A Physiologically Based Pharmacokinetic Model to Predict Potential Drug-Drug Interactions and Inform Dosing of Acumapimod, an Oral p38 MAPK Inhibitor.

Acumapimod, an investigational oral p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase inhibitor for treatment during severe acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, is metabolized primarily by cytochrome P450 3A4 (CYP3A4) and is a P-glycoprotein (P-gp) substrate. Concerns about drug-drug interactions (DDIs) have meant patients receiving drugs that inhibit CYP3A4 were ineligible for acumapimod trials. We report on how 2 acumapimod clinical DDI studies and a physiologically-based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) model assessing how co-administration of a weak (azithromycin) and strong (itraconazole) CYP3A4 inhibitor affected acumapimod systemic exposure, informed decision making and supported concomitant use of CYP3A4 and P-gp inhibitors. Studies MBCT102 and MBCT103, respectively, demonstrated that co-administration of azithromycin or itraconazole had no clinically meaningful impact on acumapimod pharmacokinetics. Findings were consistent with PBPK model results. Safety profiles were similar when acumapimod was co-administered with azithromycin or itraconazole. These studies highlight the value of PBPK modeling in drug development, and its potential to inform DDI investigations.