The Effect of Factor IXa on Thrombin Generation Activity Determination: rFIXFc Vs. BeneFIX^®

Abstract 2266

Recombinant Factor IX Fc fusion (rFIXFc) was designed to be a long-lasting version of recombinant FIX that has the potential to provide less frequent dosing. This may be applicable to prophylaxis and on-demand therapy of hemophilia B and for control of bleeding during surgery. The potency of the rFIXFc drug product, as well as the commercially available recombinant factor IX, BeneFIX^®, is assigned by a one-stage clotting assay. The thrombin generation assay (TGA), a global hemostasis assay that monitors the amount of active thrombin produced in patient plasma after recalcification, represents a useful indication in the evaluation of coagulation capacity of hemophilic plasma. When equal units of rFIXFc and BeneFIX, as determined by the one stage assay, were spiked into hemophilic plasma and their coagulation capacity was assessed by the TGA, BeneFIX generated 2-fold higher peak thrombin and significantly left-shifted thrombin curve relative to rFIXFc in the presence of limiting tissue factor and 4 μM phospholipids. In an assay control without tissue factor triggering, BeneFIX demonstrated considerable thrombogenic activity, whereas rFIXFc was essentially inactive. Since BeneFIX was observed to have a markedly higher level of FIXa impurity than rFIXFc in a factor IXa ELISA, and since factor IXa protease is known to be highly thrombogenic in an in vivo model, we hypothesized that the enhanced in vitro thrombin generation profile of BeneFIX may be due to the presence of excess factor IXa.

BeneFIX was incubated overnight with a serine protease active site blocker, EGR-chloromethyl ketone, and dialyzed by extensive buffer exchange. The FIXa-blocked BeneFIX showed very similar thrombin generation profile (ETP, peak thrombin, time course and slope) to rFIXFc, confirming the role of FIXa in thrombin generation by BeneFIX. To quantify the amount of active factor IXa in BeneFIX and rFIXFc, a plasma-derived factor IXa (pFIXa) standard curve was constructed by spiking increasing concentrations of factor IXa (0–100 pM) into human factor IX-deficient plasma in the presence of 4 μM phospholipids. Prior to starting the measurement, 5 nM thrombin was added to the assay in order to improve sensitivity. A dose response was observed with a detection limit as low as 0.5 pM pFIXa in FIX-deficient plasma. BeneFIX, FIXa-blocked BeneFIX and rFIXFc of equal potency (1 IU/mL by the one-stage clotting assay) generated thrombin responses comparable to 20 pM, 1 pM and 2 pM pFIXa, respectively, indicating the amount of FIXa present in each FIX product. In a regular thrombin generation assay triggered with limiting tissue factor, 1 IU/mL rFIXFc supplemented with 20 pM pFIXa demonstrated an equal peak thrombin and velocity index to 1 IU/mL BeneFIX.

These data suggest that: 1) Minor amounts of FIXa protease in a FIX drug product (0.1%) can trigger significant thrombin generation in global hemostasis assays 2) Thrombin generation assay could be used to evaluate FIXa level in FIX products with high sensitivity (0.5 pM FIXa per IU/ml FIX) 3) the higher peak thrombin and shortened time course in the thrombin generation profile for BeneFIX relative to rFIXFc is caused entirely by the presence of factor IXa in the drug product 4) Discounting the rFIXa impurities in these drug products, BeneFIX and rFIXFc have equivalent in vitro thrombin generation activity per unit of FIX activity.