Previous Article | Next Article ![]()
Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, December 2001, p. 3445-3450, Vol. 45, No. 12
Agouron Pharmaceuticals Inc., A Pfizer
Company, La Jolla, California
Received 8 January 2001/Returned for modification 24 July
2001/Accepted 14 September 2001
3-Hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase
inhibitors are effective agents in lowering cholesterol and
triglycerides and are being used by human immunodeficiency
virus-positive patients to treat the lipid elevation that may be
associated with antiretroviral therapy. Many HMG-CoA reductase
inhibitors and protease inhibitors are metabolized by the same
cytochrome P450 enzyme 3A4 (CYP3A4). In addition, many protease
inhibitors are potent inhibitors of CYP3A4. Therefore, coadministration
of these two classes of drugs may cause significant drug interactions.
This open-label, multiple-dose study was performed to determine the
interactions between nelfinavir, a protease inhibitor, and two HMG-CoA
reductase inhibitors, atorvastatin and simvastatin, in healthy
volunteers. Thirty-two healthy subjects received either atorvastatin
calcium (10 mg once a day) or simvastatin (20 mg once a day) for the
first 14 days of the study. Nelfinavir (1,250 mg twice a day) was added
on days 15 to 28. Pharmacokinetic assessment was performed on days 14 and 28. The study drugs were well tolerated. Nelfinavir increased the
steady-state area under the plasma concentration-time curve during one
dosing period (AUC
0066-4804/01/$04.00+0 DOI: 10.1128/AAC.45.12.3445-3450.2001
Copyright © 2001, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.
Pharmacokinetic Interactions between Nelfinavir and
3-Hydroxy-3-Methylglutaryl Coenzyme A Reductase Inhibitors Atorvastatin
and Simvastatin
) of atorvastatin 74% and the maximum
concentration (Cmax) of atorvastatin 122%
and increased the AUC
of simvastatin 505% and the
Cmax of simvastatin 517%. Neither
atorvastatin nor simvastatin appeared to alter the pharmacokinetics of
nelfinavir. It is recommended that coadministration of simvastatin with
nelfinavir should be avoided, whereas atorvastatin should be used with
nelfinavir with caution.
*
Corresponding author. Mailing address: Agouron
Pharmaceuticals Inc., A Pfizer Company, Clinical Pharmacology, 11085 Torreyana Rd., San Diego, CA 92121. Phone: (858) 622-7465. Fax: (858)
678-8293. E-mail: poe.hsyu{at}agouron.com.
This article has been cited by other articles:
Copyright © 2009 by the American Society for Microbiology. For an alternate route to Journals.ASM.org, visit: http://intl-journals.asm.org | More Info»