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Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, March 2006, p. 928-934, Vol. 50, No. 3
0066-4804/06/$08.00+0 doi:10.1128/AAC.50.3.928-934.2006
Copyright © 2006, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.
GlaxoSmithKline, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina
Received 22 December 2005/ Accepted 23 December 2005
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) at steady state [AUC(0-
)], maximum concentration of drug in plasma (Cmax), and plasma concentration at the end of
at steady state (C
) were 54, 81, and 26% higher, respectively, and the values for plasma RTV AUC(0-
), Cmax, and C
were 49% higher, 71% higher, and 11% lower, respectively, than those for FPV 700 mg BID plus RTV 100 mg BID. For FPV 1,400 mg BID plus RTV 200 mg BID, the values for plasma APV AUC(0-
), Cmax, and C
were 26, 48, and 32% higher, respectively, and the values for plasma RTV AUC(0-
), Cmax, and C
increased 4.15-fold, 4.17-fold, and 3.99-fold, respectively, compared to those for FPV 700 mg BID plus RTV 100 mg BID. FPV 1,400 mg BID plus RTV 200 mg BID is not recommended due to an increased rate of marked hepatic transaminase elevations and lack of pharmacokinetic advantage. FPV 1,400 mg BID plus RTV 100 mg BID is currently under clinical evaluation in multiple PI-experienced patients. |
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Fosamprenavir (FPV) calcium is the phosphate ester prodrug of the HIV-1 PI amprenavir (APV). FPV has demonstrated antiviral efficacy, durability, and tolerability in antiretroviral therapy-naïve and PI-experienced subjects (4, 10; R.C. Elston, P. Yates, M. Tisdale, N. Richards, S. White, and E. DeJesus, Abstr. XV Inter. AIDS Conf., abstr. MoOrB1055, 2004). FPV 700 mg twice a day (BID) plus RTV 100 mg BID is approved for the treatment of HIV-1 PI-experienced patients.
The results from previous studies conducted with APV at lower doses indicated that increasing the dose of RTV and keeping the same dose of APV did not increase plasma APV exposure (12; S. Piscitelli, S. Bechtel, B. Sadler, J. Falloon, and the Intramural AIDS Program, Abstr. 7th Conf. Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infect., abstr. 78, 2000). However, plasma APV pharmacokinetic data following the coadministration of the APV prodrug, FPV, and RTV at doses higher than the standard regimen were not available. Therefore, this study evaluated two strategies to increase plasma APV exposure, including doubling the dose of FPV that is coadministered with RTV and doubling the doses of both FPV and RTV, in healthy subjects. Doses for further study in multiple PI-experienced, HIV-1-infected patients were to be selected by evaluating the safety and pharmacokinetics of these high-dose combinations in healthy adults.
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TABLE 1. Planned study design
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Bioanalytical methods. Samples were analyzed for APV and RTV concentrations using a validated high-performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry detection method following solid-phase extraction. The calibration range of the method was 10 to 10,000 ng/ml for both APV and RTV. For APV and RTV concentrations, the average accuracy (percent bias) was less than or equal to 4.3 and 2.5, respectively, and the average precision (percent coefficient of variation) was less than or equal to 5.8 and 5.6, respectively.
Pharmacokinetic analyses.
A noncompartmental pharmacokinetic analysis of concentration-time data was performed by standard methods with WinNonlin Professional software version 4.1 (Pharsight Corporation, Mountain View, CA). Actual sample collection times were used in the pharmacokinetic analysis. The following plasma pharmacokinetic parameters were calculated for each treatment: maximum observed plasma concentration (Cmax), time of maximum observed plasma concentration (Tmax), area under the plasma concentration-time profile over the dosing interval (
) at steady state [AUC(0-
)], and plasma concentration at the end of
at steady state (C
). The AUC was calculated using the linear-up-log-down trapezoidal rule. The C
was calculated as the average of the predose concentrations on days 11, 12, 13, and 14.
Statistical analyses.
Assuming an intrasubject standard deviation of 0.29 (maximum value for steady-state plasma APV pharmacokinetic parameters from unpublished studies), 30 evaluable subjects were calculated to provide 90% of the power to detect a 25% difference in AUC(0-
), Cmax, or C
using a two-sided test at alpha equals 0.05. This 25% difference was chosen because it represents the minimum increase in plasma APV exposure that might be clinically relevant. To account for possible dropouts, 42 subjects were enrolled in one of six sequences.
Subjects who took at least one dose of study drug were included in the safety population for safety analyses. To utilize standard grading criteria, ALT and AST results were summarized according to ACTG grading criteria. These categories did not exactly correspond to the individual discontinuation criteria.
In addition, the change in fasting total cholesterol, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein (HDL), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), and very low-density lipoprotein from day 1 to day 14 was evaluated for each study treatment. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed using SAS PROC MIXED, with subject as a random effect and treatment and day as fixed effects. The estimated least squares mean difference was reported.
Subjects who completed period 1 dosing with evaluable pharmacokinetic parameters were included in the pharmacokinetic population. Descriptive statistics, including the geometric means and 95% confidence intervals (CIs), were calculated for all pharmacokinetic parameters and summarized by study treatment. ANOVA, considering study treatment as a fixed effect, was performed using SAS (version 8.2) mixed linear models procedure to compare log-transformed plasma APV and RTV Cmax, AUC(0-
), and C
values between the study treatments. Race, sex, and age were included in the ANOVA as covariate variables if they were significant at 0.05 level. The impact of dose escalation was estimated by the ratio of geometric least squares means and the associated 90% confidence interval. Achievement of steady-state plasma APV and RTV concentrations was assessed by calculating the 90% CI of the slope of the linear regression of predose concentrations from days 11, 12, 13, and 14 versus the day for each study treatment. Pearson correlation was used to measure the strength of the relationship between the plasma APV and RTV pharmacokinetic parameters and the individual maximum ALT and AST values during period 1.
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TABLE 2. Demographics summary by study treatment
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TABLE 3. Most commonly reported adverse events by study treatment and system organ classa
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TABLE 4. Number of subjects with ALT and AST ACTG toxicity grades 1 to 3 by study treatmenta
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(iii) Fasting lipid parameters. Mean fasting serum triglycerides increased during all treatments (P < 0.05), as presented in Table 5. Mean fasting total cholesterol increased during treatment A and mean LDL decreased during treatment B (P < 0.05). Mean HDL cholesterol decreased during all treatments (P < 0.05). These lipid changes tended to decline or return to baseline during the follow-up period.
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TABLE 5. Means and changes from baseline by study treatment for fasting lipid parametersa
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FIG. 1. Median steady-state plasma amprenavir concentration-time profiles in healthy subjects.
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FIG. 2. Median steady-state plasma ritonavir concentration-time profiles in healthy subjects.
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TABLE 6. Plasma amprenavir and ritonavir pharmacokinetic parameter estimatesa
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) by 54%, Cmax by 81%, and C
by 26%. Doubling the FPV dose and the RTV dose from 100 mg BID to 200 mg BID (treatment C) increased plasma APV AUC(0-
) by 26%, Cmax by 48%, and C
by 32%. Treatment C delivered slightly lower plasma APV exposures compared to those for treatment B, providing no pharmacokinetic advantage. |
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TABLE 7. Steady-state plasma amprenavir and ritonavir pharmacokinetic treatment comparisonsa
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) by 49% and Cmax by 71% and reduced C
by 11%. For treatment C, values for plasma RTV AUC(0-
), Cmax, and C
were increased 4.15-fold. 4.17-fold, and 3.99-fold, respectively, compared to those observed for treatment A. Because the study was prematurely terminated in period 2, the analysis of correlation between plasma APV and RTV pharmacokinetic parameters and individual maximum ALT or AST values was limited to period 1 and did not include subjects who prematurely withdrew prior to pharmacokinetic sampling on day 14. No correlation between plasma APV or RTV pharmacokinetic parameters and individual maximum ALT or AST values was observed in this study; however, an increased frequency of ALT and AST elevations was observed with higher FPV and RTV doses, as described in Table 4.
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Three options exist when constructing RTV-boosted regimens to deliver higher HIV-1 PI concentrations for multiple PI-experienced patients: (i) increase the dose of the HIV-1 PI, (ii) increase the dose of RTV, or (iii) increase the doses of both the HIV-1 PI and RTV. The pharmacokinetic outcome of each option is dependent upon the individual HIV-1 PI. For LPV-RTV, either increasing the doses of both LPV and RTV or increasing just the RTV dose results in an increase in plasma LPV exposure (8; C. Flexner, Y.-L. Chiu, C. Foit, P. Perez, E. Tillman, D. Podzamczer, C. Renz, S. Brun, and R. Bertz, Abstr. 2nd ISA Conf. on HIV Pathogenesis and Treatment, abstr. 843, 2003), but the AUC of indinavir 800 mg BID was not significantly increased by increasing the RTV dose from 200 mg to 400 mg (11). For saquinavir-RTV combinations, increasing the dose of saquinavir, but not RTV, increased plasma exposure of saquinavir (1, 6).
Based on pharmacokinetic studies of APV (formulated as Agenerase [AGN]) in combination with RTV, increasing the AGN dose above 600 mg BID, to 900 mg BID in combination with RTV 100 mg BID did not appear to increase plasma APV exposure (R. Schooley, R. Haubrich, M. Sension, A. Taege, S. Becker, D. Richman, M. B. Wire, L. Yu, K. Pappa, and A. Pierce, 41st Intersci. Conf. Antimicrob. Agents and Chemother., abstr. 1924, 2001), whereas the data suggested the achievement of higher plasma APV exposure for AGN 900 mg BID plus RTV 100 mg BID relative to AGN 450 mg BID plus RTV 100 mg BID (12). Similarly, existing data suggested that increasing just the RTV dose administered in combination with AGN provided no pharmacokinetic benefit. For example, there was no advantage to increasing RTV from 200 mg BID to 500 mg BID while maintaining AGN at 1,200 mg BID (plus efavirenz 600 mg once a day [QD]) (S. Piscitelli, S. Bechtel, B. Sadler, J. Falloon, and the Intramural AIDS Program, Abstr. 7th Conf. on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infect., abstr. 78, 2000) and plasma APV exposure was similar between APV 450 mg BID regimens combined with either RTV 100 mg BID or RTV 300 mg BID (12).
However, plasma APV pharmacokinetic data following the coadministration of the APV prodrug, FPV, and RTV at doses higher than the standard regimen were not available; therefore, this study of healthy subjects evaluated two strategies to increase plasma APV exposure, including doubling the dose of FPV that is coadministered with RTV and doubling the doses of both FPV and RTV. The option to increase just the RTV dose (i.e., FPV 700 mg BID plus RTV 200 mg BID) was not explored, given the low probability of success and the decision to evaluate double doses of both drugs.
Increasing the dose of the HIV-1 PI while maintaining low-dose RTV may achieve a balance of increased plasma PI exposure with minimal increase in toxicities. In this study, doubling the FPV dose from 700 mg to 1,400 mg BID, while maintaining the RTV dose at 100 mg BID, led to less-than-dose-proportional increases in APV exposure [AUC(0-
), 54%, Cmax, 81%, and C
, 26%] without a significant increase in toxicities. However, doubling both the FPV dose and RTV dose led to a smaller increase in APV AUC(0-
) (26%) and Cmax (48%), a significantly increased RTV exposure, and an increased frequency of ALT and AST elevations. The reduced plasma APV exposure observed with FPV 1,400 mg BID plus RTV 200 mg BID compared to that for FPV 1,400 mg plus RTV 100 mg BID, suggests that the increased RTV dose provides additional CYP3A4 induction rather than additional inhibition.
Both higher dosage regimens increased plasma RTV exposure compared to that of the standard regimen of FPV plus RTV. The increased plasma RTV exposure observed with FPV 1,400 mg BID plus RTV 100 mg BID compared to that of FPV 700 mg BID plus RTV 100 mg BID suggests that the increased FPV dose provides some additional CYP3A4 inhibition. Maintaining the FPV dose at 1,400 mg BID, while doubling the RTV dose from 100 mg BID to 200 mg BID, resulted in greater-than-dose-proportional increases in plasma RTV exposure, consistent with the data reported for RTV alone (5). The highest RTV exposure occurred after doubling both the FPV dose from 700 mg BID to 1,400 mg BID and the RTV dose from 100 mg BID to 200 mg BID, which may represent a combined effect of higher RTV doses and additional CYP3A4 inhibition by the higher FPV dose. These pharmacokinetic findings demonstrate the complexity of combining agents with both inhibitory and induction properties for CYP3A4.
ALT and AST elevations led to the premature termination of the study. During the treatment period (excluding follow-up), six subjects had marked (ACTG grade 2 or higher) increases in ALT and AST within 5 to 9 days of dosing. Of these six subjects, four received twice the standard dosage regimen of FPV plus RTV (treatment C). The frequency of grade 2 and 3 AST and ALT elevations observed with the higher dosage regimens in this study was not observed in prior studies (13; unpublished data), where standard FPV plus RTV regimens were administered to healthy adult subjects for 14 days. Although one subject in this study experienced marked transaminase elevations while receiving the standard regimen of FPV 700 mg BID plus RTV 100 mg BID, the pattern of transaminase elevations coupled with elevated creatine phosphokinase suggests a muscle origin for these laboratory abnormalities.
From the clinical history for APV and RTV, it is likely that both compounds contribute to the observed hepatic transaminase elevations. In this study, RTV appears to be an important contributor to the hepatic transaminase elevations. AST/ALT elevations were more common for treatment C, where the RTV dose and plasma exposure were the highest of the three regimens and where the plasma APV exposure was lower than that for treatment B. Although grade 1/2 increases in AST/ALT were reported with treatment B (three subjects), a significant difference in transaminase elevations compared to those with treatment A (one subject) was not apparent with this short course of dosing. The increase in plasma APV exposure with treatment B may provide a favorable risk/benefit ratio for the treatment of multiple PI-experienced patients, but careful monitoring of hepatic transaminases should be considered.
All AEs in this study were mild or moderate in intensity and generally similar in nature to those reported in other studies evaluating combinations of FPV and RTV in healthy adults. The frequency of AEs reported with the standard FPV 700 mg BID plus RTV 100 mg BID regimen in this study was similar to those previously reported for healthy subjects receiving either the same regimen or the regimen of FPV 1,400 mg QD plus RTV 200 mg QD (14; unpublished data). The higher doses used in this study appeared to be associated with a higher frequency of AEs overall. All AEs, especially gastrointestinal and nervous system events, occurred in the following rank order (from greatest to least): treatment C > treatment B > treatment A. For the regimen of FPV 700 mg BID plus RTV 100 mg BID (treatment A), which is approved for the treatment of PI-naïve and -experienced patients, the frequency of AEs and the increases in fasting serum total cholesterol and triglycerides were similar to those of other studies of healthy subjects using that regimen (14; unpublished data).
The reductions in HDL in this study, when considered as a percentage of change, are consistent with other studies in healthy volunteers using ritonavir at doses of 100 mg BID (5.4% decrease) or 500 mg BID (approximately 9% decrease) over 14 days (9, 13). After 48 weeks of treatment in HIV patients, HDL was increased from baseline by 21% for FPV 1,400 mg BID and FPV 1,400 mg/RTV 200 mg QD (J. Nadler, A. Rodriguez-French, P. Wannamaker, S. Tompkins, and T. Stark, Abstr. 44th Intersci. Conf. Antimicrob. Agents Chemother., abstr. H-156, 2004; J. Flamm, M. Lorber, D. Thomas, N. Givens, and T. Stark, Abstr. Antivir. Ther., abstr. 99, 2004). These results suggest that HIV infection may result in a different lipid response to FPV-RTV-containing regimens compared to that for healthy volunteers.
Based on the pharmacokinetic and short-term safety results of this study of healthy subjects, FPV 1,400 mg BID plus RTV 200 mg BID is not recommended due to an increased rate of hepatic transaminase elevations and a lack of pharmacokinetic advantage compared to FPV 1,400 mg BID plus RTV 100 mg BID. FPV 1,400 mg BID plus RTV 100 mg BID, which increased plasma APV exposure without significant safety concerns, is now under clinical evaluation in multiple PI-experienced, HIV-1-infected patients, along with a dual-boosted PI regimen of FPV combined with lopinavir-ritonavir (TRIAD study), to allow a more robust assessment of safety and efficacy in the intended population.
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