biology

Satralizumab

Satralizumab is a biology topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Satralizumab rather than just read about it. In short: Satralizumab, sold under the brand name Enspryng, is a humanized monoclonal antibody medication that is used for the treatment of neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD), a rare autoimmune disease. The drug is being developed by Chugai Pharmaceutical, a subsidiary of Roche.

Key takeaways

Satralizumab belongs to biology; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Satralizumab to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Satralizumab from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Satralizumab, sold under the brand name Enspryng, is a humanized monoclonal antibody medication that is used for the treatment of neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD), a rare autoimmune disease. The drug is being developed by Chugai Pharmaceutical, a subsidiary of Roche. The most common side effects include the common cold (nasopharyngitis), headache, upper respiratory tract infection, inflammation of the lining of the stomach, rash, joint pain, extremity pain, fatigue and nausea. Satralizumab regulates inflammation by inhibiting the interleukin-6 (IL-6) receptor, a key mediator of the immune response. Satralizumab was approved for medical use in the United States in August 2020, and in the European Union in June 2021. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) considers it to be a first-in-class medication.

Medical uses Satralizumab is indicated for the treatment of neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) in adults with a particular antibody – people who are anti-aquaporin-4 or AQP4 antibody-positive. NMOSD is a rare autoimmune disease of the central nervous system that mainly affects the optic nerves and spinal cord. In people with NMOSD, the body's immune system mistakenly attacks healthy cells and proteins in the body, most often those in the optic nerves and spinal cord. Individuals with NMOSD typically have attacks of optic neuritis, which causes eye pain and vision loss. Approximately 50% of people with NMOSD have permanent visual impairment and paralysis caused by NMOSD attacks. Estimates vary, but NMOSD is thought to impact approximately 4,000 to 8,000 Americans. NMOSD can be associated with antibodies that bind to a protein called aquaporin-4 (AQP4). Binding of the anti-AQP4 antibody appears to activate other components of the immune system, causing inflammation and damage to the central nervous system.

Contraindications Vaccination with live-attenuated or live vaccines is not recommended during treatment and should be administered at least four weeks before starting satralizumab.

Side effects The most common side effects observed were the common cold (nasopharyngitis), headache, upper respiratory tract infection, inflammation of the lining of the stomach, rash, joint pain, extremity pain, fatigue and nausea. The FDA label for satralizumab includes a warning for increased risk of infection, including serious and potentially fatal infections – such as potential reactivation of hepatitis B and tuberculosis. Other warnings and precautions for satralizumab include elevated liver enzymes, decreased neutrophil counts and hypersensitivity reactions.

Pharmacology

Mechanism of action Satralizumab is a humanized IgG2 monoclonal antibody that binds to soluble and membrane-bound human interleukin-6 (IL-6) receptors and thereby prevents IL-6-mediated signal transmission through these receptors. IL-6 is a pleiotropic cytokine that is produced by a large number of cell types and is involved in a variety of inflammatory processes. Patients with NMO and NMOSD have elevated levels of IL-6 in cerebro-spinal fluid and serum during periods of active disease. Some of the pro-inflammatory processes involved in NMOSD are thought to involve IL-6, including the formation of pathological autoantibodies against aquaporin-4 (AQP4), and the permeability of the blood-brain barrier to mediators of inflammation.

Efficacy The effectiveness and safety of satralizumab for the treatment of neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) were demonstrated in two 96-week clinical studies. A study of satralizumab as monotherapy for NMOSD included 95 adult participants, 64 of whom had antibodies against AQP4 (i.e. were anti-AQP4 positive). During this study, treatment with satralizumab reduced the number of NMOSD relapses by 74% in participants who were anti-AQP4 positive compared to treatment with a placebo (inactive treatment). A study of satralizumab as an adjuvant to immunosuppressant treatment for NMOSD included 76 adult participants; 52 were anti-AQP4 positive. Immunosuppressant treatment in combination with satralizumab reduced the rate of relapses in participants who were anti-AQP4 positive by four-fifths compared to immunosuppressant treatment alone. The FDA approved satralizumab based on evidence from two clinical trials (Trial 1/ NCT02073279 and Trial 2/NCT02028884) of 116 participants with NMOSD who were anti-aquaporin-4 (AQP4) antibody positive. The trials were conducted at 62 sites in the United States, Canada, Europe and Asia. Participants received at random either satralizumab or placebo injections according to the schedule. Neither the participants nor the healthcare providers knew which treatment was being given. In the second trial, all participants were also receiving their current immunosuppressive medications for the treatment of NMOSD. The benefit of satralizumab was evaluated by measuring the time to the first attack and comparing it to placebo. There was no evidence of a benefit in participants who were anti-AQP4 antibody negative in either trial.

Society and culture

Legal status Satralizumab was approved for the treatment of AQP4-IgG-seropositive NMOSD in Canada, Japan, and Switzerland. Satralizumab was approved for medical use in the United States in August 2020. The FDA granted the application for satralizumab fast track and orphan drug designations. The FDA granted the approval of Enspryng to Genentech Inc. Satralizumab is the third approved treatment for NMOSD in the United States. The FDA considers satralizumab to be a first-in-class medication. Satralizumab was approved for medical use in the European Union in June 2021.

Names Satralizumab is the international nonproprietary name (INN) and the United States Adopted Name (USAN).

References

External links "Satralizumab". Drug Information Portal. U.S. National Library of Medicine. Archived from the original on July 2, 2020. Clinical trial number NCT02028884 for "Efficacy and Safety Study of Satralizumab (SA237) as Add-on Therapy to Treat Participants With Neuromyelitis Optica (NMO) and NMO Spectrum Disorder (NMOSD)" at ClinicalTrials.gov Clinical trial number NCT02073279 for "Efficacy and Safety Study of Satralizumab (SA237) as Monotherapy to Treat Participants With Neuromyelitis Optica (NMO) and Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorder (NMOSD)" at ClinicalTrials.gov

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Satralizumab

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Satralizumab claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In biology, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Satralizumab before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Satralizumab ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Satralizumab

In research: Satralizumab appears in biology research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Satralizumab in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Satralizumab is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Drugs developed by Genentech, Drugs developed by Hoffmann-La Roche, Monoclonal antibodies, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Satralizumab outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

Ask Teacher Smith questions about this articleOpens your AI tutor with a question about “Satralizumab” →

Affiliate

Preply — study more efficiently by working with a personal tutor. 50% off.

How to study Satralizumab in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Satralizumab means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Satralizumab out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Satralizumab in simple terms?

Why does Satralizumab matter?

Because it connects several biology ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Satralizumab?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Satralizumab.