Clinical pharmacokinetics of laninamivir, a novel long-acting neuraminidase inhibitor, after single and multiple inhaled doses of its prodrug, CS-8958, in healthy male volunteers.

Phase 1 studies of laninamivir, a novel long-acting neuraminidase inhibitor, were carried out to assess its safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics after inhaled administration of its prodrug, CS-8958. Healthy male volunteers (total N = 76) participated in double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trials and received 5, 10, 20, 40, 80, or 120 mg of a single dose or 20 or 40 mg of a twice-daily dose for 3 days. The clinical and laboratory parameters and plasma and urinary concentrations of CS-8958 and laninamivir for 144 hours post dosing were measured. There were no adverse events related to the test drug. CS-8958 disappeared from plasma with a half-life of about 2 hours, although laninamivir was slowly eliminated from the body, lasting for even up to 144 hours after administration with a half-life of about 3 days. Area under the curve and maximum concentration increased almost linearly with the dose administered. The cumulative urinary excretion amounts of CS-8958 and laninamivir were 2.3% to 3.6% and 10.7% to 14.6% of the dose, respectively. The half-life of the urinary excretion rates of laninamivir at higher single dose is comparable to plasma half-life. CS-8958, when inhaled by healthy volunteers, is well tolerated and exhibits a suitable pharmacokinetic profile, suggesting potential for long-lasting anti-influenza activity.