Pharmacokinetics and safety of single intravenous infusions of the adenosine agonist, AMP 579, in patients with end-stage renal insufficiency.

The pharmacokinetics of an adenosine agonist (AMP 579) were characterized in patients with end-stage renal disease compared to sex- and age-matched healthy volunteers. All study participants were administered single AMP 579 doses of 50 micrograms/kg as a 6-hour, constant-rate intravenous infusion. Serial blood samples were obtained for measurement of plasma AMP 579 concentration, and predose samples were collected for determination of AMP 579 plasma protein binding. The safety of AMP 579 administration in renally impaired patients also was evaluated. AMP 579 was rapidly cleared from the systemic circulation in all subjects as plasma concentrations were below the limit of detection by 2 to 4 hours after terminating the infusion. Noncompartmental analysis yielded mean values for the plasma AMP 579 concentration at the end of the 6-hour infusion (C6 h) of 9.6 and 10.5 ng/mL and for systemic clearances (Cl) of 0.91 and 0.72 L/h/kg in renally impaired patients and healthy volunteers, respectively. Mean volumes of distribution (Vss) in the renally impaired and healthy volunteers were 0.92 and 0.84 L/kg, and terminal elimination half-life values (t1/2) were 1.61 and 1.33 hours, respectively. The extent to which AMP 579 is bound to plasma protein was not altered in renally impaired patients since the free fractions were 4.0% and 3.4% for renally impaired and healthy volunteers, respectively. It was concluded that the pharmacokinetic parameters of AMP 579 were similar in both groups. The 6-hour AMP 579 infusion was generally well tolerated by both renal patients and healthy volunteers. There were no serious adverse events, and there were only two mild adverse events in 1 renally impaired patient judged possibly related to the study drug that quickly resolved. There were no clinically significant changes in laboratory values or clinical evaluations during the study. There was a slight increase in heart rate during the infusion of similar magnitude for both the renal patients and healthy volunteers. These data suggest that AMP 579 may be administered to renally impaired patients with minimal cardiovascular effects and adverse events. These results in end-stage renal patients (worst-case scenario) indicate that dose adjustment in patients with renal insufficiency of any degree is not indicated in future studies of AMP 579.

Pharmacokinetics, safety, and tolerability of single intravenous infusions of an adenosine agonist, AMP 579, in healthy male volunteers.

The pharmacokinetics of an adenosine agonist, AMP 579, following intravenous administration were evaluated. Single AMP 579 doses of 20 to 150 micrograms/kg were infused intravenously over 6 hours using a constant-rate or two-step rate of infusion to healthy male volunteers. Plasma and urine samples were collected for measurement of AMP 579 concentration using a validated HPLC assay. An assessment of safety and tolerability was also performed. Based on a noncompartmental method of analysis, the pharmacokinetics of AMP 579 were characterized by rapid systemic clearance (0.77 to 0.85 L/h/kg), a moderate steady-state volume of distribution (0.80 to 0.94 L/kg), and a short terminal elimination half-life (0.84 to 1.13 h). AMP 579 exhibited dose (infusion rate)-proportional pharmacokinetics over the dose range. In addition, little or no unchanged AMP 579 was found in the urine. The primary cardiovascular pharmacodynamic response that was observed was a dose-related increase in mean ventricular heart rate. Fifteen minutes prior to the end of the infusion, volunteers administered the highest dose (150 micrograms/kg) exhibited a mean (range) 59% (36%-69%) increase in heart rate as compared to a mean (range) 18% (0%-73%) increase for the placebo group. No clinically relevant changes in the systolic or diastolic blood pressure were observed. The information obtained in this study should allow the design of AMP 579 dosage regimens that would maximize plasma AMP 579 concentrations and minimize the incidence of adverse events.

Critical limits to define a lab adverse event during phase I studies: a study in 1134 subjects.

OBJECTIVE: The first goal of phase I drug development is the determination of maximal tolerated dose, which must be established by case-by-case analysis, sometimes using a laboratory adverse event. Since no accurate rule defining lab adverse events, has been validated yet, we propose a new "combined method" based on combination of two thresholds: inclusion values and magnitude of variation. Using this combined method, the label "lab adverse event" is applied if any lab value exceeds the inclusion threshold and is associated with a variation from baseline exceeding the variation threshold defined from reference change limit. Thus, this study aimed to test this combined method on a large healthy volunteer population, studied in 19 phase I centres worldwide, and on five lab parameters: alanine amino transferase, aspartate amino transferase, alkaline phosphatases, creatinine and polymorphonuclear leukocytes. METHODS: The inclusion threshold from each center was used. Reference change limits were defined from volunteers previously included in comparable studies and were expressed as absolute values: increases of 10 IU.l-1 for alanine amino transferase or aspartate amino transferase, 15 IU.l-1 for alkaline phosphatases, 15 mumol.l-1 for creatinine and a 0.34 10(9).l-1 decrease for polymorphonuclear leukocytes. Comparison between the "combined method" and a normal range method was made using positive predictive value and a ratio between relevant and irrelevant results. This application was implemented in all young healthy volunteers (1134) included in 38 phase I studies sponsored by Rhone Poulenc Rorer from 1991 to 1993. RESULTS: Seventy seven subjects (6.7%) were indicated in final study reports as having a lab adverse event (reference group). Of 179 subjects with lab abnormalities defined by the normal range method, 77 belonged to the reference group, inducing a poor 0.43 positive predictive value. Of ninety subjects with lab adverse events defined by the "combined method", seventy-five belonged to the reference group, inducing a two-fold higher 0.83 positive predictive value. The combined method produced a high ratio of relevant/irrelevant results (5 = 75/15) compared with the low ratio (0.76 = 77/102) achieved using the normal range method. CONCLUSION: This new "combined method", leading to a better definition of lab adverse event, seems an accurate and useful tool for routine case-by-case analysis within phase I drug development studies.

Upper limit of plasma alanine amino transferase during phase I studies.

In Phase I clinical studies, the maximum tolerated dose has to be determined by a case by case analysis sometimes using a laboratory adverse effect, e.g. an increase in alanine amino transferase (ALT). For this reason a threshold to discriminate between significant or non significant adverse changes in ALT is required particularly in Phase I studies, in order to deal with the very common "close to the limit values". Previous methods (limit of normal range or normal range plus an arbitrary margin) do not solve this problem. The authors propose a new method taking into account the threshold used as inclusion criteria for ALT (R) and the range of spontaneous variations measured under identical Phase I study conditions (V). The (R) and (V) thresholds, respectively, are defined as 50 IU.l-1 and a 50% increase, from baseline. Thus an ALT value is recognized as a "significant adverse experience" if it exceeds 50 IU.l-1 above an increase from baseline exceeding 50% of the baseline value. To highlight the value of the method, it was implemented in a one year period including 8 studies and 134 subjects. The sensitivity, specificity and positive predictive value of various methods were compared. The results showed the following: Six out of 134 subjects had significant adverse changes in ALT (4%); and all these 6 subjects were detected by the proposed new method without error. Eight subjects including two false positives, were detected by an use of the normal range limit, and only 4 were detected using, the 10% margin.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)