Imiglucerase

Imiglucerase
Systematic (IUPAC) name
Human Beta-glucocerebrosidase
Clinical data
AHFS/Drugs.com monograph
MedlinePlus a601149
Licence data EMA:Link, US FDA:link
Intravenous
Pharmacokinetic data
Half-life 3.6-10.4 min
Identifiers
143003-46-7 Yes
A16AB02
DrugBank DB00053 Yes
UNII Q6U6J48BWY Yes
KEGG D02810 Yes
ChEMBL CHEMBL1201632 
Chemical data
Formula C2532H3854N672O711S16
55597.4 g/mol (unglycosylated)
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Imiglucerase is a medication used in the treatment of Gaucher's disease.[1][2]

It is a recombinant DNA-produced analogue of human β-glucocerebrosidase. Cerezyme is a freeze-dried medicine containing imiglucerase, manufactured by Genzyme Corporation. It is given intravenously after reconstitution as a treatment for Type 1 Gaucher's disease. It is available in formulations containing 200 or 400 units per vial. The specific activity of highly purified human enzyme is 890,000 units/mg.[3] A typical dose is 2.5U/kg every two weeks, up to a maximum of 60 U/kg once every two weeks, and safety has been established from ages 2 and up.[4] It is one of the most expensive drugs sold, with an annual cost to U.S. patients of $200,000.[5] Due to the low profitability (and high expense) of developing medications for rare conditions, imiglucerase has been granted orphan drug status in the USA, Australia, and Japan.[6]

Cerezyme was one of the drugs manufactured at Genzyme's Allston, Massachusetts plant, for which production was disrupted in 2009 after contamination with Vesivirus 2117.[7]

See also

References

  1. Weinreb NJ (August 2008). "Imiglucerase and its use for the treatment of Gaucher's disease". Expert Opin Pharmacother 9 (11): 1987–2000. doi:10.1517/14656566.9.11.1987. PMID 18627336.
  2. Starzyk K, Richards S, Yee J, Smith SE, Kingma W (February 2007). "The long-term international safety experience of imiglucerase therapy for Gaucher disease". Mol. Genet. Metab. 90 (2): 157–63. doi:10.1016/j.ymgme.2006.09.003. PMID 17079176.
  3. Pentchev; Brady, RO; Blair, HE; Britton, DE; Sorrell, SH et al. (August 1978). "Gaucher disease: Isolation and comparison of normal and mutant glucocerebrosidase from human spleen tissue". Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 75 (8): 3970–3973. doi:10.1073/pnas.75.8.3970. PMC 392911. PMID 29293.
  4. "Cerezyme (imiglucerase for injection) Genzyme product data sheet".
  5. Balancing innovation, access, and profits -- marketing exclusivity for biologics, Alfred B. Engelberg et al., N Engl J Med 361:1917
  6. "Imiglucerase on Orpha.net: The portal for rare diseases and orphan drugs.".
  7. Erin Ailworth and Robert Weisman (June 17, 2009). "Virus shuts Genzyme plant, holds up drugs for 8,000". The Boston Globe.