PAR4 Antagonism in Patients With Coronary Artery Disease Receiving Antiplatelet Therapies.

BACKGROUND: BMS-986141 is a novel potent highly selective antagonist of PAR (protease-activated receptor) type 4. PAR4 antagonism has been demonstrated to reduce thrombus formation in isolation and in combination with factor Xa inhibition in high shear conditions in healthy people. We sought to determine whether PAR4 antagonism had additive antithrombotic effects in patients with coronary artery disease who were receiving antiplatelet therapy. METHODS: Forty-five patients with stable coronary heart disease and 10 healthy volunteers completed a phase 2a open-label 4-arm single-center study. Patients were allocated to 1 of 3 treatment arms for 7 days: (1) ticagrelor (90 mg BID), (2) aspirin (75 mg QD), or (3) the combination of ticagrelor and aspirin. Agonist-induced platelet aggregation, platelet activation, and ex vivo thrombus formation were measured before and 2 and 24 hours after a single oral 4-mg dose of BMS-986141 on the first study visit day in all participants. RESULTS: BMS-986141 demonstrated highly selective inhibition of PAR4-AP (agonist peptide)-induced platelet aggregation, P-selectin expression, and platelet-monocyte aggregate expression (P≤0.001 for all), which were unaffected by concomitant antiplatelet therapies. PAR4 antagonism reduced ex vivo thrombus area in high shear conditions in healthy volunteers (-21%; P=0.001) and in patients receiving ticagrelor alone (-28%; P=0.001), aspirin alone (-23%; P=0.018), or both in combination (-24%; P≤0.001). Plasma concentration of BMS-986141 correlated with PAR4-AP-induced platelet responses (P≤0.001 for all) and total thrombus area under high shear stress conditions (P≤0.01 for all). CONCLUSIONS: PAR4 antagonism has additive antithrombotic effects when used in addition to ticagrelor, aspirin, or their combination, in patients with stable coronary heart disease. REGISTRATION: URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov; Unique identifier: NCT05093790.

First-in-human study to assess the safety, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacodynamics of BMS-986141, a novel, reversible, small-molecule, PAR4 agonist in non-Japanese and Japanese healthy participants.

BMS-986141 is a novel, oral, protease-activated, receptor 4 (PAR4)-antagonist that exhibited robust antithrombotic activity and low bleeding risk in preclinical studies. The pharmacokinetic, pharmacodynamic, and tolerability profiles of BMS-986141 in healthy participants were assessed in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, single-ascending-dose (SAD; N = 60) study; a multiple-ascending-dose (MAD; N = 32) study; and a Japanese MAD (JMAD; N = 32) study. Exposure was dose-proportional for BMS-986141 2.5 mg and 150 mg; maximum concentrations were 17.6 ng/mL and 958 ng/mL; and areas under the curve (AUC) to infinity were 183 h* × ng/mL and 9207 h* × ng/mL, respectively. Mean half-life ranged from 33.7 to 44.7 hours across dose panels. The accumulation index following once-daily administration for 7 days suggested a 1.3- to 2-fold AUC increase at steady state. In the SAD study, BMS-986141 75 and 150 mg produced ≥80% inhibition of 25-100 µM PAR4 agonist peptide (AP)-induced platelet aggregation, without affecting PAR1-AP-induced platelet aggregation, through ≥24 hours postdose. In the MAD and JMAD studies, BMS-986141 doses ≥10 mg completely inhibited 12.5 µM and 25 µM PAR4-AP-induced platelet aggregation through 24 hours. This study found BMS-986141 was safe and well tolerated, with dose-proportional pharmacokinetics and concentration-dependent pharmacodynamics in healthy participants over a wide dose range. ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT02341638.

Why was the study done? Antiplatelet therapies have shortcomings that limit their clinical utility, and there is an unmet need for a new, safe, and effective antiplatelet agent with reduced bleeding risk.PAR4 antagonists are a promising novel class of antiplatelet drugs due to late-stage inhibition of thrombus growth with minimal effects on platelet-driven hemostasis.BMS-986141 is a novel, potent, orally bioavailable, small-molecule antagonist specific for PAR4.What is new? BMS-986141 is safe and well tolerated, with dose-proportional pharmacokinetics and concentration-dependent pharmacodynamics in healthy participants over a wide dose range.BMS-986141 has robust antithrombotic activity and low bleeding risk.What is the impact? BMS-986141 has the potential to improve the benefit­risk of antiplatelet therapy in patients with atherothrombosis.

New oral protease-activated receptor 4 antagonist BMS-986120: tolerability, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and gene variant effects in humans.

BMS-986120 is a novel first-in-class oral protease-activated receptor 4 (PAR4) antagonist exhibiting robust antithrombotic activity that has shown low bleeding risk in monkeys. We sought to assess pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and tolerability of BMS-986120 in healthy participants and platelet responses to BMS-986120 in participants carrying PAR4 A120T variants. Phase I, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled single-ascending-dose (SAD; N = 56) and multiple-ascending-dose (MAD; N = 32) studies were conducted. Exposure was approximately dose-proportional: maximum concentrations 27.3 and 1536 ng/mL, areas under the curve (AUC) to infinity of 164 and 15,603 h*ng/mL, and half-lives of 44.7 and 84.1 hours for 3.0 and 180 mg, respectively. The accumulation index suggested an ~2-fold AUC increase at steady state. Single doses of 75 and 180 mg BMS-986120 produced ≥80% inhibition of 12.5 µM PAR4 agonist peptide (AP)-induced platelet aggregation through at least 24 hours postdose, and doses ≥10 mg for ~7 days inhibited aggregation completely through 24 hours. No differences in PAR4-mediated platelet response were seen between AA120 versus TT120 PAR4 variants. In cells expressing A120 or T120 PAR4 proteins, no differences in half-maximal effective concentration in receptor activation by PAR4-AP were observed. BMS-986120 was well tolerated with dose-proportional pharmacokinetics and concentration-dependent pharmacodynamics in healthy participants over a wide dose range.ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT02208882.

Recommendation of mavacamten posology by model-based analyses in adults with obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

Mavacamten is the first cardiac myosin inhibitor approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of adults with symptomatic obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). The phase III EXPLORER-HCM (NCT03470545) study used a dose-titration scheme based on mavacamten exposure and echocardiographic assessment of Valsalva left ventricular outflow tract gradient (VLVOTg) and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). Using population pharmacokinetic/exposure-response modeling and simulations of virtual patients, this in silico study evaluated alternative dose-titration regimens for mavacamten, including regimens that were guided by echocardiographic measures only. Mavacamten exposure-response models for VLVOTg (efficacy) and LVEF (safety) were developed using patient data from five clinical studies and characterized using nonlinear mixed-effects models. Simulations of five echocardiography-guided regimens were performed in virtual cohorts constructed based on either expected or equal population distributions of cytochrome P450 2C19 (CYP2C19) metabolizer phenotypes. Each regimen aimed to maximize the proportions of patients who achieved a VLVOTg below 30 mm Hg while maintaining LVEF above 50% over 40 weeks and 104 weeks, respectively. The exposure-response models successfully characterized mavacamten efficacy and safety parameters. Overall, the simulated regimen with the optimal benefit-risk profile across CYP2C19 phenotypes had steps for down-titration at weeks 4 and 8 (for VLVOTg <20 mm Hg), and up-titration at week 12 (for VLVOTg ≥30 mm Hg and LVEF ≥55%), and every 12 weeks thereafter. This simulation-optimized regimen is recommended in the mavacamten US prescribing information.

Effect of Activated Charcoal on Mavacamten Pharmacokinetics in Healthy Participants.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the effect of activated charcoal on the single-dose pharmacokinetics of mavacamten when administered 2 h or 6 h after mavacamten dosing. METHODS: In this open-label, randomized, parallel-group study, healthy adults were randomized into three groups to receive mavacamten 15 mg alone or mavacamten 15 mg plus activated charcoal 50 g administered either 2 h or 6 h after mavacamten dosing. Pharmacokinetic parameters were derived from plasma concentration-time data using noncompartmental methods. RESULTS: Of the 45 participants randomized, 37 completed the study. When activated charcoal was administered 2 h after mavacamten dosing, mavacamten absorption and exposure were reduced compared with when mavacamten was administered alone: the area under the concentration-time curve from 0 to 72 h (AUC0-72) and area under the concentration-time curve from time 0 extrapolated to infinity (AUCINF) were reduced by 14% and 34%, respectively. The maximum plasma concentration (Cmax) was also slightly lower when activated charcoal was administered 2 h after mavacamten dosing than with mavacamten alone. Pharmacokinetic profiles were similar for mavacamten alone and mavacamten plus activated charcoal administered 6 h after mavacamten dosing. CONCLUSIONS: Activated charcoal was successful in reducing mavacamten absorption and exposure when administered as soon as possible after identification of a need for adsorption (2 h after mavacamten dosing). No change in exposure was observed when activated charcoal was administered 6 h after mavacamten dosing. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT05320094.

Physiologically Based Pharmacokinetic Modeling and Simulation of Mavacamten Exposure with Drug-Drug Interactions from CYP Inducers and Inhibitors by CYP2C19 Phenotype.

Mavacamten is a first-in-class, oral, selective, allosteric, reversible cardiac myosin inhibitor approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of adults with symptomatic New York Heart Association functional class II-III obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Mavacamten is metabolized in the liver, predominantly via cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes CYP2C19 (74%), CYP3A4 (18%), and CYP2C9 (8%). A physiologically-based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) model was developed using Simcyp version 19 (Certara, Princeton, NJ). Following model verification, the PBPK model was used to explore the effects of strong CYP3A4 and CYP2C19 inducers, and strong, moderate, and weak CYP2C19 and CYP3A4 inhibitors on mavacamten pharmacokinetics (PK) in a healthy population, with the effect of CYP2C19 phenotype predicted for poor, intermediate, normal, and ultrarapid metabolizers. The PBPK model met the acceptance criteria for all verification simulations (> 80% of model-predicted PK parameters within 2-fold of those observed clinically). A weak induction effect was predicted when mavacamten was administered with a strong CYP3A4 inducer in poor metabolizers. Moderate reductions in mavacamten exposure were predicted with a strong CYP2C19/CYP3A4 inducer in all CYP2C19 phenotypes. Except for the effect of strong CYP2C19 inhibitors on ultrarapid metabolizers, steady-state area under plasma concentration-time curve and maximum plasma concentration values were weakly affected (< 2-fold) or not affected (< 1.25-fold), regardless of CYP2C19 phenotype. In conclusion, a fit-for-purpose PBPK model was developed and verified, which accurately predicted the available clinical data and was used to simulate the potential impact of CYP induction and inhibition on mavacamten PKs, stratified by CYP2C19 phenotype.

Drug-Drug Interaction Potential of Mavacamten with Oral Contraceptives: Results from a Clinical Pharmacokinetic Study and a Physiologically Based Pharmacokinetic Model.

Mavacamten is a potential inducer of cytochrome P450 (CYP) 3A4 and, as such, could reduce the exposure of the active components of oral contraceptives, ethinyl estradiol (EE) and norethindrone (NOR), where CYP3A4 is involved in metabolism. This study assessed if repeat doses of mavacamten led to a drug-drug interaction with EE and/or NOR. This was an open-label study in healthy women. In Period 1, participants received 35 mcg of EE and 1 mg of NOR. In Period 2, participants received oral loading doses of mavacamten 25 mg on Days 1-2, 15 mg/day on Days 3-17, and 35 mcg of EE and 1 mg of NOR on Day 15. Plasma concentrations of mavacamten, EE, and NOR were obtained before dosing and up to 72 hours after dosing. For EE only, a physiologically based pharmacokinetic model was used to simulate mavacamten-mediated CYP3A4 induction with EE for various CYP2C19 phenotypes. In total, 13 women were enrolled (mean age, 38.9 [standard deviation, 9.65] years). After mavacamten administration, modest increases in area under the concentration-time curves were observed for both EE and NOR. The maximum concentrations and half-lives for EE and NOR were not affected by coadministration with mavacamten. Criteria for bioequivalence were met or nearly met for EE and NOR exposure with geometric mean ratios between 0.8 and 1.25. All adverse events were mild. The physiologically based pharmacokinetic model predicted a less than 15% decrease in EE exposure across CYP2C19 phenotypes. Coadministration of mavacamten at a therapeutically relevant dose with EE and NOR did not decrease the exposure to either EE or NOR to a level that may lead to reduced effectiveness.

Evaluation of safety, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacodynamics of apixaban in pediatric subjects at risk of venous or arterial thrombotic disorder.

Apixaban is an oral small-molecule, direct factor Xa (FXa) inhibitor approved in adults for treatment of deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism, and for reducing risk of venous thromboembolism recurrence after initial anticoagulant therapy. This phase I study (NCT01707394) evaluated the pharmacokinetics (PKs), pharmacodynamics (PDs), and safety of apixaban in pediatric subjects (<18 years), enrolled by age group, at risk of venous or arterial thrombotic disorder. A single apixaban dose, targeting adult steady-state exposure with apixaban 2.5 mg, was administered using two pediatric formulations: 0.1 mg sprinkle capsule (age <28 days); 0.4 mg/ml solution (age 28 days to <18 years; dose range, 1.08-2.19 mg/m2 ). End points included safety, PKs, and anti-FXa activity. For PKs/PDs, four to six blood samples were collected ≤26 h postdosing. A population PK model was developed with data from adults and pediatric subjects. Apparent oral clearance (CL/F) included fixed maturation function based on published data. From January 2013 to June 2019, 49 pediatric subjects received apixaban. Most adverse events were mild/moderate, and the most common was pyrexia (n = 4/15). Apixaban CL/F and apparent central volume of distribution increased less than proportionally with body weight. Apixaban CL/F increased with age, reaching adult values in subjects aged 12 to <18 years. Maturation affected CL/F most notably in subjects aged <9 months. Plasma anti-FXa activity values were linearly related to apixaban concentrations, with no apparent age-related differences. Pediatric subjects tolerated single apixaban doses well. Study data and population PK model supported phase II/III pediatric trial dose selection.

Apixaban Use in Obese Patients: A Review of the Pharmacokinetic, Interventional, and Observational Study Data.

Relatively little is known about the influence of extreme body weight on the pharmacokinetics (PK), pharmacodynamics (PD), efficacy, and safety of drugs used in many disease states. While direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) have an advantage over warfarin in that they do not require routine drug monitoring, some may regard this convenience as less compelling in obese patients. Some consensus guidelines discourage using DOACs in patients weighing > 120 kg or with a body mass index > 35-40 kg/m2, given a sparsity of available data in this population and the concern that fixed dosing in obese patients might lead to decreased drug exposure and lower efficacy. Per the prescribing information, apixaban does not require dose adjustment in patients weighing above a certain threshold (e.g., ≥ 120 kg). Data from healthy volunteers and patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) or venous thromboembolism (VTE) have shown that increased body weight has a modest effect on apixaban's PK. However, the paucity of exposure data in individuals > 120 kg and the lack of guideline consensus on DOAC use in obese patients continue to raise concerns about potential decreased drug exposure at extreme weight. This article is the first to comprehensively review the available PK data in obese individuals without NVAF or VTE, and PK, PD, efficacy, effectiveness, and safety data for apixaban in obese patients with either NVAF or VTE, including subgroup analyses across randomized controlled trials and observational (real-world) studies. These data suggest that obesity does not substantially influence the efficacy, effectiveness, or safety of apixaban in these patients. Trial Registration ARISTOTLE: NCT00412984; AVERROES: NCT00496769; AMPLIFY: NCT00643201; AMPLIFY-EXT: NCT00633893; ADVANCE-1: NCT00371683; ADVANCE-2: NCT00452530; ADVANCE-3: NCT00423319 Apixaban Use in Obese Patients: A Review of the Pharmacokinetic, Interventional, and Observational Study Data (MP4 161.22 MB).

Performance Verification of CYP2C19 Enzyme Abundance Polymorphism Settings within the Simcyp Simulator v21.

Physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) modeling has a number of applications, including assessing drug−drug interactions (DDIs) in polymorphic populations, and should be iteratively refined as science progresses. The Simcyp Simulator is annually updated and version 21 included updates to hepatic and intestinal CYP2C19 enzyme abundance, including addition of intermediate and rapid metabolizer phenotypes and changes to the ultra-rapid metabolizer enzyme abundance, with implications for population clearance and DDI predictions. This work details verification of the updates with sensitive CYP2C19 substrates, omeprazole and lansoprazole, using available clinical data from literature. Multiple assessments were performed, including recovery of areas under the concentration-time curve (AUC) and Cmax from compiled datasets for each drug, recovery of victim DDI ratios with CYP2C19 and/or CYP3A4 inhibition and recovery of relative exposure between phenotypes. Simulated data were within respective acceptance criteria for >80% of omeprazole AUC values, >70% of lansoprazole AUC and Cmax, >60% of AUC and Cmax DDI ratios and >80% of exposure ratios between different phenotypes. Recovery of omeprazole Cmax was lower (>50−70% within 2-fold) and possibly attributed to the variety of formulations used in the clinical dataset. Overall, the results demonstrated that the updated data used to parameterize CYP2C19 phenotypes reasonably described the pharmacokinetics of omeprazole and lansoprazole in genotyped or phenotyped individuals.