Population Pharmacokinetic Analysis of Atomoxetine and its Metabolites in Children and Adolescents with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

Atomoxetine (ATX) is a non-stimulant used to treat attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and systemic exposure is highly variable due to polymorphic cytochrome P450 2D6 (CYP2D6) activity. The objective of this study was to characterize the time course of ATX and metabolites (4-hydroxyatomoxetine (4-OH); N-desmethylatomoxetine (NDA); and 2-carboxymethylatomoxetine (2-COOH)) exposure following oral ATX dosing in children with ADHD to support individualized dosing. A nonlinear mixed-effect modeling approach was used to analyze ATX, 4-OH, and NDA plasma and urine, and 2-COOH urine profiles obtained over 24-72 hours from children with ADHD (n = 23) following a single oral ATX dose. Demographics and CYP2D6 activity score (AS) were evaluated as covariates. Simulations were performed to explore the ATX dosing in subjects with various CYP2D6 AS. A simultaneous pharmacokinetic modeling approach was used in which a model for ATX, 4-OH, and NDA in plasma and urine, and 2-COOH in urine was developed. Plasma ATX, 4-OH, and NDA were modeled using two-compartment models with first-order elimination. CYP2D6 AS was a significant determinant of ATX apparent oral clearance (CL/F), fraction metabolized to 4-OH, and systemic exposure of NDA. CL/F of ATX varied almost 7-fold across the CYP2D6 AS groups: AS 2: 20.02 L/hour; AS 1: 19.00 L/hour; AS 0.5: 7.47 L/hour; and AS 0: 3.10 L/hour. The developed model closely captures observed ATX, 4-OH, and NDA plasma and urine, and 2-COOH urine profiles. Application of the model shows the potential for AS-based dosing recommendations for improved individualized dosing.

A Physiological-Based Pharmacokinetic Model Embedded with a Target-Mediated Drug Disposition Mechanism Can Characterize Single-Dose Warfarin Pharmacokinetic Profiles in Subjects with Various CYP2C9 Genotypes under Different Cotreatments

Warfarin, a commonly prescribed oral anticoagulant medication, is highly effective in treating deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism. However, the clinical dosing of warfarin is complicated by high interindividual variability in drug exposure and response and its narrow therapeutic index. CYP2C9 genetic polymorphism and drug-drug interactions (DDIs) are substantial contributors to this high variability of warfarin pharmacokinetics (PK), among numerous factors. Building a physiology-based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) model for warfarin is not only critical for a mechanistic characterization of warfarin PK but also useful for investigating the complicated dose-exposure relationship of warfarin. Thus, the objective of this study was to develop a PBPK model for warfarin that integrates information regarding CYP2C9 genetic polymorphisms and their impact on DDIs. Generic PBPK models for both S- and R-warfarin, the two enantiomers of warfarin, were constructed in R with the mrgsolve package. As expected, a generic PBPK model structure did not adequately characterize the warfarin PK profile collected up to 15 days following the administration of a single oral dose of warfarin, especially for S-warfarin. However, following the integration of an empirical target-mediated drug disposition (TMDD) component, the PBPK-TMDD model well characterized the PK profiles collected for both S- and R-warfarin in subjects with different CYP2C9 genotypes. Following the integration of enzyme inhibition and induction effects, the PBPK-TMDD model also characterized the PK profiles of both S- and R-warfarin in various DDI settings. The developed mathematic framework may be useful in building algorithms to better inform the clinical dosing of warfarin. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: The present study found that a traditional physiology-based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) model cannot sufficiently characterize the pharmacokinetic profiles of warfarin enantiomers when warfarin is administered as a single dose, but a PBPK model with a target-mediated drug disposition mechanism can. After incorporating CYP2C9 genotypes and drug-drug interaction information, the developed model is anticipated to facilitate the understanding of warfarin disposition in subjects with different CYP2C9 genotypes in the absence and presence of both cytochrome P450 inhibitors and cytochrome P450 inducers.