Selective expansion of regulatory T cells by NKTR-358 in healthy volunteers and patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.

Objective: To evaluate NKTR-358, a polyethylene glycol-interleukin-2 conjugate composition designed to selectively induce regulatory T cells (Tregs), in first-in-human studies. Methods: Healthy volunteers and patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) received single- or multiple-dose (biweekly) NKTR-358 or placebo in two sequential, randomized, phase 1 studies (single ascending dose [SAD; NCT04133116] and multiple ascending dose [MAD; NCT03556007]). Primary objectives were safety and tolerability; secondary objectives included pharmacokinetics (PK) and immune effects of NKTR-358; exploratory objectives included effects on SLE disease activity. Results: There were eight ascending dose cohorts in the SAD study (0.3-28.0 µg/kg: n = 76; placebo: n = 24) and four in the MAD study (3-24.0 µg/kg: n = 36; placebo: n = 12). Most adverse events (AEs) were grade 1-2 injection-site reactions, with no treatment-related serious or severe AEs, or deaths. PK data showed dose proportionality and prolonged exposure (mean half-life: 7.4-12.9 days). Dose-dependent, selective, and sustained increases in percentages and absolute numbers of total CD4+ Tregs and CD25bright Tregs were observed, with no significant changes in conventional CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, and low-level increases in natural killer cells. At the highest doses tested, administration of NKTR-358 resulted in a 12-17-fold increase in CD25bright Tregs over baseline that was sustained for 20-30 days. Conclusion: NKTR-358 was well tolerated, had a suitable PK profile for biweekly dosing, and led to marked and selective dose-dependent increases in CD25bright Tregs, with no significant changes in conventional T cells. These results provide strong support for further testing in SLE and other inflammatory diseases.

Population Pharmacokinetic Analyses for Plazomicin Using Pooled Data from Phase 1, 2, and 3 Clinical Studies.

Plazomicin is an aminoglycoside with activity against multidrug-resistant Enterobacteriaceae Plazomicin is dosed on a milligram-per-kilogram-of-body-weight basis and administered by a 30-min intravenous infusion every 24 h, with dose adjustments being made for renal impairment and a body weight (BW) of ≥125% of ideal BW. A population pharmacokinetic analysis was performed to identify patient factors that account for variability in pharmacokinetics and to determine if dose adjustments are warranted based on covariates. The analysis included 143 healthy adults and 421 adults with complicated urinary tract infection (cUTI), acute pyelonephritis, bloodstream infection, or hospital-acquired bacterial pneumonia/ventilator-associated bacterial pneumonia (HABP/VABP) from seven studies (phases 1 to 3). A three-compartment structural pharmacokinetic model with a zero-order rate constant for the intravenous infusion and linear first-order elimination kinetics best described the plasma concentration-time profiles. The base structural model included creatinine clearance (CLCR) as a time-varying covariate for clearance. The covariates included age, BW, height, body surface area, body mass index, sex, race, and disease-related factors. The ranges of the α-, ß-, and γ-phase half-lives for the analysis population were 0.328 to 1.58, 2.77 to 5.38, and 25.8 to 36.5 h, respectively. Total and renal clearances in a typical cUTI or HABP/VABP patient were 4.57 and 4.08 liters/h, respectively. Starting dose adjustments for CLCR are sufficient for minimizing the variation in plasma exposure across patient populations; adjustments based on other covariates are not warranted. The results support initial dosing on a milligram-per-kilogram basis with adjustments for CLCR and BW. Subsequent adjustments based on therapeutic drug management are recommended in certain subsets of patients, including the critically ill and renally impaired.

A Phase 1 Study of Intravenous Plazomicin in Healthy Adults to Assess Potential Effects on the QT/QTc Interval, Safety, and Pharmacokinetics.

Plazomicin is an aminoglycoside with in vitro activity against multidrug-resistant Enterobacteriaceae. A phase 1, randomized, double-blind, crossover study assessed the potential effects of plazomicin on cardiac repolarization (NCT01514929). Fifty-six healthy adults (24 men, 32 women) received a single therapeutic dose of plazomicin (15 mg/kg administered by 30-minute intravenous infusion), a single supratherapeutic dose of plazomicin (20 mg/kg administered by 30-minute intravenous infusion), placebo, or oral moxifloxacin (400 mg). The primary end point was the baseline-adjusted, placebo-corrected QTc interval using the Fridericia formula (ΔΔQTcF). Assay sensitivity was concluded if the lower limit of a 1-sided 95%CI (adjusted for multiplicity using the Hochberg procedure) for moxifloxacin ΔΔQTcF was >5 milliseconds at ≥1 prespecified time points. No QT prolongation effect for plazomicin was concluded if the largest mean effect was <5 milliseconds, and the upper limit of a 2-sided 90%CI for plazomicin ΔΔQTcF was <10 milliseconds at all time points. Assay sensitivity was demonstrated based on moxifloxacin ΔΔQTcF. No QT prolongation effect for plazomicin was concluded because the largest mean ΔΔQTcF for plazomicin was 3.5 milliseconds, and the highest upper limit was 5.6 milliseconds. No clinically relevant changes were observed in electrocardiograms. For the 15- and 20-mg/kg dose levels of plazomicin, mean peak plasma concentration values were 76.0 and 96.6 mg/L, and mean values of the area under the concentration-time curve over 24 hours were 263 and 327 mg·h/L, respectively. Model-derived pharmacokinetic parameters and safety findings were generally consistent with previously reported plazomicin studies. In conclusion, therapeutic and supratherapeutic doses of plazomicin had no clinically significant effect on cardiac repolarization and were generally well tolerated.

Population Pharmacokinetics and Exposure-Response Analyses for CPX-351 in Patients With Hematologic Malignancies.

CPX-351, a dual-drug liposomal encapsulation of cytarabine and daunorubicin at a synergistic ratio, is approved in the United States for adults with newly diagnosed therapy-related acute myeloid leukemia or acute myeloid leukemia with myelodysplasia-related changes. Population pharmacokinetics analyses were performed using nonlinear mixed-effect modeling on pooled data from 3 clinical studies, and the impact of CPX-351 exposures on efficacy and safety was assessed. The pharmacokinetics of cytarabine and daunorubicin were described using 2-compartment models with linear elimination. None of the evaluated covariates had a clinically significant impact on plasma exposure to total cytarabine or daunorubicin, while bilirubin and formulation showed statistically significant effects on pharmacokinetic parameters of cytarabine and daunorubicin, respectively. In patients with mild/moderate renal impairment or serum bilirubin ≤3 mg/dL, plasma exposures to cytarabine and daunorubicin following CPX-351 were within the variability range for patients with normal kidney function or serum bilirubin levels. Exposure-response analysis demonstrated that better efficacy outcomes were associated with higher CPX-351 exposure quartiles. Early mortality rates in all CPX-351 exposure quartiles were lower vs the 7 + 3 control group, and lower mortality rates were associated with higher exposure quartiles. A trend toward greater frequency of grade 3 treatment-emergent adverse events (but not grade 4/5 events) was observed at higher CPX-351 exposure quartiles. Overall, the population pharmacokinetic analyses indicate no adjustments to the recommended dose and schedule of CPX-351 are warranted for patients with mild/moderate renal impairment or serum bilirubin ≤3 mg/dL. Results from the exposure-response analyses suggest the current CPX-351 regimen provides a favorable risk-benefit profile.

A Phase 1 Study To Assess the Pharmacokinetics of Intravenous Plazomicin in Adult Subjects with Varying Degrees of Renal Function.

Plazomicin is an FDA-approved aminoglycoside for the treatment of complicated urinary tract infections. In this open-label study, 24 adults with normal renal function or mild, moderate, or severe renal impairment (n = 6 per group) received a single 7.5-mg/kg of body weight dose of plazomicin as a 30-min intravenous infusion. Total clearance declined with renal impairment, resulting in 1.98-fold and 4.42-fold higher plazomicin exposures, as measured by the area under the concentration-time curve from 0 h to infinity, in subjects with moderate and severe impairment, respectively, than in subjects with normal renal function. (This study has been registered at ClinicalTrials.gov under identifier NCT01462136.).

A Phase I/Ib Study of Enzalutamide Alone and in Combination with Endocrine Therapies in Women with Advanced Breast Cancer.

Purpose: Several lines of evidence support targeting the androgen signaling pathway in breast cancer. Enzalutamide is a potent inhibitor of androgen receptor signaling. Preclinical data in estrogen-expressing breast cancer models demonstrated activity of enzalutamide monotherapy and enhanced activity when combined with various endocrine therapies (ET). Enzalutamide is a strong cytochrome P450 3A4 (CYP3A4) inducer, and ETs are commonly metabolized by CYP3A4. The pharmacokinetic (PK) interactions, safety, and tolerability of enzalutamide monotherapy and in combination with ETs were assessed in this phase I/Ib study.Experimental Design: Enzalutamide monotherapy was assessed in dose-escalation and dose-expansion cohorts of patients with advanced breast cancer. Additional cohorts examined effects of enzalutamide on anastrozole, exemestane, and fulvestrant PK in patients with estrogen receptor-positive/progesterone receptor-positive (ER+/PgR+) breast cancer.Results: Enzalutamide monotherapy (n = 29) or in combination with ETs (n = 70) was generally well tolerated. Enzalutamide PK in women was similar to prior data on PK in men with prostate cancer. Enzalutamide decreased plasma exposure to anastrozole by approximately 90% and exemestane by approximately 50%. Enzalutamide did not significantly affect fulvestrant PK. Exposure of exemestane 50 mg/day given with enzalutamide was similar to exemestane 25 mg/day alone.Conclusions: These results support a 160 mg/day enzalutamide dose in women with breast cancer. Enzalutamide can be given in combination with fulvestrant without dose modifications. Exemestane should be doubled from 25 mg/day to 50 mg/day when given in combination with enzalutamide; this combination is being investigated in a randomized phase II study in patients with ER+/PgR+ breast cancer. Clin Cancer Res; 23(15); 4046-54. ©2017 AACR.

Absorption, Distribution, Metabolism, and Excretion of the Androgen Receptor Inhibitor Enzalutamide in Rats and Dogs.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Enzalutamide is an androgen receptor inhibitor that has been approved in several countries. Absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion (ADME) data in animals would facilitate understanding of the efficacy and safety profiles of enzalutamide, but little information has been reported in public. The purpose of this study was to clarify the missing ADME profile in animals. METHODS: ADME of 14C-enzalutamide after oral administration as Labrasol solution were investigated in non-fasted male Sprague-Dawley rats and beagle dogs. RESULTS: Plasma concentrations of 14C-enzalutamide peaked in rats and dogs at 6-8 h after a single oral administration. In most tissues, radioactivity concentration peaked at 4 h after administration. Excluding the gastrointestinal tract, tissues with the highest concentration of radioactivity were liver, fat, and adrenal glands. The tissue concentrations of radioactivity declined below the limit of quantitation or <0.89 % of maximum concentration by 168 h post-dose. Two known metabolites (M1 and M2) and at least 15 novel possible metabolites were detected in this study. M1 was the most abundant metabolite in both rats and dogs. Unchanged drug was a minor component in excreta. In intact rats, the mean urinary and fecal excretion of radioactivity accounted for 44.20 and 49.80 % of administered radioactivity, respectively. In intact dogs, mean urinary and fecal excretion was 62.00 and 22.30 % of the administered radioactivity, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Rapid oral absorption was observed in rats and dogs when 14C-enzalutamide was administered as Labrasol solution. Tissue distribution in rats was clarified. The elimination of enzalutamide is mediated primarily by metabolism. Species differences were observed in excretion route.

Phase Ib Study of Enzalutamide in Combination with Docetaxel in Men with Metastatic Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer.

PURPOSE: Preclinical evidence suggests that both docetaxel and enzalutamide target androgen receptor translocation and signaling. This phase Ib study assessed the safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics of docetaxel when administered with enzalutamide as first-line systemic chemotherapy in men with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). EXPERIMENTAL METHODS: Docetaxel-naïve patients received 21-day cycles of docetaxel (75 mg/m(2)). Enzalutamide (160 mg/day) was administered daily starting on day 2 of cycle 1. Patients were allowed to stop and restart docetaxel at any time following cycle 2. Treatment continued indefinitely until unacceptable toxicity or discontinuation due to investigator or patient preference. RESULTS: A total of 22 patients received docetaxel, of whom 21 also received enzalutamide. Docetaxel was administered for a median of 5.0 cycles and enzalutamide for a median of 12.0 months. With concomitant treatment, geometric mean docetaxel exposure decreased by 11.8%, whereas peak concentrations decreased by 3.7% relative to docetaxel alone. The most common toxicities observed during the period of concomitant therapy were neutropenia (86.4%) and fatigue (77.3%). Common toxicities observed with post-docetaxel enzalutamide were constipation (23.8%), decreased appetite (19.0%), fatigue (19.0%), and musculoskeletal pain (19.0%). Treatment with enzalutamide and docetaxel resulted in prostate-specific antigen decreases in almost all patients based on exploratory analysis of available baseline and on-study prostate-specific antigen data. CONCLUSIONS: The combination of docetaxel and enzalutamide is feasible, although higher rates of neutropenia and neutropenic fever than anticipated were observed. Reductions in docetaxel exposure with enzalutamide coadministration were not considered clinically meaningful. This combination warrants further study in a larger mCRPC population. Clin Cancer Res; 22(15); 3774-81. ©2016 AACR.

Pharmacokinetic Drug Interaction Studies with Enzalutamide.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Two phase I drug interaction studies were performed with oral enzalutamide, which is approved for the treatment of metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). METHODS: A parallel-treatment design (n = 41) was used to evaluate the effects of a strong cytochrome P450 (CYP) 2C8 inhibitor (oral gemfibrozil 600 mg twice daily) or strong CYP3A4 inhibitor (oral itraconazole 200 mg once daily) on the pharmacokinetics of enzalutamide and its active metabolite N-desmethyl enzalutamide after a single dose of enzalutamide (160 mg). A single-sequence crossover design (n = 14) was used to determine the effects of enzalutamide 160 mg/day on the pharmacokinetics of a single oral dose of sensitive substrates for CYP2C8 (pioglitazone 30 mg), CYP2C9 (warfarin 10 mg), CYP2C19 (omeprazole 20 mg), or CYP3A4 (midazolam 2 mg). RESULTS: Coadministration of gemfibrozil increased the composite area under the plasma concentration-time curve from time zero to infinity (AUC∞) of enzalutamide plus active metabolite by 2.2-fold, and coadministration of itraconazole increased the composite AUC∞ by 1.3-fold. Enzalutamide did not affect exposure to oral pioglitazone. Enzalutamide reduced the AUC∞ of oral S-warfarin, omeprazole, and midazolam by 56, 70, and 86 %, respectively; therefore, enzalutamide is a moderate inducer of CYP2C9 and CYP2C19 and a strong inducer of CYP3A4. CONCLUSIONS: If a patient requires coadministration of a strong CYP2C8 inhibitor with enzalutamide, then the enzalutamide dose should be reduced to 80 mg/day. It is recommended to avoid concomitant use of enzalutamide with narrow therapeutic index drugs metabolized by CYP2C9, CYP2C19, or CYP3A4, as enzalutamide may decrease their exposure.

Clinical Pharmacokinetic Studies of Enzalutamide.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Oral enzalutamide (160 mg once daily) is approved for the treatment of metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). This article describes the pharmacokinetics of enzalutamide and its active metabolite N-desmethyl enzalutamide. METHODS: Results are reported from five clinical studies. RESULTS: In a dose-escalation study (n = 140), enzalutamide half-life was 5.8 days, steady state was achieved by day 28, accumulation was 8.3-fold, exposure was approximately dose proportional from 30-360 mg/day, and intersubject variability was ≤30 %. In a mass balance study (n = 6), enzalutamide was primarily eliminated by hepatic metabolism. Renal excretion was an insignificant elimination pathway for enzalutamide and N-desmethyl enzalutamide. In a food-effect study (n = 60), food did not have a meaningful effect on area under the plasma concentration-time curve (AUC) of enzalutamide or N-desmethyl enzalutamide, and in an hepatic impairment study, AUC of the sum of enzalutamide plus N-desmethyl enzalutamide was similar in men with mild (n = 6) or moderate (n = 8) impairment (Child-Pugh Class A and B) versus men with normal hepatic function (n = 14). In a phase III trial, an exposure-response analysis of steady-state predose (trough) concentrations (C trough) versus overall survival (n = 1103) showed that active treatment C trough quartiles for 160 mg/day were uniformly beneficial relative to placebo, and no threshold of C trough was associated with a statistically significant better response. CONCLUSIONS: Enzalutamide has predictable pharmacokinetics, with low intersubject variability. Similar efficacy was observed in patients across the concentration/exposure range associated with a fixed oral dose of enzalutamide 160 mg/day.

Validation of a method for quantifying enzalutamide and its major metabolites in human plasma by LC-MS/MS.

BACKGROUND: Enzalutamide is an androgen receptor inhibitor that targets multiple steps in the androgen receptor signaling pathway. Oral enzalutamide was recently approved by the US FDA and health authorities in other regions for the treatment of patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer who previously received docetaxel. The objective of this study was to validate a method for quantification of enzalutamide and its two major metabolites in human plasma. RESULTS: The analytes were extracted from plasma by an LLE procedure, separated by reversed phase HPLC and detected by MS/MS in positive mode ESI. The quantitation range was 0.0200-50.0 µg/ml. CONCLUSION: The method proved to be rapid and simple, and met FDA validation criteria.

Cognition-enhancing properties of Dimebon in a rat novel object recognition task are unlikely to be associated with acetylcholinesterase inhibition or N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonism.

Dimebon (dimebolin) treatment enhances cognition in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) or Huntington's disease. Although Dimebon was originally thought to improve cognition and memory through inhibition of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and the N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor, the low in vitro affinity for these targets suggests that these mechanisms may not contribute to its clinical effects. To test this hypothesis, we assessed whether Dimebon enhances cognition in rats and if such an action is related to either mechanism or additional candidate mechanisms. Acute oral administration of Dimebon to rats (0.05, 0.5, and 5 mg/kg) enhanced cognition in a novel object recognition task and produced Dimebon brain concentrations of 1.7 +/- 0.43, 14 +/- 5.1, and 172 +/- 94 nM, respectively. At these concentrations, Dimebon did not alter the activity of recombinant human or rat brain AChE. Unlike the AChE inhibitors donepezil and galantamine, Dimebon did not change acetylcholine levels in the hippocampus or prefrontal cortex of freely moving rats. Dimebon displays affinity for the NMDA receptor (K(i) = 105 +/- 18 microM) that is considerably higher than brain concentrations associated with cognition enhancement in the novel object recognition task and 200-fold weaker than that of memantine (K(i) = 0.54 +/- 0.05 microM). Dimebon did not block NMDA-induced calcium influx in primary neuronal cells (IC(50) > 50 microM), consistent with a lack of significant effect on this pathway. The cognition-enhancing effects of Dimebon are unlikely to be mediated by AChE inhibition or NMDA receptor antagonism, and its mechanism of action appears to be distinct from currently approved medications for AD.

Ibudilast in healthy volunteers: safety, tolerability and pharmacokinetics with single and multiple doses.

AIMS: To investigate the safety, tolerability and pharmacokinetics (PK) of ibudilast after a single-dose and a multiple-dose regimen. METHODS: Healthy adult male (n = 9) and female (n = 9) volunteers were evaluated over a 17-day stay in a Phase 1 unit. Subjects were randomized 1 : 3 to either oral placebo or ibudilast at 30-mg single administration followed by 14 days of 30 mg b.i.d. Complete safety analyses were performed and, for PK, plasma and urine samples were analysed for ibudilast and its major metabolite. RESULTS: Ibudilast was generally well tolerated. No serious adverse events occurred. Treatment-related adverse events included hyperhidrosis, headache and nausea. Two subjects discontinued after a few days at 30 mg b.i.d. because of vomiting. Although samples sizes were too small to rule out a sex difference, PK were similar in men and women. The mean half-life for ibudilast was 19 h and median T(max) was 4-6 h. Mean (SD) steady-state plasma C(max) and AUC(0-24) were 60 (25) ng ml(-1) and 1004 (303) ng h ml(-1), respectively. Plasma levels of 6,7- dihydrodiol-ibudilast were approximately 30% of the parent. CONCLUSIONS: Ibudilast is generally well tolerated in healthy adults when given as a single oral dose of 30 mg followed by 30 mg b.i.d. (60 mg day(-1)) for 14 days. Plasma PK reached steady state within 2 days of starting the b.i.d. regimen. Exposure to ibudilast was achieved of a magnitude comparable to that associated with efficacy in rat chronic pain models.