 (15%)

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