Dapagliflozin twice daily or once daily: effect on pharmacokinetics and urinary glucose excretion in healthy subjects.

The primary objective of this single-centre, open-label crossover study (NCT01072578) was to assess the effect of dapagliflozin on the amount of glucose in the blood and urine in healthy volunteers when dapagliflozin was administered once a day (10 mg) versus twice a day (5 mg every 12 h) after 5 days of dosing. At steady state, the AUC(ss)0₋24 (area under the dapagliflozin curve (0-24 hours) at steady state), C(ss,av) (average concentration at steady state) between dapagliflozin 5 mg twice daily and 10 mg once daily were similar AUC(ss)0₋24 [5 mg bid, (458.0 (28.7)) and 10 mg qd, (470.0 (28.5))] and C(ss,av) [5 mg bid 18.8 (28.9)) and 10 mg qd, (19.6(28.5))], but minimum and maximum plasma levels of dapagliflozin differed significantly. Percent inhibition of renal glucose reabsorption (%IRGRA) and total urinary glucose excretion over 24 h were similar for both doses. The relationship between the mean dapagliflozin concentration and %IRGRA and the total urinary glucose excreted was well described by a maximum effect model. The results indicate that dapagliflozin may be used for either once daily or twice daily administration.

Effect of a high-fat meal on the pharmacokinetics of dapagliflozin, a selective SGLT2 inhibitor, in healthy subjects.

Dapagliflozin is a potent and selective inhibitor of sodium-glucose co-transporter type 2 that is being developed for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus. This open-label, randomized, two-period, two-treatment (single doses of 10-mg dapagliflozin fasted or fed), crossover study was conducted to evaluate the effect of a high-fat meal on the pharmacokinetics of dapagliflozin in 14 healthy subjects. Compared to the fasted state, a high-fat meal decreased mean dapagliflozin maximum plasma concentrations (C(max) ) by 31%, increased the time to C(max) (T(max) ) by 1 h, but did not affect overall dapagliflozin systemic exposure [area under the plasma concentration-time curve (AUC)]. As the cumulative (daily) amount of glucose excreted in the urine induced by dapagliflozin is dependent upon dapagliflozin AUC, the effect of food on dapagliflozin C(max) is unlikely to have a clinically meaningful effect on dapagliflozin's efficacy. On the basis of these findings, dapagliflozin can be administered without regard to meals.

The effect of trimoprostil (trimethyldesoxy prostaglandin E2) on the intrauterine pressure in women.

Prostaglandin E2 is uterotonic. Trimoprostil, a prostaglandin E2 analog, is a gastric antisecretory and cytoprotective agent. The effects of single doses of 0, 0.125, 0.75, and 3.0 mg trimoprostil on intrauterine pressure were measured in a double-blind, crossover study in eight surgically sterile women. The 3 mg dose was not tolerated because of abdominal cramps. The other doses caused a dose-related increase in resting uterine tone and peak pressure with peak effect occurring between 30 and 60 minutes after administration with a duration of about 120 minutes. No effects on the frequency of uterine contractions occurred. Peak mean tone increased from 11.0 to 71.2 mm Hg (p less than 0.01) and peak pressure from 24.6 to 125.1 mm Hg (p less than 0.01) after placebo compared with the 1.5 mg dose. Adverse reactions included abdominal pain that correlated with an increase in intrauterine pressure and tone.

Prediction of the outcome of a phase 3 clinical trial of an antischizophrenic agent (quetiapine fumarate) by simulation with a population pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic model.

A completed phase 3 trial result was simulated 100 times on the basis of a simulation model of quetiapine fumarate (Seroquel), an antischizophrenic agent. The simulation was executed by analysts who were completely blinded from results of the actual trial until after the simulations were submitted to the holder of the trial results. Data from two clinical investigations of quetiapine in patients with schizophrenia were analyzed by use of nonlinear mixed effects modeling to derive a population pharmacokinetic- and pharmacodynamic-based simulation model. The time course of quetiapine concentrations was described by use of a one-compartment open linear pharmacokinetic model with first-order absorption and elimination. The combination of an inhibitory maximum effect pharmacodynamic model for the active treatment effect and a linear function of time for the placebo effect characterized the observed time course of change in the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale. Simulation results were compared with those in the actual trial to evaluate how well the simulations predicted the outcome. The actual trial results for all doses except the placebo group fell within the predicted Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale scores +/- 1 SE. Unlike the phase 2 trial, from which the pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic model was developed, the placebo group in the actual phase 3 trial showed deterioration of Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale scores with time. We conclude that variable placebo responses observed in short-term studies of schizophrenia provide an inadequate basis for the modeling and simulation of placebo subjects in clinical trials. Knowledge of the range of placebo response observed in other studies may have provided an improved basis for the placebo effect model. The model for active drug produced adequate predictions of the actual trial outcomes.

Antiarrhythmic effects of the quaternary propranolol analog that does not induce beta-adrenergic blockade.

Pranolium chloride (dimethylpropranolol chloride) is a nonbeta blocking quaternary ammonium that has structural similarities to propranolol and bretylium that exert antiarrhythmic effects in animals. In initial studies, eight patients with chronic ventricular arrhythmias were given gradually increasing intravenous doses of pranolium (up to 3 mg/kg) obtaining plasma concentrations up to 7 micrograms/ml without change in pulse, blood pressure, or arrhythmia frequency. We therefore evaluated the response to pranolium in seven similar patients at doses up to 10 mg/kg as an infusion of 100 microgram/kg/min over 40 to 100 min. At plasma concentrations of 4.7 to 12.2 micrograms/ml, there was suppressing of ventricular ectopic depolarization (greater than 90%) in three subjects and in two others there was partial suppression (49% and 82%). Arrhythmia frequency was unchanged in two. At plasma concentrations of 4.1 to 17.2 micrograms/ml four subjects developed nausea (two of these also vomited) and to experienced perioral numbness. There was no change in sinus heart rate, supine or standing blood pressure, venous reflex response (adrenergic reflex venoconstriction), or ECG intervals in any subject. Pranolium appeared to have antiarrhythmic efficacy in five of seven subjects, without evidence of beta-adrenergic blockade or interference with sympathetic neuron function known to occur with its congeners, propranolol and bretylium. There is a narrow margin between pranolium efficacy and toxicity. It may, however, be a prototype for antiarrhythmic drugs that do not exert undesirable effects on the adrenergic nervous system.

Evaluation of methods of administering tyramine to raise systolic blood pressure.

To compare the relative merits of two different administration regimens, tyramine was administered intravenously in ascending doses to 12 healthy subjects to raise systolic blood pressure slightly more than 30 mm Hg. Six subjects received tyramine by bolus injection and six other subjects received tyramine by infusion. The bolus dose of tyramine needed was 4.34 +/- 1.51 mg (X +/- SD) and the infusion rate needed was 1.11 +/- 0.33 mg/min. Four blood pressure response patterns to continuous tyramine infusion were observed. Because different units were measured for the quantity of tyramine administered, the between-subject variance estimate to within-subject variance estimate ratios were calculated. The two techniques had equivalent consistency. With the bolus method, in contrast to the infusion procedure, the dose-response relationship was obvious in most subjects. Therefore the bolus method was judged to be more useful than the infusion method.

Simultaneous modeling of the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of midazolam and diazepam.

The pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of midazolam and diazepam were compared after intravenous infusions of 0.03 and 0.07 mg/kg midazolam and 0.1 and 0.2 mg/kg diazepam on four separate occasions in 12 healthy male subjects in a randomized four-way crossover design. The Digit Symbol Substitution Test (DSST) was used as a measure of drug effect. Subjects performed three practice tests before dosing to account for any effects caused by familiarization ("learning curve") with the testing procedure. Pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic data were simultaneously fitted to a semiparametric model. In this model, a pharmacokinetic model related dose to plasma concentrations, a link model related plasma concentrations to the concentration at the effect site, and a pharmacodynamic model related the effect site concentration to the observed effect. The plasma-effect site equilibrium half-life was approximately 2 1/2 times longer for midazolam than for diazepam, which is in good agreement with previously published data. Based on the estimated effect site concentration at which half of the maximal effect was reached, midazolam had approximately a sixfold greater intrinsic potency than diazepam. This difference in potency was also observed in a previous study that used transformed electroencephalographic (EEG) data to assess pharmacodynamic activity. The findings reported here with a clinically relevant pharmacodynamic marker (DSST) confirm the utility of surrogate drug effect measures such as EEG. This work also shows the feasibility of conducting pharmacokinetic pharmacodynamic analysis during the drug development process.

Antiarrhythmic efficacy, pharmacokinetics and safety of N-acetylprocainamide in human subjects: comparison with procainamide.

The antiarrhythmic efficacy and pharmacokinetics of N-acetylprocainamide (NAPA), the major metabolite of procainamide, were investigated in 23 patients with chronic, high frequency ventricular ectopic depolarizations. An extensive trial design incorporated the approaches of (1) generation of dose-response relations, (2) randomized crossover, and (3) prolonged electrocardiographic monitoring. Seven patients with reproducible suppression of arrhythmias (70 percent or greater reduction in frequency) were thus identified. The mean plasma concentration of acecainide associated with efficacy was 14.3 micrograms/ml (range 9.4 to 19.5) and with side effects (primarily gastrointestinal) was 22.5 micrograms/ml (10.6 to 37.9). The antiarrhythmic response to procainamide did not predict response to acecainide; this finding implies that estimates of the antiarrhythmic contribution of acecainide concentrations achieved during long-term procainamide therapy are unlikely to be meaningful in a given person. The mean half-life of elimination after a single 500 mg dose of acecainide was 7.5 hours; this had prolonged significantly (p < 0.05) to 10.3 hours after higher dosages. No variable examined (including acetylator phenotype) was found to be a predictor of responsiveness to acecainide. Outpatient therapy (2 to 20 months) was not associated with the development of antinculear antibodies or the lupus syndrome; one patient's procainamide-induced arthritis resolved during therapy. Acecainide, unlike procainamide, is an agent whose pharmacokinetics allow long-term therapy on a practical schedule. It is effective in a subset of patients with ventricular arrhythmias yet appears much less likely to induce the lupus syndrome seen with the parent compound.

Gastric antisecretory activity of arbaprostil as affected by gastric pH.

Arbaprostil [15(R),15-methyl prostaglandin E2] is inactive. In the presence of acid it is converted to the active 15(S) configuration. The degree of acidity needed for the conversion is not known. We inferred the degree of conversion in vivo in man at different gastric pHs by administering arbaprostil to normal volunteers whose gastric pH was maintained constant at various levels by intragastric titration. A pH-dependent inhibition of gastric acid secretion after stimulation with a peptone meal was observed, with 100 micrograms inhibiting 98% of acid production at pH 2, but only 15% at pH 6. Significant gastric acid inhibition occurred with the gastric pH at, or less than, 5.

Sorbitol induced diarrheal illness model.

Twenty-five normal volunteers participated in this study to develop a model of diarrheal illness. The ideal model would induce diarrhea with consistent onset of 18 to 24 hours duration of watery stools, and have few associated symptoms. Groups of five to six each were studied. Volunteers who received castor oil experienced watery stools of short duration associated with abdominal cramps, making it an unacceptable model of disease. Sauerkraut and prune juices inconsistently caused watery stool. Seventy percent sorbitol induced watery diarrhea with few associated symptoms, and of five to six hours duration. The administration of 45 ml of 70% sorbitol six hours apart induced watery stools that met our objective and should be a suitable model for future drug testing of anti-diarrheal medications.

Oral antisecretory activity of prostaglandin E2 in man.

We studied the oral gastric antisecretory activity of prostaglandin E2 in three groups of six normal volunteers. Each volunteer was studied twice, once after receiving prostaglandin E2 (0.5, 1.0, or 2.0 mg) and the other time after receiving placebo administered in a double-blind, randomized fashion. Gastric acid secretion was stimulated with a liquid protein meal from 1/2 to 1 1/2 hr after drug administration. Acid secretion was quantitated using the technique of intragastric titration. Acid secretion after 0.5 mg of prostaglandin E2 was no different than after placebo administration, but 1.0 mg and 2.0 mg of prostaglandin E2 inhibited 58% (6.68 +/- 7.64 meq vs 14.67 +/- 6.75 meq, P less than 0.02) and 76% (2.38 +/- 2.38 meq vs 11.50 +/- 3.51, P less than 0.01) respectively, of gastric acid production compared to placebo therapy. After oral administration, prostaglandin E2 in man is antisecretory with an ED50 of 1.1 mg.

Gastrointestinal propulsion measurement with radiopaque capsules during 16,16-dimethyl PGE2 infusion.

A method to quantitate gastric emptying (GE) and small intestinal transit (SIT) by obtaining serial abdominal x-rays after administration of radiopaque capsules was developed. The technique was verified by studying gastric emptying and small intestinal transit in healthy volunteers treated with subcutaneous injections of 0.4 or 0.8 mgs of atropine, 2.5 mg bethanechol, or saline placebo. Atropine decreased gastric emptying and small intestinal transit, and bethanechol only increased gastric emptying. The suitability of this technique for measuring gastrointestinal propulsion in post-operative patients was demonstrated in females undergoing hysterectomy. The small intestine recovered propulsive ability at least six hours sooner than the stomach. This technique was also used while performing a single dose, intravenous tolerance study of 16,16-dimethyl prostaglandin E2 (DmPGE2) in normal volunteers. DmPGE2 was administered over five minutes at a dose of 7 to 140 ng/kg. DmPGE2 was well tolerated producing only minor side effects that were not dose related. In doses up to 70 ng/kg, DmPGE2 increased gastric emptying and inhibited small intestinal transit. The delayed small intestinal transit may make DmPGE2 an inappropriate choice for treatment of post-operative or paralytic ileus.

Dose response inhibition in man of meal-stimulated gastric acid secretion by 15(R)-15-methyl prostaglandin E2, given orally.

15(R)-15-methyl prostaglandin E2 was given orally to healthy male volunteers. Thirty minutes later a 10% peptone meal was introduced into the stomach, and the acid response was measured by continuous intragastric titration with 0.5 N NaOH for the next two hours. The prostaglandin inhibited acid output in a dose dependent manner; the ED50 (dose inhibiting acid output by 50%) was as little as 10 micrograms per subject (or approximately 140 ng/kg). This compound is the most potent orally active inhibitor of gastric acid secretion in man that is known. It is likely that the antisecretory and cytoprotective properties shared by 15(R)-15-methyl prostaglandin E2 would be beneficial in the treatment of peptic ulcer and in preventing recurrences.

Lack of effect of arbaprostil on the human non-pregnant uterus.

Arbaprostil ((15R)-15-methyl Prostaglandin E2) is being studied for the treatment of gastrointestinal illness. To determine its effect on the human uterus, eight sterilized pre-menopausal women were studied during the proliferative phase of their menstrual cycle. Using a microtransducer catheter, intra-uterine pressures were recorded for at least 30 minutes prior to and 2 hours after arbaprostil administration. Each subject was studied four times, at 48-hour intervals, receiving in a double-blind manner; 0, 10, 25, and 50 micrograms. Arbaprostil at does up to 50 micrograms was found not to have any clinically significant effects on the non-pregnant human uterus.

Reassessment of dapsone as a marker of acetylator phenotypes.

The ratio of metabolite to parent dapsone concentrations at 3 hours after dosing has been used as a marker of acetylator phenotypes. The absorption of dapsone is somewhat erratic with peak concentrations often found after the 3-hour determination. The present study done in 30 healthy, male volunteers compared ratios of metabolite to parent dapsone concentrations 3 hours after dosing with AUC values calculated during a 24-hour period as well as extrapolated to infinity. A single oral dose of 100 mg of dapsone was given to fasting subjects and serial blood samples were obtained over a 24-hour period and assayed by high-performance liquid chromatography for parent and acetylated metabolite. Dapsone pharmacokinetic parameters of AUC (23.4 +/- 8.6 micrograms.h/ml), half-life (24.8 +/- 11.5 hours) and apparent clearance values (81 +/- 30 ml/min) were consistent with those reported previously. Using established criteria for acetylation phenotyping, 20 percent of the subjects (6 of 30) demonstrated rapid acetylation. Bimodality in the ratios, independent of the experimental indices used to differentiate genetic metabolism, was not readily apparent. The data suggest that large variability in the pharmacokinetics of dapsone may sufficiently obscure the evidence of polymorphic metabolism. The use of dapsone as a marker of acetylator phenotyping should be limited to patient populations.

The effects of continuous infusions of prostacyclin-Na (epoprostenol-sodium) on platelet counts, ADP-induced aggregation, and cyclic AMP levels in normal volunteers.

Six male volunteers received either 0 (buffer), 2.5 or 5.0 ng/kg/min PGI2 X Na for 72 hrs. Various platelet parameters were monitored for an additional 72 hrs. Each morning, for seven consecutive days, and +1 and +6 hrs after the termination of the infusion, blood was drawn and platelet rich plasma (PRP) was prepared. The PRP was immediately exposed to 100 ng/ml PGI2 X Na, and the subsequent increase in platelet cyclic AMP was measured by radioimmunoassay. Aggregation in response to 2 or 4 microM ADP was measured simultaneously. Three volunteers returned for a second 72 hr infusion of 5.0 ng/kg/min PGI2 X Na. After 72 hrs, the infusion rate was gradually "tapered off" over a 12 hr period at which time the infusion was terminated. The sensitivity of the PRP to ADP-induced aggregation was recorded before, during, and after the "tapering off" regimen. Platelet counts were not altered by any of the infusions. The responsiveness of the platelet adenylate cyclase to exogenous PGI2 X Na was inversely related to the concentration of PGI2 X Na infused. Desensitization occurred and was more severe after 72 hrs of infusion than after either 24 or 48 hrs. For example, after 72 hrs at 5.0 ng/kg, platelets lost approximately 50% of their responsiveness to PGI2. ADP-induced aggregation was not significantly inhibited ex vivo by the infusion of 2.5 ng/kg/min PGI2. During the infusion of 5.0 ng/kg/min PGI2, ADP-induced aggregation was inhibited at 24 and 48 hrs, but by 72 hrs, the platelets began to respond to ADP more like control cells even though the PGI2 X Na infusion was continuing. When the infusion was abruptly terminated a hyperaggregable response (rebound) to exogenous ADP was observed. In subjects where the 5.0 ng/kg/min infusion was gradually "tapered off" over a 12 hr period, there was no evidence of platelet hyperaggregability at the time points studied.

Absence of cardiac arrhythmias during a very-low-calorie diet with high biological quality protein.

Fourteen women who were at least 50 lb (22.7 kg) overweight entered the 15 week study which included 4 weeks of 1200 cal (5028 J) balanced diet followed by 7 weeks on a very-low-calorie diet (VLCD) and 4 weeks of refeeding. During the VLCD high biological quality protein (poultry, fish) and recommended supplements of vitamins, minerals and water were used. With the exception of week 5 and 14, 25-h Holter monitorings were done weekly. During the initial 4 weeks, 2 patients showed disturbances of cardiac rhythm and were discharged from the study. Twelve patients completed the trial without any clinically significant changes in cardiac rhythm. The 12 lead ECGs remained normal in all patients throughout the study. The average weight loss was 46 lb (20.9 kg) and the whole program was well tolerated. It is concluded that seven weeks of VLCD with high biological quality protein and recommended supplements appears to be a safe method for weight reduction for severely obese patients.

Effects of concentration and steric configuration of propranolol on AV conduction and ventricular repolarization in the dog.

To investigate the electrophysiological effects of propranolol in vivo over a wide range of plasma concentrations and to distinguish effects due to beta-blockade from those due to a direct membrane action, His bundle electrograms were recorded, and ventricular effective refractory periods (VERP) and monophasic action potential duration (MAP) were measured in anesthetized control dogs and in dogs given three graded infusions of d- or dl-propranolol. Dogs were excluded if the plasma concentrations attained did not fall in predefined ranges of 25--125, 125--700, and 700--3,000 ng/ml. Isoproterenol sensitivity tests were performed to determine the relative beta-blocking potency of the isomers at the three concentration ranges. The highest concentration of d-propranolol had approximately the same beta-blocking potency as the lowest concentration of dl-propranolol. Mean AH and HV intervals in the His bundle electrogram increased with the concentration of dl-propranolol, and the increase was greater than with d-propranolol (p less than 0.03) at the first and second concentration steps but not significantly different at the highest concentrations of d- and dl-propranolol. VERP and MAP increased directly with concentration of d- and dl-propranolol. Although the mean increases of VERP and MAP tended to be greater in the dl-propranolol group, the differences between d- and dl-propranolol were not statistically significant at any concentration. We conclude that prolongations of atrioventricular and His-Purkinje conduction are stereospecific responses and are due to beta-blockade. The specific mechanism for the prolongation of ventricular repolarization and refractoriness are effects of propranolol that could not be definitively classified in this study.