The allosteric inhibitor ABL001 enables dual targeting of BCR-ABL1.

Chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) is driven by the activity of the BCR-ABL1 fusion oncoprotein. ABL1 kinase inhibitors have improved the clinical outcomes for patients with CML, with over 80% of patients treated with imatinib surviving for more than 10 years. Second-generation ABL1 kinase inhibitors induce more potent molecular responses in both previously untreated and imatinib-resistant patients with CML. Studies in patients with chronic-phase CML have shown that around 50% of patients who achieve and maintain undetectable BCR-ABL1 transcript levels for at least 2 years remain disease-free after the withdrawal of treatment. Here we characterize ABL001 (asciminib), a potent and selective allosteric ABL1 inhibitor that is undergoing clinical development testing in patients with CML and Philadelphia chromosome-positive (Ph+) acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. In contrast to catalytic-site ABL1 kinase inhibitors, ABL001 binds to the myristoyl pocket of ABL1 and induces the formation of an inactive kinase conformation. ABL001 and second-generation catalytic inhibitors have similar cellular potencies but distinct patterns of resistance mutations, with genetic barcoding studies revealing pre-existing clonal populations with no shared resistance between ABL001 and the catalytic inhibitor nilotinib. Consistent with this profile, acquired resistance was observed with single-agent therapy in mice; however, the combination of ABL001 and nilotinib led to complete disease control and eradicated CML xenograft tumours without recurrence after the cessation of treatment.

Streamlining Food Effect Assessment - Are Repeated Food Effect Studies Needed? An IQ Analysis.

Current regulatory guidelines on drug-food interactions recommend an early assessment of food effect to inform clinical dosing instructions, as well as a pivotal food effect study on the to-be-marketed formulation if different from that used in earlier trials. Study waivers are currently only granted for BCS class 1 drugs. Thus, repeated food effect studies are prevalent in clinical development, with the initial evaluation conducted as early as the first-in-human studies. Information on repeated food effect studies is not common in the public domain. The goal of the work presented in this manuscript from the Food Effect PBPK IQ Working Group was to compile a dataset on these studies across pharmaceutical companies and provide recommendations on their conduct. Based on 54 studies collected, we report that most of the repeat food effect studies do not result in meaningful differences in the assessment of the food effect. Seldom changes observed were more than twofold. There was no clear relationship between the change in food effect and the formulation change, indicating that in most cases, once a compound is formulated appropriately within a specific formulation technology, the food effect is primarily driven by inherent compound properties. Representative examples of PBPK models demonstrate that following appropriate validation of the model with the initial food effect study, the models can be applied to future formulations. We recommend that repeat food effect studies should be approached on a case-by-case basis taking into account the totality of the evidence including the use of PBPK modeling.

Pharmacokinetics of asciminib in the presence of CYP3A or P-gp inhibitors, CYP3A inducers, and acid-reducing agents.

Asciminib is a first-in-class inhibitor of BCR::ABL1, specifically targeting the ABL myristoyl pocket. Asciminib is a substrate of CYP3A4 and P-glycoprotein (P-gp) and possesses pH-dependent solubility in aqueous solution. This report summarizes the results of two phase I studies in healthy subjects aimed at assessing the impact of CYP3A and P-gp inhibitors, CYP3A inducers and acid-reducing agents (ARAs) on the pharmacokinetics (PK) of asciminib (single dose of 40 mg). Asciminib exposure (area under the curve [AUC]) unexpectedly decreased by ~40% when administered concomitantly with the strong CYP3A inhibitor itraconazole oral solution, whereas maximum plasma concentration (Cmax ) decreased by ~50%. However, asciminib exposure was slightly increased in subjects receiving an itraconazole capsule (~3%) or clarithromycin (~35%), another strong CYP3A inhibitor. Macroflux studies showed that cyclodextrin (present in high quantities as excipient [40-fold excess to itraconazole] in the oral solution formulation of itraconazole) decreased asciminib flux through a lipid membrane by ~80%. The AUC of asciminib was marginally decreased by concomitant administration with the strong CYP3A inducer rifampicin (by ~13-15%) and the strong P-gp inhibitor quinidine (by ~13-16%). Concomitant administration of the ARA rabeprazole had little or no effect on asciminib AUC, with a 9% decrease in Cmax . The treatments were generally well tolerated. Taking into account the large therapeutic window of asciminib, the observed changes in asciminib PK following multiple doses of P-gp, CYP3A inhibitors, CYP3A inducers, or ARAs are not considered to be clinically meaningful. Care should be exercised when administering asciminib concomitantly with cyclodextrin-containing drug formulations.

Pharmacokinetics of Asciminib When Taken With Imatinib or With Food.

Asciminib, a first-in-class, Specifically Targeting the Abelson kinase Myristoyl Pocket (STAMP) inhibitor with the potential to overcome resistance to adenosine triphosphate-competitive tyrosine kinase inhibitors, is being investigated in leukemia as monotherapy and in combination with tyrosine kinase inhibitors including imatinib. This phase 1 study in healthy volunteers assessed the pharmacokinetics of asciminib (40 mg single dose) under 2 conditions: when taken with imatinib (steady state; 400 mg once daily) and a low-fat meal (according to imatinib prescription information), or when taken as single-agent under different food conditions. Asciminib plus imatinib with a low-fat meal increased asciminib area under the plasma concentration-time curve from time 0 to infinity and maximum plasma concentration (geometric mean ratios [90% confidence interval], 2.08 [1.93-2.24] and 1.59 [1.45-1.75], respectively) compared with asciminib alone under the same food conditions. Asciminib plus food decreased asciminib area under the plasma concentration-time curve from time 0 to infinity compared with asciminib taken under fasted conditions (geometric mean ratios: low-fat meal, 0.7 [0.631-0.776]; high-fat meal, 0.377 [0.341-0.417]). Asciminib plus imatinib was well tolerated with no new safety signals. Overall, coadministration of asciminib with imatinib and a low-fat meal results in a moderate increase in asciminib exposure compared with asciminib alone under the same food condition. Food itself decreases asciminib exposure, indicating that single-agent asciminib should be administered in the fasted state to prevent potential suboptimal exposures.

Understanding Mechanisms of Food Effect and Developing Reliable PBPK Models Using a Middle-out Approach.

Over the last 10 years, 40% of approved oral drugs exhibited a significant effect of food on their pharmacokinetics (PK) and currently the only method to characterize the effect of food on drug absorption, which is recognized by the authorities, is to conduct a clinical evaluation. Within the pharmaceutical industry, there is a significant effort to predict the mechanism and clinical relevance of a food effect. Physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) models combining both drug-specific and physiology-specific data have been used to predict the effect of food on absorption and to reveal the underlying mechanisms. This manuscript provides detailed descriptions of how a middle-out modeling approach, combining bottom-up in vitro-based predictions with limited top-down fitting of key model parameters for clinical data, can be successfully used to predict the magnitude and direction of food effect when it is predicted poorly by a bottom-up approach. For nefazodone, a mechanistic clearance for the gut and liver was added, for furosemide, an absorption window was introduced, and for aprepitant, the biorelevant solubility was refined using multiple solubility measurements. In all cases, these adjustments were supported by literature data and showcased a rational approach to assess the factors limiting absorption and exposure.

Correction to: Use of Physiologically Based Pharmacokinetic (PBPK) Modeling for Predicting Drug-Food Interactions: an Industry Perspective.

An Erratum to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.1208/s12248-020-00535-z.

Use of Physiologically Based Pharmacokinetic (PBPK) Modeling for Predicting Drug-Food Interactions: an Industry Perspective.

The effect of food on pharmacokinetic properties of drugs is a commonly observed occurrence affecting about 40% of orally administered drugs. Within the pharmaceutical industry, significant resources are invested to predict and characterize a clinically relevant food effect. Here, the predictive performance of physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) food effect models was assessed via de novo mechanistic absorption models for 30 compounds using controlled, pre-defined in vitro, and modeling methodology. Compounds for which absorption was known to be limited by intestinal transporters were excluded in this analysis. A decision tree for model verification and optimization was followed, leading to high, moderate, or low food effect prediction confidence. High (within 0.8- to 1.25-fold) to moderate confidence (within 0.5- to 2-fold) was achieved for most of the compounds (15 and 8, respectively). While for 7 compounds, prediction confidence was found to be low (> 2-fold). There was no clear difference in prediction success for positive or negative food effects and no clear relationship to the BCS category of tested drug molecules. However, an association could be demonstrated when the food effect was mainly related to changes in the gastrointestinal luminal fluids or physiology, including fluid volume, motility, pH, micellar entrapment, and bile salts. Considering these findings, it is recommended that appropriately verified mechanistic PBPK modeling can be leveraged with high to moderate confidence as a key approach to predicting potential food effect, especially related to mechanisms highlighted here.

Prediction of ARA/PPI Drug-Drug Interactions at the Drug Discovery and Development Interface.

Advances in understanding of human disease have prompted the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to classify certain molecules as "break-through therapies," providing an accelerated review that may potentially enhance the quality of patient lives. With this designation come compressed timelines to develop drug products, which are not only suitable for clinic trials but can also be approved and brought to the market rapidly. Early risk identification for decreased oral absorption due to drug-drug interactions with proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) or acid-reducing agents (ARAs) is paramount to an effective drug product development strategy. An early ARA/PPI drug-drug interaction (DDI) risk identification strategy has been developed using physiologically based absorption modeling that readily integrates ADMET predictor generated in silico estimates or measured in vitro solubility, permeability, and ionization constants. Observed or predicted pH-solubility profile data along with pKas and drug dosing parameters were used to calculate a fraction of drug absorbed ratio in absence and presence of ARAs/PPIs. An integrated physiologically based pharmacokinetic absorption model using GastroPlus™ with pKa values fitted to measured pH-solubility profile data along with measured permeability data correctly identified the observed ARA/PPI DDI for 78% (16/22) of the clinical studies. Formulation strategies for compounds with an anticipated pH-mediated DDI risk are presented.

Automated Supersaturation Stability Assay to Differentiate Poorly Soluble Compounds in Drug Discovery.

Increasingly, in vitro assays evaluate a compound's tendency to maintain supersaturation toward improving oral absorption. Throughput remains a challenge and only small sets of compounds are evaluated in reported studies. The present work describes an automated workflow and data analysis approach to determine supersaturation stability after 16 min. Eight increasing concentrations were targeted and supernatant concentration was measured following solvent shift in fasted-state simulated intestinal fluid. The effect of dimethyl sulfoxide both on equilibrium solubility and on induced supersaturation was addressed, whereas the change in concentration was evaluated over time. Our sample set included 24 commercial compounds, along with comparison to literature results. To demonstrate in vivo relevance of in vitro supersaturation, classification of supersaturation stability was proposed based on the target concentration achieved and the percentage of area under the curve dose proportionality in 42 preclinical and clinical studies. Eighty-one percent of low supersaturation stability compounds (target concentrations ≤50 µM) had proportionality <0.8, whereas 100% of high supersaturation stability compounds (target concentrations ≥200 µM) demonstrated proportionality ≥0.8. The robust, automated assay and its impact on dose proportionality downstream make this approach applicable in drug discovery where low-soluble compounds with otherwise attractive properties may be differentiated on the basis of supersaturation stability.

Optimization of 3-Pyrimidin-4-yl-oxazolidin-2-ones as Orally Bioavailable and Brain Penetrant Mutant IDH1 Inhibitors.

Mutant isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 (IDH1) is an attractive therapeutic target for the treatment of various cancers such as AML, glioma, and glioblastoma. We have evaluated 3-pyrimidin-4-yl-oxazolidin-2-ones as mutant IDH1 inhibitors that bind to an allosteric, induced pocket of IDH1R132H. This Letter describes SAR exploration focused on improving both the in vitro and in vivo metabolic stability of the compounds, leading to the identification of 19 as a potent and selective mutant IDH1 inhibitor that has demonstrated brain penetration and excellent oral bioavailability in rodents. In a preclinical patient-derived IDH1 mutant xenograft tumor model study, 19 efficiently inhibited the production of the biomarker 2-HG.

Discovery of Asciminib (ABL001), an Allosteric Inhibitor of the Tyrosine Kinase Activity of BCR-ABL1.

Chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) arises from the constitutive activity of the BCR-ABL1 oncoprotein. Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) that target the ATP-binding site have transformed CML into a chronic manageable disease. However, some patients develop drug resistance due to ATP-site mutations impeding drug binding. We describe the discovery of asciminib (ABL001), the first allosteric BCR-ABL1 inhibitor to reach the clinic. Asciminib binds to the myristate pocket of BCR-ABL1 and maintains activity against TKI-resistant ATP-site mutations. Although resistance can emerge due to myristate-site mutations, these are sensitive to ATP-competitive inhibitors so that combinations of asciminib with ATP-competitive TKIs suppress the emergence of resistance. Fragment-based screening using NMR and X-ray yielded ligands for the myristate pocket. An NMR-based conformational assay guided the transformation of these inactive ligands into ABL1 inhibitors. Further structure-based optimization for potency, physicochemical, pharmacokinetic, and drug-like properties, culminated in asciminib, which is currently undergoing clinical studies in CML patients.

Discovery and Evaluation of Clinical Candidate IDH305, a Brain Penetrant Mutant IDH1 Inhibitor.

Inhibition of mutant IDH1 is being evaluated clinically as a promising treatment option for various cancers with hotspot mutation at Arg132. Having identified an allosteric, induced pocket of IDH1R132H, we have explored 3-pyrimidin-4-yl-oxazolidin-2-ones as mutant IDH1 inhibitors for in vivo modulation of 2-HG production and potential brain penetration. We report here optimization efforts toward the identification of clinical candidate IDH305 (13), a potent and selective mutant IDH1 inhibitor that has demonstrated brain exposure in rodents. Preclinical characterization of this compound exhibited in vivo correlation of 2-HG reduction and efficacy in a patient-derived IDH1 mutant xenograft tumor model. IDH305 (13) has progressed into human clinical trials for the treatment of cancers with IDH1 mutation.

Co-crystal formation based on structural matching.

A co-crystal is defined as a single crystalline structure composed of two or more components with no proton transfer which are solid at room temperature. Our group has come up with the following rationale selection of co-formers for initial co-crystal screening: 1) selection of co-formers with the highest potential for hydrogen bonding with the API and 2) selection of co-formers with diversity of secondary structural characteristics. We demonstrate the feasibility of this technique with a Novartis drug candidate A. In the first tier, 20 co-formers were screened and two hits were identified. By examining the two co-formers, which worked from the first round, a second round of screening was undertaken with more focused chemical matter. Nineteen co-crystal formers closely related to the two hits in the first screen were screened in the second tier. From this screen five hits were identified. All the hits were compared for their physical and chemical stability and dissolution profile. Based on the comparison 4-aminobenzoic co-crystal was chosen for in-vivo comparison with the free form. The co-crystal had 12 times higher exposure than the free form thus overcoming the solubility limited exposure.

The development of self-emulsifying oil-in-water emulsion adjuvant and an evaluation of the impact of droplet size on performance.

Microfluidization is an established technique for preparing emulsion adjuvant formulations for use in vaccines. Although this technique reproducibly yields high-quality stable emulsions, it is complex, expensive, and requires proprietary equipment. For this study, we developed a novel and simple low shear process to prepare stable reproducible emulsions without the use of any proprietary equipment. We found this process can produce a wide range of differently sized emulsions based on the modification of ratios of oil and surfactants. Using this process, we prepared a novel 20-nm-sized emulsion that was stable, reproducible, and showed adjuvant effects. During evaluation of this emulsion, we studied a range of emulsions with the same composition all sized below 200; 20, 90, and 160 nm in vivo and established a correlation between adjuvant size and immune responses. Our studies indicate that 160-nm-sized emulsions generate the strongest immune responses.

Discovery of NVP-LDE225, a Potent and Selective Smoothened Antagonist.

The blockade of aberrant hedgehog (Hh) signaling has shown promise for therapeutic intervention in cancer. A cell-based phenotypic high-throughput screen was performed, and the lead structure (1) was identified as an inhibitor of the Hh pathway via antagonism of the Smoothened receptor (Smo). Structure-activity relationship studies led to the discovery of a potent and specific Smoothened antagonist N-(6-((2S,6R)-2,6-dimethylmorpholino)pyridin-3-yl)-2-methyl-4'-(trifluoromethoxy)biphenyl-3-carboxamide (5m, NVP-LDE225), which is currently in clinical development.