Recombinant Human Erythropoietin in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: A Pilot Study of Safety and Feasibility

Abstract

Background and Purpose It has been shown that erythropoietin is neuroprotective in animalmodels of neurodegenerative diseases including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The aim ofthis study was to determine the safety and feasibility of repetitive high-dose recombinant humanerythropoietin (rhEPO) therapy in ALS patients.Methods Two consecutive studies were conducted. We first recruited 26 subjects for an initialsingle-arm safety study. After a lead-in period of 3 months to assess the disease progression, rhE-PO was infused intravenously (35,000 IU) once per month for 3 months, and the subjects werefollowed for an additional 3 months. The ALS Functional Rating Scale-Revised (ALSFRS-R)was used for clinical assessment. After confirming the safety of rhEPO, 60 subjects were recruited for the second controlled study (rhEPO and control groups), which involved a total of 6 infusions at a rate of 1/month.Results There were no serious adverse events in the first study. The mean rate of decline in theALSFRS-R score was lower during the treatment period than during the lead-in period (mean±SD: 2.6±1.8 and 3.7±2.6, respectively; p=0.02). However, the rate of decline during the subsequent 3 months returned to that observed in the lead-in period. In the second study, the mean rateof decline in ALSFRS-R score was significantly lower in the rhEPO group than in the controlgroup (during months 0?3, 1.8±1.7 vs. 3.1±2.3, p=0.03; during months 4?6, 2.1±2.2 vs. 3.5±2.3,p=0.02).Conclusions Intravenous high-dose rhEPO is both safe and feasible for the treatment of ALS.Further investigation using different intervals and doses should be considered.