Adverse events associated with eteplirsen: A disproportionality analysis using the 2016-2023 FAERS data

Eteplirsen (Exondys 51) is an orphan drug approved for the treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), having received accelerated approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2016. The primary aim of this study is to closely monitor adverse events (AEs) associated with eteplirsen and to identify emerging signals to better characterize their safety profile.

AEs due to eteplirsen usage reported from the third quarter (Q3) of 2016 to the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2023 were collected from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). The role_code of AEs mainly includes primary suspect (PS), secondary suspect (SS), concomitant (C), and interaction (I). This study targeted reports with a role_cod of 'PS.' According to the FDA deduplication rule, the latest FDA_DT is selected when the CASEID is the same, and the higher PRIMARYID is selected when the CASEID and FDA_DT are the same. Disproportionality analyses, encompassing four algorithms for reporting odds ratio (ROR), proportional reporting ratio (PRR), Bayesian configuration promotion neural network (BCPNN), and multi-item gamma Poisson shrinker (MGPS), were utilized to quantify the signals of AEs associated with eteplirsen.

From the FAERS database, a total of 13,205,369 reports were amassed throughout the study duration. Following the eradication of duplicates, the number of reports with eteplirsen designated as the PS amounted to 1480 encompassed 25 organ systems. Among these, "general disorders and administration site conditions," "injury, poisoning, and procedural complications," "respiratory, thoracic, and mediastinal disorders," "infections and infestations," "vascular disorders," and "product issues" met at least one of the four computational criteria. Additionally, 55 Preferred Terms (PTs) aligned with the prescribed algorithms. The median time to AEs in these patients was 903 days with an interquartile range (IQR) of 269-1575 days. Moreover, 70.04 % of AEs manifested one year or more after the initiation of treatment.

As an orphan drug granted accelerated approval, our study has confirmed well-known adverse drug reactions and identified potential safety issues associated with eteplirsen treatment. This has contributed to a deeper understanding of the complex interrelations between adverse reactions and the use of eteplirsen. The findings underscore the critical importance of ongoing monitoring and sustained observation to promptly detect and effectively manage AEs, thereby enhancing the overall safety and well-being of patients treated with eteplirsen for DMD.