A simple extemporaneous oral suspension of aprepitant yields sufficient pharmacokinetic exposure in children.

INTRODUCTION: Aprepitant is used for the treatment of chemotherapy induced nausea and vomiting. A liquid formulation is needed for treatment of young children. However, the commercial (powder for) suspension was not available worldwide for a prolonged period of time and, therefore, a 10 mg/mL aprepitant oral suspension was extemporarily prepared to prevent suboptimal antiemetic treatment. The current pharmacokinetic study was developed to investigate whether this extemporaneous oral suspension offers an appropriate treatment option. METHODS: From 49 pediatric patients (0.7-17.9 years) 235 plasma concentrations were collected. Patients were either treated with our extemporaneous oral suspension (n = 26; 53%), commercially available capsules (n = 18; 37%), or the intravenous prodrug formulation of aprepitant (fosaprepitant, n = 5; 10%). Pharmacokinetic analyses were performed using nonlinear mixed effects modelling. RESULTS: A one-compartment model adequately described the pharmacokinetics of aprepitant in children. The bioavailability of the extemporaneous oral suspension was not significantly different to that of the capsules (P = 0.26). The observed bioavailability throughout the total population was 83% (95% CI 69%-97%). The absorption of the extemporaneous oral suspension was 39.4% (95%CI 19.5-57.4%) faster than that of capsules (mean absorption time of 1.78 h (95%CI 1.32-2.35), but was comparable to that of the commercial oral suspension. The median area under the curve after (fos)aprepitant was 22.2 mg/L*h (range 8.9-50.3 mg/L*h) on day 1. CONCLUSION: Our extemporaneous oral suspension is an adequate alternative for the commercially (un)available oral suspension in young children. An adequate exposure to aprepitant in children was yielded and the bioavailability of the extemporaneous suspension was comparable to capsules.

ABCB1 and ABCG2 limit brain penetration and, together with CYP3A4, total plasma exposure of abemaciclib and its active metabolites.

Abemaciclib is the third cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) 4/6 inhibitor approved for the treatment of breast cancer and currently under investigation for other malignancies, including brain cancer. Primarily CYP3A4 metabolizes abemaciclib, forming three active metabolites (M2, M20 and M18) that are likely relevant for abemaciclib efficacy and toxicity. We investigated the impact of ABCB1 (P-gp), ABCG2 (BCRP) and CYP3A on the pharmacokinetics and tissue distribution of abemaciclib and its metabolites using genetically modified mice. In vitro, abemaciclib was efficiently transported by hABCB1 and mAbcg2, and slightly by hABCG2, but the active metabolites were transported even better. Upon oral administration of 10 mg/kg abemaciclib, absence of Abcg2 and especially Abcb1a/1b significantly increased the plasma AUC0-24 h and Cmax of M2 and M18. Furthermore, the relative brain penetration of abemaciclib, M2 and M20 was dramatically increased by 25-, 4- and 60-fold, respectively, in Abcb1a/1b;Abcg2-/- mice, and to a lesser extent in single Abcb1a/1b- or Abcg2-deficient mice. The recovery of all active compounds in the small intestine content was profoundly reduced in Abcb1a/1b;Abcg2-/- mice, with smaller effects in single Abcb1a/1b-/- and Abcg2-/- mice. Our results indicate that Abcb1a/1b and Abcg2 cooperatively and profoundly limit the brain penetration of abemaciclib and its active metabolites, and likely also participate in their hepatobiliary or direct intestinal elimination. Moreover, transgenic human CYP3A4 drastically reduced the abemaciclib plasma AUC0-24 h and Cmax by 7.5- and 5.6-fold, respectively, relative to Cyp3a-/- mice. These insights may help to optimize the clinical development of abemaciclib, especially for the treatment of brain malignancies.

Overestimation of the effect of (fos)aprepitant on intravenous dexamethasone pharmacokinetics requires adaptation of the guidelines for children with chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting.

PURPOSE: Chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) are common side effects in pediatric oncology treatment. Besides 5-HT3-antagonists, both dexamethasone and aprepitant are cornerstone drugs in controlling these side effects. Based on results of adult studies, the dexamethasone dose is reduced by 50% when combined with aprepitant, because of a drug-drug interaction, even though data on the interaction in children is lacking. The current study was developed to investigate the effect of aprepitant on dexamethasone clearance (CL) in children, in order to assess if dexamethasone dose reduction for concomitant use of aprepitant is appropriate in the current antiemetic regimen. METHODS: In total, 65 children (0.6-17.9 years), receiving intravenous or oral antiemetic therapy (dexamethasone ± aprepitant) as standard of care, were included. 305 dexamethasone plasma concentrations were determined using LC-MS/MS. An integrated dexamethasone and aprepitant pharmacokinetic model was developed using non-linear mixed effects modelling in order to investigate the effect of aprepitant administration on dexamethasone CL. RESULTS: In this population, dexamethasone CL in patients with concomitant administration of aprepitant was reduced by approximately 30% of the uninhibited CL (23.3 L/h (95% confidence interval 20.4-26.0)). This result is not consistent with the results of adult studies (50% reduction). This difference was not age dependent, but might be related to the route of administration of dexamethasone. Future studies are needed to assess the difference in oral/intravenous dexamethasone. CONCLUSION: When dexamethasone is given intravenously as a component of triple therapy to prevent CINV in children, we advise to reduce the dexamethasone dose by 30% instead of 50%.

Simultaneous quantification of abemaciclib and its active metabolites in human and mouse plasma by UHPLC-MS/MS.

Abemaciclib is the third cyclin-dependent kinase 4 and 6 inhibitor approved for the treatment of advanced or metastatic breast cancer. In humans, abemaciclib is extensively metabolized by CYP3A4 with the formation of three active metabolites: N-desethylabemaciclib (M2), hydroxyabemaciclib (M20) and hydroxy-N-desethylabemaciclib (M18). These metabolites showed similar potency compared to the parent drug and were significantly abundant in plasma circulation. Thus, M2, M20, and M18 may contribute to the clinical activity of abemaciclib. For this reason, an UHPLC-MS/MS method for the simultaneous quantification of abemaciclib and its active metabolites in human and mouse plasma was developed and validated to support further clinical or preclinical investigations on this drug. Samples were processed by protein precipitation with acetonitrile, followed by supernatant dilution and filtration. Chromatographic separation was performed on a Kinetex C18 column (150 × 2.1 mm ID, 2.6 µm) using gradient elution with 10 mM ammonium bicarbonate in water (eluent A) and in methanol-water (9:1, v/v, eluent B). This method was selective, linear, accurate and precise within the range of 1-600 ng/mL for abemaciclib, 0.5-300 ng/mL for M2 and M20, and 0.2-120 ng/mL for M18. Furthermore, stability of the analytes in human and mouse plasma samples in several conditions was demonstrated. Finally, this assay was successfully used in a preclinical pharmacokinetic study, where abemaciclib and its active metabolites were identified and quantified. Inter-species differences between human and mouse samples were encountered, especially in the formation of M20, where isomers of this compound were detected in mouse plasma, but not in human plasma. This was confirmed by high resolution-mass spectrometry (HR-MS) measurements.

Development and validation of a combined liquid chromatography tandem-mass spectrometry assay for the quantification of aprepitant and dexamethasone in human plasma to support pharmacokinetic studies in pediatric patients.

A pharmacokinetic study was set up to investigate the pharmacokinetics of the anti-emetic agents aprepitant and dexamethasone and the drug-drug interaction between these drugs in children. In order to quantify aprepitant and dexamethasone, a liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry assay was developed and validated for the simultaneous analysis of aprepitant and dexamethasone. Protein precipitation with acetonitrile-methanol (1:1, v/v) was used to extract the analytes from plasma. The assay was based on reversed-phase chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry detection operating in the positive ion mode. The assay was validated based on the guidelines on bioanalytical methods by the US Food and Drug Administration and European Medicines Agency. The calibration model was linear and a weighting factor of 1/concentration2 was used over the range of 0.1-50 ng/mL for aprepitant and 1-500 ng/mL for dexamethasone. Intra-assay and inter-assay bias were within ±20% for all analytes at the lower limit of quantification and within ±15% at remaining concentrations. Dilution integrity tests showed that samples exceeding the upper limit of quantification can be diluted 100 times in control matrix. Stability experiments showed that the compounds are stable in the biomatrix for 25 h at room temperatures and 89 days at -20 °C. This assay is considered suitable for pharmacokinetic studies and will be used to study the drug-drug interaction between aprepitant and dexamethasone in pediatric patients.

Development and validation of an LC-MS/MS method for the quantitative analysis of milciclib in human and mouse plasma, mouse tissue homogenates and tissue culture medium.

Milciclib is a promising cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor currently in phase II clinical trials to treat several types of cancer. The first bioanalytical method for the quantitative analysis of milciclib in several biomatrices using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry is described here. This method was fully validated in human plasma according to FDA and EMA guidelines, and partially validated in mouse plasma, homogenates of mouse brain, kidney, liver, small intestine, spleen, and tissue culture medium. Palbociclib, an analog compound, was used as internal standard. A simple and fast sample pre-treatment by protein precipitation with acetonitrile was used, leading to efficient extraction of the analyte with recoveries between 95-100%. Chromatographic separation was achieved with a C18 analytical column and a gradient elution using 10 mM ammonium bicarbonate in water and 10 mM ammonium bicarbonate in water-methanol (1:9, v/v). This assay was selective, accurate, precise and linear in the concentration range of 1-1000 ng/mL. Moreover, samples above the upper limit of quantification can be integrally diluted up to 10-fold prior to analysis. The use of human plasma as a surrogate matrix to quantify milciclib in tissue culture medium and mouse matrices resulted in acceptable accuracy and precision, however tissue culture medium samples required a dilution with human plasma prior the pre-treatment. All performance parameters of the method complied with the acceptance criteria recommended by the guidelines, except for the carry-over, which was slightly above (22.9% of the lower limit of quantification) the recommended percentage (20%). Therefore, additional measures were taken to assure data integrity. Stability of milciclib in all matrices was evaluated, and in some matrices the analyte was unstable under the tested conditions. It is therefore recommended to keep these samples as briefly as possible at room temperature during the pre-treatment, and to store them at -70 °C to avoid analyte degradation. This method was successfully applied to support preclinical pharmacokinetic studies of milciclib.

A sensitive assay for the quantitative analysis of vinorelbine in mouse and human EDTA plasma by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray tandem mass spectrometry.

A sensitive, specific and fast high-performance liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS) assay for the determination of vinorelbine in mouse and human plasma is presented. A 200 microL aliquot was extracted with solid-phase extraction (SPE) using Bond-Elut C(2) cartridges. Dried extracts were reconstituted in 100 microL 1 mM ammonium acetate pH 10.5-acetonitrile-methanol (21:9:70, v/v/v) containing the internal standard vintriptol (100 ng/mL) and 10 microL volumes were injected onto the HPLC system. Separation was achieved on a 50 mm x 2.0 mm i.d. Gemini C(18) column using isocratic elution with 1 mM ammonium acetate pH 10.5-acetonitrile-methanol (21:9:70, v/v/v) at a flow rate of 0.4 mL/min. HPLC run time was only 5 min. Detection was performed using positive ion electrospray ionization followed by tandem mass spectrometry (ESI-MS/MS). The assay quantifies vinorelbine from 0.1 to 100 ng/mL using human plasma sample volumes of 200 microL. With this method vinorelbine can be measured in mouse plasma samples when these samples are diluted eight times in control human plasma. Calibration samples prepared in control human plasma can be used for the quantification of the drug. The lower limit of quantification in mouse plasma is 0.8 ng/mL. This assay is used to support preclinical and clinical pharmacologic studies with vinorelbine.

Mechanism of the pharmacokinetic interaction between methotrexate and benzimidazoles: potential role for breast cancer resistance protein in clinical drug-drug interactions.

The antifolate drug methotrexate (MTX) is transported by breast cancer resistance protein (BCRP; ABCG2) and multidrug resistance-associated protein1-4 (MRP1-4; ABCC1-4). In cancer patients, coadministration of benzimidazoles and MTX can result in profound MTX-induced toxicity coinciding with an increase in the serum concentrations of MTX and its main metabolite 7-hydroxymethotrexate. We hypothesized that benzimidazoles interfere with the clearance of MTX and/or 7-hydroxymethotrexate by inhibition of the ATP-binding cassette drug transporters BCRP and/or MRP2, two transporters known to transport MTX and located in apical membranes of epithelia involved in drug disposition. First, we investigated the mechanism of interaction between benzimidazoles (pantoprazole and omeprazole) and MTX in vitro in membrane vesicles from Sf9 cells infected with a baculovirus containing human BCRP or human MRP2 cDNA. In Sf9-BCRP vesicles, pantoprazole and omeprazole inhibited MTX transport (IC50 13 microm and 36 microm, respectively). In Sf9-MRP2 vesicles, pantoprazole did not inhibit MTX transport and at high concentrations (1 mm), it even stimulated MTX transport 1.6-fold. Secondly, we studied the transport of pantoprazole in MDCKII monolayers transfected with mouse Bcrp1 or human MRP2. Pantoprazole was actively transported by Bcrp1 but not by MRP2. Finally, the mechanism of the interaction was studied in vivo using Bcrp1-/- mice and wild-type mice. Both in wild-type mice pretreated with pantoprazole to inhibit Bcrp1 and in Bcrp1-/- mice that lack Bcrp1, the clearance of i.v. MTX was decreased significantly 1.8- to 1.9-fold compared with the clearance of i.v. MTX in wild-type mice. The conclusion is as follows: benzimidazoles differentially affect transport of MTX mediated by BCRP and MRP2. Competition for BCRP may explain the clinical interaction between MTX and benzimidazoles.

A phase 0 clinical trial of novel candidate extended-release formulations of capecitabine.

PURPOSE: To examine the pharmacokinetic (PK) profile of several candidate extended-release (ER) formulations of capecitabine in patients. METHODS: In a phase 0 clinical study, PK profiles of several oral candidate ER formulations of capecitabine were compared to the PK profile of capecitabine after administration of the commercially available immediate-release (IR) tablet. A single dose of 1000 mg IR formulation (two 500 mg tablets) was administered on day 1, and a single dose of a 1000 mg candidate ER formulation of capecitabine (two 500 mg tablets) was administered on day 2. Candidate ER formulations of capecitabine differed with regard to the amount of the ER excipient (Kollidon(®) SR) in tablet matrix (0-5 % w/w) and coating (0-12 mg/cm(2)). RESULTS: PK profiles of nine different candidate ER formulations were examined. The tablet coating seemed the main determinant for ER of capecitabine and tablet integrity. Average (±standard deviation) AUC0-2h, relative to AUC0-2h after oral administration of the IR tablet, were 43.3 % (±34.9 %) and 1.2 % (±1.2 %) for candidate ER formulations coated with 3 and 6 mg/cm(2), respectively. Corresponding AUC0-last were 93.6 % (±40.2 %) and 44.0 % (±5.4 %). CONCLUSION: Modulation of capecitabine release in patients can be accomplished by varying tablet coating content. Proof of principle was demonstrated for candidate ER formulations with coating content of 3 mg/cm(2).

Phase I and pharmacokinetic study of SPI-77, a liposomal encapsulated dosage form of cisplatin.

PURPOSE: To investigate the safety and pharmacokinetics of a new liposomal formulation of cisplatin, SPI-77, in patients with advanced malignancies. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients with histologically proven malignancies not amenable to other treatment were eligible for this study. The starting dose of SPI-77 (cisplatin in Stealth liposomes) was 40 mg/m(2) administered every 4 weeks in a 2-h infusion, and doses were escalated up to 420 mg/m(2). Pharmacokinetic monitoring was performed in all patients and samples were analysed for platinum content by atomic absorption spectroscopy. Platinum-DNA (Pt-DNA) adduct levels in leucocytes (white blood cells, WBC) and tumour tissue were quantified using a sensitive (32)P-postlabelling assay. RESULTS: A total of 27 patients were accrued. The main toxicities observed were infusion-related reactions, which could be prevented by lowering the initial infusion rate, and anaemia. The pharmacokinetics of SPI-77-derived platinum were strikingly different from standard cisplatin. Free platinum levels in plasma ultrafiltrate samples were undetectable at the lowest dose levels (40 and 80 mg/m(2)), and low but highly variable at higher doses of SPI-77. Plasma pharmacokinetics of total platinum were linear with small interpatient variability. The total body clearance of SPI-77 varied from 14 to 30 ml/h and was significantly lower than reported clearance values for cisplatin of 20 l/m(2) per h, due to the slow release of cisplatin from the liposomes. Pt-DNA adduct levels in WBC ranged from 0.02 to 4.13 fmol/microg DNA for intrastrand Pt-GG (guanine-guanine) adducts and from 0.02 to 1.27 fmol/microg DNA for intrastrand Pt-AG (adenosine-guanine) adducts, which is more than tenfold lower than after administration of a comparable dose of non-liposomal cisplatin. In tumour samples obtained from two patients treated at the highest dose-levels, relatively low levels of Pt-DNA adducts were observed. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this phase I trial show that the pharmacokinetic behaviour of cisplatin is significantly altered by its encapsulation in Stealth liposomes. The pharmacokinetics of SPI-77 are mainly dominated by the liposomal properties, resulting in high cholesterol concentrations and relatively low concentrations of (free) platinum in plasma, WBC and tumour tissue, which may explain the observed differences between the toxicity profiles of SPI-77 and cisplatin.

Determination of ruthenium originating from the investigational anti-cancer drug NAMI-A in human plasma ultrafiltrate, plasma, and urine by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry.

We present a highly sensitive, rapid method for the determination of ruthenium originating from the investigational anti-cancer drug NAMI-A in human plasma ultrafiltrate, plasma, and urine. The method is based on the quantification of ruthenium by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and allows quantification of 30 ng L(-1) ruthenium in plasma ultrafiltrate and urine, and 75 ng L(-1) ruthenium in human plasma, in 150 microL of matrix. The sample pretreatment procedure is straightforward and only involves dilution with appropriate diluents. The performance of the method, in terms of accuracy and precision, fulfilled the most recent FDA guidelines for bioanalytical method validation. Validated ranges of quantification were 30.0 to 1 x 10(4) ng L(-1) for ruthenium in plasma ultrafiltrate and urine and 75.0 to 1 x 10(4) ng L(-1) for ruthenium in plasma. The applicability of the method and its superiority to atomic-absorption spectrometry were demonstrated in two patients who were treated with intravenous NAMI-A in a phase I trial. The assay is now successfully used to support pharmacokinetic studies in cancer patients treated with NAMI-A.

Quantitative analysis of D-24851, a novel anticancer agent, in human plasma and urine by liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry.

The development of a liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometric assay for the quantitative analysis of the novel tubulin inhibitor D-24851 in human plasma and urine is described. D-24851 and the deuterated internal standard were extracted from 250 microL of plasma or urine using hexane/ether (1:1, v/v). Subsequently, 10-microL aliquots of reconstituted extracts were injected onto an Inertsil ODS analytical column (50 x 2.0 mm i.d., 5 microm particle size). An eluent consisting of methanol/5 mM ammonium acetate, 0.004% formic acid in water (80:20, v/v) was pumped at a flow rate of 0.2 mL/min. An API 365 triple quadrupole mass spectrometer was used in the multiple reaction monitoring mode for sensitive detection. For human plasma a dynamic range of 1-1000 ng/mL was validated, and for human urine a range of 0.25-50 ng/mL. Validation was performed according to the most recent FDA guidelines and all results were within requirements. The assay has been successfully applied to support a phase I clinical trial with orally administered D-24851.