A Study to Assess the Efficacy and Safety of Nusinersen (ISIS 396443) in Participants With Later-onset Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) (CHERISH)
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ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02292537 |
Recruitment Status :
Completed
First Posted : November 17, 2014
Results First Posted : February 22, 2018
Last Update Posted : February 17, 2021
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Condition or disease | Intervention/treatment | Phase |
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Spinal Muscular Atrophy | Drug: Nusinersen Procedure: Sham procedure | Phase 3 |
Expanded Access : An investigational treatment associated with this study is no longer available outside the clinical trial. More info ...
Study Type : | Interventional (Clinical Trial) |
Actual Enrollment : | 126 participants |
Allocation: | Randomized |
Intervention Model: | Parallel Assignment |
Masking: | Quadruple (Participant, Care Provider, Investigator, Outcomes Assessor) |
Primary Purpose: | Treatment |
Official Title: | A Phase 3, Randomized, Double-blind, Sham-Procedure Controlled Study to Assess the Clinical Efficacy and Safety of ISIS 396443 Administered Intrathecally in Patients With Later-onset Spinal Muscular Atrophy |
Actual Study Start Date : | November 24, 2014 |
Actual Primary Completion Date : | February 20, 2017 |
Actual Study Completion Date : | February 20, 2017 |

Arm | Intervention/treatment |
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Experimental: Nusinersen
Nusinersen 12 mg solution via intrathecal (IT) injection on Days 1, 29, 85 and 274.
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Drug: Nusinersen
Administered by intrathecal (IT) lumbar puncture (LP) injection
Other Names:
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Sham Comparator: Sham procedure
Sham comparator on Days 1, 29, 85 and 274.
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Procedure: Sham procedure
Small needle prick on the lower back at the location where the IT injection is normally made |
- Change From Baseline in Hammersmith Functional Motor Scale - Expanded (HFMSE) Score at Month 15 [ Time Frame: Baseline and Month 15 ]The HFMSE consists of 33 scored activities used to assess motor function in children with SMA. The scale was originally developed with 20 scored activities and was devised for use in children with SMA Type 2 and Type 3 with limited ambulation to give objective information on motor ability and clinical progression. The expanded scale includes an additional module of 13 items developed to allow for evaluation of ambulatory SMA patients. Participants were asked to do a specific activity (such as rolling) and they were then graded on the quality and execution of that movement on a scale of 0=being unable, 1=performed with some compensation, and 2=unaided. The overall score is the sum of the scores for all activities with a maximum achievable score of 66. Higher scores indicate increased motor function. A positive change from Baseline indicates improvement.
- Proportion of Participants Who Achieved a 3-Point Increase From Baseline in HFMSE Score at Month 15 [ Time Frame: Baseline and Month 15 ]The HFMSE consists of 33 scored activities used to assess motor function in children with SMA. The scale was originally developed with 20 scored activities and was devised for use in children with SMA Type 2 and Type 3 with limited ambulation to give objective information on motor ability and clinical progression. The expanded scale includes an additional module of 13 items developed to allow for evaluation of ambulatory SMA patients. Participants were asked to do a specific activity (such as rolling) and they were then graded on the quality and execution of that movement on a scale of 0=being unable, 1=performed with some compensation, and 2=unaided. The overall score is the sum of the scores for all activities with a maximum achievable score of 66. Higher scores indicate increased motor function. A positive change from Baseline indicates improvement.
- Proportion of Participants That Achieved Any New Motor Milestone at Month 15 [ Time Frame: Month 15 ]New motor milestones are defined as sitting without support, hands-and-knees crawling, standing with assistance, walking with assistance, standing alone and walking alone.
- Number of New Motor Milestones Achieved Per Participant [ Time Frame: Month 15 ]New motor milestones are defined as sitting without support, hands-and-knees crawling, standing with assistance, walking with assistance, standing alone and walking alone.
- Change From Baseline in Revised Upper Limb Module (RULM) Test [ Time Frame: Baseline and Month 15 ]The RULM Test is used in patients with SMA to assess upper limb functional ability items that are reflective of activities of daily living (i.e., raise a can to mouth as if drinking, take a coin and place it in a box, remove the lid of a container). The RULM test has a total of 20 items with an entry item that serves as functional class identification and does not contribute to the total score. The remaining 19 scorable items reflect different functional domains and are graded on a 3-point system with a score of 0 (unable), 1 (able, with modification), and a maximum of 2 (able, no difficulty). There is only 1 item (item I) that is scored as a can/cannot score, with 1 as the highest score. Scorable items are summed for a total score range of 0-37, with higher scores increased great upper limb function. A positive change from Baseline indicates improvement.
- Proportion of Participants That Achieved Standing Alone [ Time Frame: Month 15 ]If the participant was unable to achieve standing alone at Baseline but could achieve this at Month 15 then they were considered a responder. If they could not achieve this or if a participant terminated the study prior to the 15-month assessment due to treatment failure or death, then any imputed value was ignored and the participant was considered as a non-responder.
- Proportion of Participants That Achieved Walking With Assistance [ Time Frame: Month 15 ]If the participant was unable to achieve walking with assistance at baseline but could achieve this at Month 15 then they were considered a responder. If they could not achieve this or if a participant terminated the study prior to the 15-month assessment due to treatment failure or death, then any imputed value was ignored and the participant was considered as a non-responder.
- Number of Participants That Experienced Adverse Events (AEs) and Serious Adverse Events (SAEs) [ Time Frame: Baseline through Month 15 ]AEs: any sign, symptom, or diagnosis/disease that is unfavorable or unintended, that is new, or if pre-existing, worsens in participants administered a pharmaceutical product and that does not necessarily have a causal relationship with this treatment. SAEs: an event that results in death; an event that, in the view of the investigator, places the participant at immediate risk of death; an outcome that results in a congenital anomaly/birth defect diagnosed in a child of a participant; an event that requires or prolongs inpatient hospitalization; an event that results in persistent or significant disability/incapacity. Any other medically important event that, in the opinion of the investigator, may jeopardize the participant or may require intervention to prevent one of the other outcomes listed in the definition above.
- Number of Participants With Clinically Significant Vital Sign Abnormalities [ Time Frame: Baseline through Month 15 ]Vital signs assessed for clinical significance include resting blood pressure, pulse, respiratory rate, and temperature.
- Number of Participants With Clinically Significant Weight Abnormalities [ Time Frame: Baseline through Month 15 ]Weight changes assessed from Baseline to Month 15.
- Number of Participants With Clinically Significant Neurological Examination Abnormalities [ Time Frame: Baseline through Month 15 ]Neurological changes assessed for clinical significance include assessment of mental status, level of consciousness, sensory function, motor function, cranial nerve function, and reflexes.
- Number of Participants With Clinically Significant Physical Examination Abnormalities [ Time Frame: Baseline through Month 15 ]Physical examination changes were assessed for clinical significance.
- Number of Participants With Clinically Significant Laboratory Parameter Abnormalities [ Time Frame: Baseline through Month 15 ]Laboratory parameter changes assessed for clinical significance include serum chemistry, hematology, coagulation and urinalysis.
- Number of Participants With Abnormal, Clinically Relevant Post-Baseline Worsening in Electrocardiogram (ECG) in Results [ Time Frame: Baseline through Month 15 ]The number of participants with abnormal, clinically relevant worsening, defined as participants with an ECG interpreted as abnormal and clinically relevant, with a comparison with Baseline value is reported.
- Number of Participants Taking Any Concomitant Medication Related to Dosing Procedure or Sham Procedure [ Time Frame: Baseline through Month 15 ]Concomitant medications include prescription and over-the-counter medications administered to participants on or after the first day of study treatment.

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Ages Eligible for Study: | 2 Years to 12 Years (Child) |
Sexes Eligible for Study: | All |
Accepts Healthy Volunteers: | No |
Key Inclusion Criteria:
- Parent or guardian has signed informed consent and, if indicated per participant's age and institutional guidelines, participant has signed informed assent
- Be medically diagnosed with Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA)
- Have onset of clinical signs and symptoms consistent with SMA at greater than 6 months of age
- Be able to sit independently, but has never had the ability to walk independently
- Have Motor Function Score (Hammersmith Functional Motor Scale - Expanded) greater than or equal to 10 and less than or equal to 54 at Screening
- Be able to complete all study procedures, measurements and visits and parent or guardian and subject has adequately supportive psychosocial circumstances, in the opinion of the Investigator
- Have an estimated life expectancy of greater than 2 years from Screening, in the opinion of the Investigator
- Meet age-appropriate institutional criteria for use of anesthesia and sedation, if use is planned for study procedures
- For subjects who have reached reproductive maturity, satisfy study contraceptive requirements
Key Exclusion Criteria:
- Respiratory insufficiency, defined by the medical necessity for invasive or non-invasive ventilation for greater than 6 hours during a 24 hour period, at Screening
- Medical necessity for a gastric feeding tube, where the majority of feeds are given by this route, as assessed by the Site Investigator
- Severe contractures or severe scoliosis evident on X-ray examination at Screening
- Hospitalization for surgery (i.e., scoliosis surgery, other surgery), pulmonary event, or nutritional support within 2 months of Screening or planned during the duration of the study
- Presence of an untreated or inadequately treated active infection requiring systemic antiviral or antimicrobial therapy at any time during the screening period
- History of brain or spinal cord disease, including tumors, or abnormalities by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or computed tomography (CT) that would interfere with the LP procedures or cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) circulation
- Presence of an implanted shunt for the drainage of CSF or an implanted central nervous system (CNS) catheter
- History of bacterial meningitis
- Dosing with IONIS-SMN Rx in any previous clinical study
- Prior injury (e.g., upper or lower limb fracture) or surgical procedure which impacts the subject's ability to perform any of the outcome measure testing required in the protocol and from which the subject has not fully recovered or achieved a stable baseline
- Clinically significant abnormalities in hematology or clinical chemistry parameters or electrocardiogram (ECG), as assessed by the Site Investigator, at the Screening visit that would render the subject unsuitable for inclusion
- Treatment with another investigational drug (e.g., oral albuterol or salbutamol, riluzole, carnitine, creatine, sodium phenylbutyrate, et.c), biological agent, or device within 1-month of Screening or 5 half-lives of study agent, whichever is longer. Treatment with valproate or hydroxyurea within 3-months of Screening. Any history of gene therapy, antisense oligonucleotide therapy, or cell transplantation.
- Ongoing medical condition that according to the Site Investigator would interfere with the conduct and assessments of the study. Examples are medical disability (e.g., wasting or cachexia, severe anemia, etc.) that would interfere with the assessment of safety or would compromise the ability of the subject to undergo study procedures.
NOTE: Other protocol defined Inclusion/Exclusion criteria may apply.

To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contact information provided by the sponsor.
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier (NCT number): NCT02292537

Study Director: | Medical Director | Biogen |
Documents provided by Biogen:
Publications automatically indexed to this study by ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier (NCT Number):
Responsible Party: | Biogen |
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: | NCT02292537 |
Other Study ID Numbers: |
ISIS 396443-CS4 2014-001947-18 ( EudraCT Number ) |
First Posted: | November 17, 2014 Key Record Dates |
Results First Posted: | February 22, 2018 |
Last Update Posted: | February 17, 2021 |
Last Verified: | February 2021 |
Spinal Muscular Atrophy SMA SMN SMNRx ISIS-SMNRx |
ISIS-SMN Rx ISIS 396443 CHERISH IONIS-SMNRx IONIS-SMN Rx |
Muscular Atrophy Muscular Atrophy, Spinal Atrophy Pathological Conditions, Anatomical Neuromuscular Manifestations Neurologic Manifestations |
Nervous System Diseases Spinal Cord Diseases Central Nervous System Diseases Motor Neuron Disease Neurodegenerative Diseases Neuromuscular Diseases |