Reinfection and Risk Behaviors After Treatment of Hepatitis C Virus Infection in Persons Receiving Opioid Agonist Therapy : A Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) reinfection after successful treatment may reduce the benefits of cure among people who inject drugs. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the rate of HCV reinfection for 3 years after successful treatment among people receiving opioid agonist therapy (OAT). DESIGN: A 3-year, long-term, extension study of persons enrolled in the CO-STAR (Hepatitis C Patients on Opioid Substitution Therapy Antiviral Response) study (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT02105688). SETTING: 55 clinical trial sites in 13 countries. PATIENTS: Aged 18 years and older with chronic HCV infection with genotypes 1, 4, or 6 receiving stable OAT. INTERVENTION: No treatments were administered. MEASUREMENTS: Serum samples were assessed for HCV reinfection. Urine drug screening was performed. RESULTS: Among 296 participants who received treatment, 286 were evaluable for reinfection and 199 were enrolled in the long-term extension study. The rate of HCV reinfection was 1.7 [95% CI, 0.8 to 3.0] per 100 person-years; 604 person-years of follow-up). A higher rate of reinfection was seen among people with recent injecting drug use (1.9 [95% CI, 0.5 to 4.8] per 100 person-years; 212 person-years). Ongoing drug use and injecting drug use were reported by 59% and 21% of participants, respectively, at the 6-month follow-up visit and remained stable during 3 years of follow-up. LIMITATIONS: Participants were required to be 80% adherent to OAT at baseline and may represent a population with higher stability and lower risk for HCV reinfection. Rate of reinfection may be underestimated because all participants did not continue in the long-term extension study; whether participants who discontinued were at higher risk for reinfection is unknown. CONCLUSION: Reinfection with HCV was low but was highest in the first 24 weeks after treatment completion and among people with ongoing injecting drug use and needle-syringe sharing. PRIMARY FUNDING SOURCE: Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp., a subsidiary of Merck & Co., Inc.

Health-related quality of life in people receiving opioid agonist treatment and treatment for hepatitis C virus infection.

BACKGROUND: In people with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, viral eradication is associated with improved health-related quality of life (HRQOL). OBJECTIVE: To assess changes in HRQOL among participants receiving opioid agonist therapy undergoing treatment for HCV infection. METHODS: COSTAR (NCT02251990) was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Adults with HCV infection on opioid agonist therapy received elbasvir (50 mg)/grazoprevir (100 mg) or placebo for 12 weeks. HRQOL was evaluated using the Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short Form Health Survey version 2 (SF-36v2) Acute Form. Participants remained blinded until 4 weeks after end of treatment. RESULTS: Overall, 201 participants received elbasvir/grazoprevir and 100 participants received placebo. Treatment difference mean change from baseline scores (elbasvir/grazoprevir minus placebo) indicated an improvement in HRQOL at 4 weeks after end of treatment in participants receiving elbasvir/grazoprevir versus those receiving placebo, driven by declining HRQOL in those receiving placebo and improved HRQOL in certain domains among participants receiving elbasvir/grazoprevir. Notable differences in SF-36v2 scores were evident in the general health (mean treatment difference [MTD], 6.00; 95% CI, 1.37-10.63), vitality (MTD, 6.81; 95% CI, 1.88-11.75), and mental health (MTD, 5.17; 95% CI, 0.52-9.82) domains and in the mental component summary score (mean, 2.83; 95% CI, 0.29-5.37). No notable between-treatment differences were evident at treatment weeks 4 or 12. CONCLUSION: HRQOL in patients receiving medication for opioid dependence was improved following treatment for HCV infection with elbasvir/grazoprevir, suggesting that eradication of HCV infection with direct-acting antivirals is associated with improved HRQOL. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02251990.

Lack of an effect of anacetrapib on the pharmacokinetics of digoxin in healthy subjects.

Anacetrapib is currently being developed for the oral treatment of dyslipidemia. A clinical study was conducted in healthy subjects to assess the potential for an interaction with orally administered digoxin. Anacetrapib was generally well tolerated when co-administered with digoxin in the healthy subjects in this study. The geometric mean ratios (GMR) for (digoxin + anacetrapib/digoxin alone) and 90% confidence intervals (CIs) for digoxin AUC(0-last) and AUC(0-∞) were 1.05 (0.96, 1.15) and 1.07 (0.98, 1.17), respectively, both being contained in the accepted interval of bioequivalence (0.80, 1.25), the primary hypothesis of the study. The GMR (digoxin + anacetrapib /digoxin alone) and 90% CIs for digoxin C(max) were 1.23 (1.14, 1.32). Median T(max) and mean apparent terminal t(½) of digoxin were comparable between the two treatments. The single-dose pharmacokinetics of orally administered digoxin were not meaningfully affected by multiple-dose administration of anacetrapib, indicating that anacetrapib does not meaningfully inhibit P-glycoprotein. Thus, no dosage adjustment for digoxin is necessary when co-administered with anacetrapib.

Metabolism and excretion of anacetrapib, a novel inhibitor of the cholesteryl ester transfer protein, in humans.

Anacetrapib is a novel cholesteryl ester transfer protein inhibitor being developed for the treatment of primary hypercholesterolemia and mixed dyslipidemia. The absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion of anacetrapib were investigated in an open-label study in which six healthy male subjects received a single oral dose of 150 mg and 165 microCi of [(14)C]anacetrapib. Plasma, urine, and fecal samples were collected at predetermined times for up to 14 days postdose and were analyzed for total radioactivity, the parent compound, and metabolites. The majority of the administered radioactivity (87%) was eliminated by fecal excretion, with negligible amounts present in urine (0.1%). The peak level of radioactivity in plasma (approximately 2 microM equivalents of [(14)C]anacetrapib) was achieved approximately 4 h postdose. The parent compound was the major radioactive component (79-94% of total radioactivity) in both plasma and feces. Three oxidative metabolites, M1, M2, and M3, were detected in plasma and feces and were identified as the O-demethylated species (M1) and two secondary hydroxylated derivatives of M1 (M2 and M3). Each metabolite was detected at low levels, representing

Effects of Age, Sex, and Obesity on the Single-Dose Pharmacokinetics of Omarigliptin in Healthy Subjects.

Omarigliptin is being developed as a potent, once-weekly, oral dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitor for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. This double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study evaluated the effects of age, sex, and obesity on the pharmacokinetics of omarigliptin in healthy subjects. A single oral dose of omarigliptin 10 mg (n = 6/panel) or placebo (n = 2/panel) was administered in the fasted state to elderly nonobese men and women, young obese (30 ≤ body mass index [BMI] ≤ 35 kg/m(2) ) men and women, and young nonobese women of nonchildbearing potential. Plasma was collected at selected postdose times for evaluation of omarigliptin concentrations. Pharmacokinetic parameters were compared with historical data from a previously-conducted single-dose study in young, healthy, nonobese men. There were no clinically significant differences in omarigliptin AUC0-∞ , the primary pharmacokinetic parameter for assessing efficacy and safety, based on age, sex, or BMI (pooled nonobese elderly versus pooled nonobese young, young nonobese female versus young nonobese male, and pooled young obese versus pooled young nonobese). There were no serious adverse events or hypoglycemic events attributable to omarigliptin administration. Demographic factors and BMI had no meaningful effect on omarigliptin pharmacokinetics, suggesting that dose adjustment based on age, sex, or obesity is not required.

A Thorough QTc Study Confirms Early Pharmacokinetics/QTc Modeling: A Supratherapeutic Dose of Omarigliptin, a Once-Weekly DPP-4 Inhibitor, Does Not Prolong the QTc Interval.

Omarigliptin is a dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitor being developed as a once-weekly treatment for type 2 diabetes. This double-blind, double-dummy, randomized, 3-period balanced crossover study definitively evaluated the effects of a supratherapeutic omarigliptin dose on QTc interval. Population-specific correction of QT interval (QTcP) was used for the primary analysis. Healthy subjects (n = 60) were enrolled and received treatments separated by a ≥4-week washout: (1) single-dose 25 mg omarigliptin (day 1), single-dose 175 mg omarigliptin (day 2); (2) placebo (day 1) followed by single-dose 400 mg moxifloxacin (day 2); (3) placebo (days 1 and 2). Day 2 QTcP intervals were analyzed. The primary hypothesis was supported if the 90%CIs for the least-squares mean differences between omarigliptin 175 mg and placebo in QTcP interval change from baseline were all < 10 milliseconds at every postdose point on day 2. The upper bounds of the 90%CIs for the differences (omarigliptin-placebo) in QTcP change from baseline for omarigliptin 175 mg were < 10 milliseconds at all postdose times on day 2. In conclusion, a supratherapeutic dose of omarigliptin does not prolong the QTcP interval to a clinically meaningful degree relative to placebo, confirming the results of the earlier concentration-QTc analysis.

Odanacatib, a selective cathepsin K inhibitor, demonstrates comparable pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics in older men and postmenopausal women.

BACKGROUND: Odanacatib is a cathepsin K inhibitor in development for the treatment of osteoporosis. Evaluation of therapies to ensure that treatment effects are relevant regardless of sex is clinically important. METHODS: In this double-blind, randomized controlled trial, older men (aged 50-75 years) and postmenopausal women (aged 45-75 years) were given odanacatib 50 mg once weekly or placebo for 4 weeks. Pharmacodynamic (PD) evaluation measured weighted average inhibition (WAI) of urine amino-terminal cross-linked telopeptide of type I collagen/creatinine (uNTx/Cr) after odanacatib administration. Pharmacokinetic (PK) parameter data were collected, and an analysis of sex as a factor in the PK/PD relationship was conducted. Adverse events were monitored. The hypotheses were that WAI of uNTx/Cr would be >40% (including >40% for the lower limit of the 90% confidence intervals [CIs]) for older men and postmenopausal women, that there would be no important differences in area under the curve from 0 to 168 hours (AUC0-168 h) between men and women, and that odanacatib would be safe and well tolerated. RESULTS: A total of 44 subjects (32 men and 12 women) were randomized. The least squares mean WAI (uNTx/Cr) at week 4 was 42.8% (90% CI, 35.5%-49.3%) for men and 42.7% (90% CI, 30.3%-52.9%) for women; mean values were >40%, but lower bounds were <40% as prespecified in the primary hypothesis. The differences among men and women in PD parameters were not meaningful (0.1; 90% CI, -14.7 to 14.9). PK parameters for both groups were comparable (geometric mean ratio of AUC0-168 h, 0.90; 90% CI, 0.75-1.07). A PK/PD analysis found that the EC50 and maximum fractional inhibition were similar in male and female subjects. There were no notable or serious adverse events in this study. CONCLUSIONS: Although the primary hypothesis was not met, there were no clinically meaningful differences in PD, PK, or PK/PD parameters between older men and postmenopausal women, supporting further research on odanacatib (50 mg once weekly) as a treatment for male osteoporosis. Odanacatib was generally well tolerated.

Effect of intensive lifestyle intervention on sexual dysfunction in women with type 2 diabetes: results from an ancillary Look AHEAD study.

OBJECTIVE: Sexual dysfunction is a prevalent problem in obese women with type 2 diabetes. This study examined the effects of intensive lifestyle intervention (ILI) in these women. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Look AHEAD is a 16-center, randomized, controlled trial evaluating the health effects of ILI compared with a control group (diabetes support and education [DSE]). The Look AHEAD Sexual Function Ancillary study included 375 female participants at five Look AHEAD sites. Participants completed the Female Sexual Function Inventory (FSFI) and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and assessments of weight and cardiovascular risk factors at baseline and 1 year were made. RESULTS: At baseline, 50% of the 229 participants who reported being sexually active met criteria for female sexual dysfunction (FSD); only BDI score was related to FSD. One-year weight losses were greater in the ILI group than in the DSE group (7.6 vs. 0.45 kg; P<0.001). Among women with FSD at baseline, those in the ILI group (N=60) compared with those in the DSE group (N=53) were significantly more likely to remain sexually active (83 vs. 64%; P<0.008), reported greater improvement in total FSFI scores and in most FSFI domains (P<0.05), and were more likely to experience remission of FSD (28 vs. 11%; P<0.04) at 1 year. No significant differences between ILI and DSE were seen in women who did not have FSD at baseline. CONCLUSIONS: Participation in ILI appeared to have beneficial effects on sexual functioning among obese women with diabetes, particularly in those who had FSD at baseline.