Evaluation of the effect of food on the pharmacokinetics of axitinib in healthy volunteers.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the effect of food on axitinib pharmacokinetics in healthy volunteers with two different crystal polymorphs. METHODS: Two separate open-label, randomized, single-dose, three-period, crossover trials were conducted. Study I, conducted first using 5-mg axitinib Form IV film-coated immediate-release (FCIR) tablets, enrolled 18 subjects to compare fed versus fasted states and 24 subjects to evaluate the effect of timing of food consumption on axitinib pharmacokinetics. Study II enrolled 30 subjects to assess the effect of food using 5-mg axitinib Form XLI FCIR tablets. Subjects received axitinib after overnight fasting, with limited fasting or, depending on the study design, after consuming high-fat, high-calorie or moderate-fat, standard-calorie meals. RESULTS: For Form IV FCIR, compared with overnight fasting, axitinib plasma exposure [area under the concentration curve (AUC)] was decreased 23 % when administered with food. For Form XLI FCIR, mean axitinib plasma AUC and maximum plasma concentration (C(max)) were 19 and 11 % higher, respectively, with a high-fat, high-calorie meal compared with overnight fasting. When Form XLI FCIR was administered with moderate-fat, standard-calorie meal, AUC and C(max) were 10 and 16 % lower compared with overnight fasting. Both formulations were well tolerated. Adverse events, mostly gastrointestinal (7 % with Form IV FCIR and 13 % with Form XLI FCIR), were mild to moderate in both studies. CONCLUSIONS: While axitinib Form IV FCIR was associated with higher plasma exposure after overnight fasting, axitinib Form XLI FCIR can be administered with or without food as differences in axitinib pharmacokinetics under the two conditions were not clinically meaningful.

Effect of ketoconazole on the pharmacokinetics of axitinib in healthy volunteers.

OBJECTIVE: Axitinib (AG-013736), an oral, potent, and selective inhibitor of vascular endothelial growth factor receptors 1, 2, and 3, is metabolized primarily by cytochrome P450 (CYP) 3A with minor contributions from CYP1A2, CYP2C19, and glucuronidation. Co-administration with CYP inhibitors may increase systemic exposure to axitinib and alter its safety profile. This study evaluated changes in axitinib plasma pharmacokinetic parameters and assessed safety and tolerability in healthy subjects, following axitinib co-administration with the potent CYP3A inhibitor ketoconazole. METHODS: In this randomized, single-blind, two-way crossover study, 32 healthy volunteers received placebo, followed by a single 5-mg oral dose of axitinib, administered either alone or on the fourth day of dosing with oral ketoconazole (400 mg/day for 7 days). RESULTS: Axitinib exposure was significantly increased in the presence of ketoconazole, with a geometric mean ratio for area under the plasma concentration-time curve from time zero to infinity of 2.06 (90% confidence interval [CI]: 1.84-2.30) and a geometric mean ratio for maximum plasma concentration (C(max)) of 1.50 (90% CI: 1.33-1.70). For axitinib alone or with ketoconazole, C(max) occurred 1.5 and 2.0 h after dosing, respectively. Adverse events were predominantly mild; the most commonly reported treatment-related adverse events were headache and nausea. CONCLUSIONS: Axitinib plasma exposures and peak concentrations were increased following concurrent administration of axitinib and ketoconazole in healthy volunteers. Axitinib alone and in combination with ketoconazole was well tolerated. These findings provide an upper exposure for expected axitinib plasma concentrations in the presence of potent metabolic inhibition.

Effect of food on the pharmacokinetics of sunitinib malate (SU11248), a multi-targeted receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor: results from a phase I study in healthy subjects.

The effect of food on the oral bioavailability of sunitinib malate (SU11248, an oral, multi-targeted tyrosine kinase inhibitor with anti-angiogenic and anti-tumor activities) was assessed in a randomized open-label, two-way crossover study. A 50-mg dose of SU11248 was administered to 16 healthy subjects after a 10-h fast in one period and after a high-fat, high-calorie meal in the other period. The 90% confidence intervals (CIs) for maximum plasma concentration (Cmax) and area under the concentration-time curve (AUC) were within the 80-125% bioequivalence range, indicating the absence of a food effect. SU11248 exposure increased slightly in the fed compared with the fasted state (ratios of fed/fasted geometric least square means: Cmax 104%, AUC0-last and AUC0-infinity both 112%). There was a delay in the formation/absorption of the active metabolite SU12662 in the fed state (mean Cmax decreased 23%), but exposure remained unaffected (90% CIs for AUC0-last and AUC0-infinity were within 80-125%). These results indicate that SU11248 can be administered with or without food.