Zolgensma vs Spinraza: What are the key differences?
Zolgensma (onasemnogene abeparvovec-xioi) and Spinraza (nusinersen sodium) are both treatments for people with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA).
SMA is a type of motor neuron disease. It is caused by a mutation in the SMN1 (survival motor neuron 1) gene, which is responsible for producing the SMN protein that keeps motor neurons healthy and functioning. If enough SMN protein is not produced then the spinal cord ceases to be able to transmit signals from the brain to the muscles.
Functional SMN protein is also produced in small amounts by the SMN2 gene, a back up gene. However, production of SMN protein by the SMN2 gene can’t fully compensate for a faulty SMN1 gene.
5 key differences between Zolgensma and Spinraza
- Uses / indication. Zolgensma and Spinraza are both used to treat SMA, but Zolgensma is only approved for use in patients less than two years of age, whereas Spinraza is approved for use in pediatric and adult patients.
- Frequency of treatment. Zolgensma is a one-off treatment, whereas Spinraza requires four loading doses and then a maintenance dose needs to be given once every four months. The first three loading doses are given at 14 day intervals and the fourth dose is given 30 days after the third.
- Type of drug. Zolgensma is an adeno-associated virus vector-based gene therapy and Spinraza is a survival motor neuron-2 (SMN2)-directed antisense oligonucleotide.
- How the treatment works - mechanism of action. Zolgensma delivers a copy of the gene encoding the human SMN protein, which enables the patient to make the SMN protein they are lacking.
Spinraza, on the other hand, makes the SMN protein produced by the SMN2 gene functional. Spinraza works by fixing a mistake - RNA splicing error - that leads to exon 7 being skipped and a faulty protein being produced by SMN2. By rebinding at exon 7 - enhancing the inclusion of exon 7 into the SMN protein - the protein produced by SMN2 functions like that produced by SMN1. - How well it works - efficacy. An indirect comparison of the two treatments indicates that Zolgensma may be more effective than Spinraza among infants with symptomatic SMA type 1 in terms of overall survival, independence from permanent assisted ventilation, motor function and motor milestones. Both treatments offer significant benefits over having no treatment at all, which typically meant that patients would not survive beyond two years of age.
The table below also provides details of other important aspects for both treatments.
Zolgensma vs Spinraza - other factors
|
Zolgensma (onasemnogene abeparvovec-xioi) |
Spinraza (nusinersen sodium) |
|
| Company | Novartis Gene Therapies (formerly AveXis) | Biogen |
| Approval year - US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) | 2019 | 2016 |
| Dosage form | A suspension for infusion that comes as single-use vials. A kit is supplied containing two to nine vials | A solution for injection that comes in a single-dose vial |
| Administration | Intravenous (IV) infusion over 60 minutes | Intrathecal injection (injection into the subarachnoid space of the spinal cord/the cerebrospinal fluid) |
| Side effects / adverse effects |
The most common adverse events occurring in ≥ 5% of patients include:
|
The most common adverse reactions occurring in at least 20% of patients and at a frequency of at least 5% more than controls who didn’t receive Spinraza include:
|
| Warnings and precautions |
|
Requires baseline tests before each administration because of thrombocytopenia and coagulation abnormalities and renal toxicity |
| Special patient populations | Not recommended for preterm infants | May cause fetal harm |
References
- Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Zolgensma. Available from: https://www.fda.gov/media/126109/download. [Accessed December 21, 2020].
- Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Spinraza. https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/drugsatfda_docs/label/2020/209531s010lbl.pdf. [Accessed December 21, 2020].
- Muscular Dystrophy Association. Spinal Muscular Atrophy. Available from: https://www.mda.org/disease/spinal-muscular-atrophy. [Accessed December 21, 2020].
- Together In SMA with Biogen. What is spinal muscular atrophy (SMA)?. Available from: https://www.togetherinsma.com/en_us/home/introduction-to-sma/smn1-gene.html. [Accessed December 21, 2020].
- SMA Europe. Spinraza. Available from: https://www.sma-europe.eu/essentials/treatments-for-sma/spinraza/. [Accessed December 21, 2020].
- Dabbous O, Maru B, Jansen JP, et al. Survival, Motor Function, and Motor Milestones: Comparison of AVXS-101 Relative to Nusinersen for the Treatment of Infants with Spinal Muscular Atrophy Type 1. Adv Ther. 2019;36(5):1164-1176. doi:10.1007/s12325-019-00923-8.
- SMA News Today. Zolgensma. Available from: https://smanewstoday.com/zolegensma-avxs-101-novartis-avexis/. [Accessed December 21, 2020].
- Mendell JR, Al-Zaidy S, Shell R, et al. Single-Dose Gene-Replacement Therapy for Spinal Muscular Atrophy. N Engl J Med. 2017;377(18):1713-1722. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa1706198.
- Messina S, Sframeli M. New Treatments in Spinal Muscular Atrophy: Positive Results and New Challenges. J Clin Med. 2020;9(7):2222. Published 2020 Jul 13. doi:10.3390/jcm9072222.
Related medical questions
- Why is Zolgensma so expensive?
- How is Zolgensma administered?
- Is Zolgensma a cure for SMA?
- Evrysdi vs Spinraza: How do they compare?
- How is Spinraza administered?
- How does Evrysdi work for SMA?
- How effective is Evrysdi?
- Does Evrysdi cure spinal muscular atrophy (SMA)?
- How is Evrysdi administered?
Drug information
Related support groups
- Zolgensma (4 questions, 4 members)
- Spinraza (3 questions, 3 members)
- Spinal Muscular Atrophy (10 questions, 3 members)