Tildrakizumab, a novel anti-IL-23 monoclonal antibody, is unaffected by ethnic variability in Caucasian, Chinese, and Japanese subjects.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of ethnicity on the pharmacokinetics (PK) of tildrakizumab, a novel anti-IL-23 monoclonal antibody for the treatment of psoriasis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was an open-label, 2-part study in healthy adult subjects. In part 1, Japanese subjects and matched Caucasian and Chinese subjects (to Japanese) were assigned to 1 of 3 cohorts and administered tildrakizumab 50, 200, or 400 mg subcutaneously (SC). In part 2, Japanese subjects received tildrakizumab 10 mg/kg IV. Pre- and post-treatment antidrug antibodies were assessed. Safety and tolerability were assessed throughout the study. RESULTS: 59 subjects were enrolled; 53 in part 1 and 6 in part 2. Overall geometric mean AUC∞ was 6.15, 6.05, and 6.32 day×µg/mL/mg in Japanese, Caucasian, and Chinese subjects, respectively, after administration of a single SC dose. Bioavailability was ~92%. Six out of 58 evaluable subjects were positive for post-treatment ADA; 2 of these positive subjects had reduced tildrakizumab exposure. Most AEs were mild in intensity and the most frequent treatment-related AEs were injection site hematoma (15%), injection site pain (10%), and injection site erythema (8%). CONCLUSIONS: The pharmacokinetics of tildrakizumab were similar in Japanese, Caucasian, and Chinese subjects. Tildrakizumab exposure increased proportionally with dose in the range of 50-400 mg. A single SC dose of 50, 200, and 400 mg or a single IV dose of 10 mg/kg was generally well tolerated.

Pharmacokinetics of Tildrakizumab (MK-3222), an Anti-IL-23 Monoclonal Antibody, After Intravenous or Subcutaneous Administration in Healthy Subjects.

Tildrakizumab, a high-affinity humanized IgG1k antibody that selectively binds interleukin (IL)-23 p19 subunit of cytokine IL-23 and neutralizes its function, is under investigation for treatment of moderate-to-severe chronic plaque psoriasis. The objective of this analysis was to assess the pharmacokinetics, bioavailability and safety/tolerability of single ascending doses of tildrakizumab after intravenous (IV) and subcutaneous (SC) dosing in healthy subjects. P05661 was a phase 1, single-dose, randomized, placebo-controlled study of tildrakizumab IV doses of 0.1, 0.5, 3 and 10 mg/kg, or placebo. P05776 was a phase 1, single-dose, randomized, placebo-controlled study of tildrakizumab SC doses of 50 or 200 mg, or placebo. After either single IV or SC dosing, tildrakizumab exhibited slow systemic clearance (CL), limited volume of distribution and a long t1/2 . Both the Cmax and the area under the curve (AUC) increased proportionally with doses from 0.1 to 10 mg/kg, or 50-200 mg. The bioavailability of SC dosing was ~80% (90% CI: 62-103%) for 50 mg and ~73% (90% CI: 46-115%) for 200 mg, respectively, versus 0.5 and 3 mg/kg IV. Across both studies, six of 43 evaluable subjects were positive for post-dose antidrug antibodies; two of these were positive for neutralizing antibodies. Most adverse events (AEs) were mild; the most frequent AEs included upper respiratory tract infection and headache. Single doses of tildrakizumab 0.1, 0.5, 3 and 10 mg/kg administered IV or single doses of 50 and 200 mg administered SC were safe and well tolerated in healthy adult subjects.