Metabolic Disposition of Lurbinectedin, a Potent Selective Inhibitor of Active Transcription of Protein-Coding Genes, in Nonclinical Species and Patients.

Lurbinectedin is a novel and potent selective inhibitor of active transcription of protein-coding genes, triggering apoptosis of cancerous cells. It has been approved for the treatment of patients with metastatic small-cell lung cancer with disease progression on or after platinum-based chemotherapy. Studies exploring the disposition and metabolism of lurbinectedin were performed in vitro and in vivo (by intravenous administration of lurbinectedin). Low blood cell partitioning for lurbinectedin in rats, nonhuman primates (NHP), and humans was determined as 23.4%, 29.8%, and 9.8%, respectively. Protein binding was very high (>95%) in total plasma (rat, NHP, and human), albumin, and α-1-acid glycoprotein (both human). In vitro, lurbinectedin underwent intense liver microsome-mediated metabolism-in 10 minutes, 80% of the compound is metabolized in human-with CYP3A4 being the isoform involved in that metabolism. Results also showed NHPs being the nonclinical species which, metabolically, most closely resembles humans. Mass balance studies performed in rats (both genders), NHPs (male only), and patients (both genders) demonstrated that the principal route of excretion of 14C-lurbinectedin-related radioactivity was through the feces (88.7% ± 10.1% in patients), with only a minor fraction recovered from the urine (5.6% ± 2.0% in patients). In plasma samples, the majority of lurbinectedin-related radioactivity was attributed to unchanged compound (95% ± 3.1% and 70.2% ± 10.9% in NHPs and humans, respectively). Plasma metabolic profiling demonstrated the major (% compared with unchanged compound) circulating metabolites were N-Desmethyl-lurbinectedin (0.4% ± 0.2% and 10.4% ± 2.2% in NHPs and patients, respectively) and 1',3'-Desmethylene-lurbinectedin (0.9% ± 0.7% and 14.3% ± 10.4% in NHP and patients, respectively). SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: Lurbinectedin is a novel and potent selective inhibitor of active transcription of protein-coding genes, triggering apoptosis of cancerous cells, and was recently approved for the treatment of patients with metastatic small-cell lung cancer with disease progression on or after platinum-based chemotherapy. The present study provides a complete set of information on the pharmacokinetics, biotransformation, and elimination of 14C-lurbinectedin and its metabolites, following a single intravenous administration to nonclinical species (rats and nonhuman primates) and patients.

Pharmacokinetics and excretion of 14C-Plitidepsin in patients with advanced cancer.

Plitidepsin (Aplidin®) is a marine-derived anticancer compound currently investigated in phase III clinical trials. This article describes the distribution, metabolism and excretion of this novel agent and it mainly aims to identify the major routes of elimination. Six subjects were enrolled in a mass balance study during which radiolabelled plitidepsin was administered as a 3-h intravenous infusion. Blood samples were taken and urine and faeces were collected. Total radioactivity (TRA) analysis using Liquid Scintillation Counting (LSC) was done to determine the amount of radioactivity excreted from the body and plitidepsin concentrations in whole blood, plasma and urine were determined by validated liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) assays. In total, a mean of 77.4% of the administered radioactivity was excreted over a time period of 20 days, of which 71.3% was recovered in faeces and 6.1% was found in urine. The majority excreted in urine was accounted for by unchanged plitidepsin, with only 1.5% of the total administered dose explained by metabolites in urine. Faeces, on the other hand contained low levels of parent compound, which means that most of the TRA excreted in faeces was accounted for by metabolites. TRA levels were 3.7 times higher in whole blood compared to plasma. Plitidepsin was widely distributed and plasma clearance was low. This study shows that red blood cells are a major distribution compartment and that the biliary route is the main route of total radioactivity excretion.

Reversible parkinsonism and cognitive decline due to a possible interaction of valproic acid and quetiapine.

WHAT IS KNOWN AND OBJECTIVE: Combination therapy with valproic acid plus quetiapine is recommended as one of the first-line approaches to treatment of manic or mixed episodes in patients with bipolar disorder. CASE SUMMARY: A 66-year-old patient with this psychiatric disease developed parkinsonism and cognitive decline during concomitant treatment with both drugs. The rapid onset of symptoms soon after use of the combination suggested an interaction/using the Karch-Lasagna criteria, the interaction was judged to be definite. WHAT IS NEW AND CONCLUSION: Their evidence on a pharmacokinetic drug interaction between the two drugs is conflicting but possible underlying mechanisms proposed include CYP3A4 inhibition. As concomitant use of valproate and quetiapine is now quite frequent in bipolar disorder, this potential interaction should be closely monitored, especially in the elderly.

Sublingual administration of tacrolimus in a renal transplant patient.

Tacrolimus is used in renal and other organ transplantations for immunossupression therapy. Bioavailability of enterally administered tacrolimus is poor, and further reduced by gastrointestinal failure or enteral nutrition. In these situations, intravenous administration is necessary to prevent treatment failure. However, intravenous administration should be done in a continuous manner and it has been implicated in anaphylaxis, torsades de pointes, cardiac arrhythmia and other serious adverse events. Also it is more expensive than other routes of administration. Sublingual administration of tacrolimus has been used in some cases, and literature reports show that it provides therapeutic tacrolimus levels in lung and liver transplant recipients. Here, we report a first case of sublingual administration of tacrolimus in kidney transplantation.

Development and validation of a liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry assay for the quantification of lurbinectedin in human plasma and urine.

Lurbinectedin is a novel highly selective inhibitor of RNA polymerase II triggering caspase-dependent apoptosis of cancerous cells. This article describes the development and validation of a liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) assay to quantify lurbinectedin in human plasma and urine. Plasma samples were pre-treated with 1 M aqueous ammonia after which they were brought onto supported liquid extraction (SLE) columns. Lurbinectedin was eluted from the columns using tert-butyl methyl ether (TBME). Urine was first diluted in plasma and lurbinectedin was extracted from this matrix by liquid-liquid extraction using TBME. Samples were measured by LC-MS/MS in the positive electron ion spray mode. The method was linear over 0.1-100 ng/mL and 1-1000 ng/mL in plasma and urine, respectively, with accuracies and precisions within ±15% (20% for LLOQ) and below 15% (20% for LLOQ), respectively. The method was developed to support a mass balance study in which patients received a dose of 5 mg lurbinectedin.

Metabolite profiling of the novel anti-cancer agent, plitidepsin, in urine and faeces in cancer patients after administration of 14C-plitidepsin.

PURPOSE: Plitidepsin absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion characteristics were investigated in a mass balance study, in which six patients received a 3-h intravenous infusion containing 7 mg 14C-plitidepsin with a maximum radioactivity of 100 µCi. METHODS: Blood samples were drawn and excreta were collected until less than 1% of the administered radioactivity was excreted per matrix for two consecutive days. Samples were pooled within-patients and between-patients and samples were screened for metabolites. Afterwards, metabolites were identified and quantified. Analysis was done using Liquid Chromatography linked to an Ion Trap Mass Spectrometer and offline Liquid Scintillation Counting (LC-Ion Trap MS-LSC). RESULTS: On average 4.5 and 62.4% of the administered dose was excreted via urine over the first 24 h and in faeces over 240 h, respectively. Most metabolites were found in faeces. CONCLUSION: Plitidepsin is extensively metabolised and it undergoes dealkylation (demethylation), oxidation, carbonyl reduction, and (internal) hydrolysis. The chemical formula of several metabolites was confirmed using high resolution mass data.

Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry assay to quantify plitidepsin in human plasma, whole blood and urine.

Plitidepsin is an anti-cancer drug currently evaluated in phase I/II/III clinical trials. This article describes the development and validation of a bioanalytical assay to quantify plitidepsin in human plasma, urine and whole blood using HPLC-MS/MS. The analyte was extracted from the matrix by liquid-liquid extraction using tert-butyl methyl ether. Final extracts were injected onto a C18 column, gradient elution was applied for chromatographic separation and detection was performed on a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer operating in the positive ion mode. The assay was linear over the range 0.1-100ng/mL, with acceptable accuracy and precision values. This is the first reported bioanalytical assay quantifying plitidepsin using a stable isotopically labelled standard, achieving a lower limit of quantification of 0.1ng/mL in all three matrices, allowing the quantification of trace levels of plitidepsin, and accomplishing this in an analysis time of two minutes only. The presented method was successfully applied in a mass balance study with plitidepsin in patients with advanced cancer.

A pharmacovigilance program from laboratory signals for the detection and reporting of serious adverse drug reactions in hospitalized patients.

The detection and reporting of serious adverse drug reactions (SADRs) have become important components of monitoring and evaluation activities performed in hospitals. We present the implementation of a prospective pharmacovigilance program based on automatic laboratory signals (ALSs) at a hospital. We also report the general findings after the first year of operation of the program, which involved ALSs that indicate various SADRs: agranulocytosis, aplastic anemia, liver injury, thrombocytopenia, hyponatremia, and rhabdomyolysis. The number of hospitalizations during the year was 54,525, and 1,732 patients experienced at least one ALS. The review of electronic medical records (EMRs) showed that no alternative cause (i.e., no non-SADR explanation) for the ALS was identified in 520 (30%) of the patients. After the individual ALS-patient evaluation, a total of 110 SADRs (6.35% of those identified after reviewing EMRs and 21.15% of those requiring individual patient evaluations) were identified. In other words, in order to identify a single SADR, we had to review the electronic records of approximately 16 patients and personally visit 5 patients.

Epileptic seizures caused by low valproic acid levels from an interaction with meropenem.

A 55-year-old woman was diagnosed with pneumonia and was treated with meropenem; 5 days later she developed epileptic seizures. She had been treated with valproic acid for 16 years to control her epileptic seizures. Her serum valproic acid concentration was low during treatment with meropenem than previously recorded despite an increase of valproic dose. As soon as administration of meropenem was withdrawn, valproic acid concentration increased to previous levels and her seizures stopped. Meropenem decreases valproic acid concentration, and may promote the development of epileptic seizures in previously controlled epileptic patients. The acute lowering of serum valproate produced by meropenem probably precludes their concomitant use.

[Cortical processing of visual and auditory stimuli in depressive patients: a study with event related potentials]. / Procesamiento cortical e estímulos visuales y auditivos en pacientes depresivos: estudio mediante potenciales evocados.

Event related Potentials, which seem to be an objective parameter reflecting cognitive functions, have been examined in depression. To evaluate the influence of visual and auditory stimuli on the P300 latency we studied 42 patients with major depression and 21 normal subjects. The experimental tasks applied were first a series of 300 auditory stimuli [255 (85%) were tones of 1000 Hz, and considered the frequent stimulus, whereas 45 (15%) were tones of 2000 Hz and referred to as the rare stimulus and second a series of 300 visual stimuli 255 (85%) were black circles on a white background, and considered the frequent stimulus, 9 cm diameter, 200 ms duration whereas 45 (15%) were back squares on a white background and referred to as the rare stimulus, 9 cm diameter, 200 ms duration] in the center of a computer screen. The results shown an increase of P300 latency in depressive patients during auditory and visual tasks. Non differences were found in reaction time to visual or auditory stimuli. These results are consistent with an impairment in brain function in depressive patients that is associated with cortical hypoactivity and deficits in perceptive, auditory or visual, functions.