ClinicalTrials.gov; No.: NCT01854645 and No. NCT01854658; URL: www.clinicaltrials.gov.

The effect of sitagliptin, a dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitor, on ambulatory blood pressure was assessed in nondiabetic patients with mild to moderate hypertension in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, 3-period crossover study. Nineteen patients on stable treatment with antihypertensive agent(s) received sitagliptin 100 mg b.i.d., 50 mg b.i.d., or placebo for 5 days, with at least a 7-day washout interval between periods. Twenty-four-hour ambulatory blood pressure, including systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, and mean arterial pressure, were monitored on days 1 and 5. Relative to placebo on day 1, the mean difference in 24-hour systolic blood pressure was -0.9 mm Hg (90% confidence interval: -2.9 to 1.1; P = .46) with sitagliptin 50 mg b.i.d. and -2.8 mm Hg (90% confidence interval: -4.9 to -0.8; P < .05) with 100 mg b.i.d. On day 5, the mean difference in 24-hour systolic blood pressure was -2.0 mm Hg (90% confidence interval: -3.5 to -0.4; P < .05) with 50 mg b.i.d. and -2.2 mm Hg (90% confidence interval: -3.7 to -0.6; P < .05) with 100 mg b.i.d. relative to placebo. For 24-hour diastolic blood pressure, there were no between-group differences in mean 24-hour diastolic blood pressure on day 1. On day 5, sitagliptin 50 mg and 100 mg b.i.d significantly (P < .05) lowered mean 24-hour diastolic blood pressure by -1.8 mm Hg (90% confidence interval: -2.8 to -0.8) and -1.6 mm Hg (90% confidence interval: -2.6 to -0.7), respectively, relative to placebo. Sitagliptin produced small but statistically significant reductions of 2 mm Hg to 3 mm Hg in 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure measurements acutely (day 1) and at steady state (day 5), and was generally well tolerated in nondiabetic patients with mild to moderate hypertension.

BackgroundCOPD is a major global cause of mortality and morbidity. PINNACLE-4 evaluated the efficacy and safety of GFF MDI (glycopyrrolate/formoterol fumarate metered dose inhaler) in patients from Asia, Europe, and the USA with moderate-to-very severe COPD.MethodsIn this double-blind, placebo-controlled, Phase III study, patients were randomized to treatment with GFF MDI 18/9.6 μg, glycopyrrolate (GP) MDI 18 μg, formoterol fumarate (FF) MDI 9.6 μg, or placebo MDI (all twice daily) for 24 weeks. Lung function, patient-reported outcomes (symptoms and health-related quality of life), and safety were assessed.ResultsOf the 1,756 patients randomized, 1,740 patients were included in the intent-to-treat population (mean age 64.2 years, 74.1% male, and 40.2% Asian). GFF MDI significantly improved morning predose trough FEV1 at Week 24 (primary endpoint) vs placebo MDI, GP MDI, and FF MDI (least squares mean differences: 165, 59, and 72 mL, respectively; all P<0.0001). GFF MDI also significantly improved other lung function endpoints vs placebo MDI, GP MDI, and FF MDI and patient-reported outcomes vs placebo MDI and GP MDI. A larger proportion of patients treated with GFF MDI achieved the minimum clinically important difference in Transition Dyspnea Index score vs GP MDI and placebo MDI and in St George’s Respiratory Questionnaire score vs placebo MDI. Adverse event rates were similar across treatment groups.ConclusionThese results demonstrated the efficacy of GFF MDI in patients with moderate-to-very severe COPD. GFF MDI was well tolerated, with a safety profile commensurate with long-acting bronchodilators.

Results confirmed the long-term safety and tolerability of GFF MDI 18/9.6 μg twice-daily in subjects with moderate-to-very severe COPD. Improvements in efficacy endpoints were also sustained over 52 weeks.

Given the prominent role of cytochrome P450 3A (CYP3A) in the metabolism of drugs, it is critical to determine whether new chemical entities will be affected by the inhibition of this enzyme system and result in clinically relevant drug interactions. Ketoconazole interaction studies are frequently performed to determine a given compound's sensitivity to CYP3A metabolism. The present study evaluated whether probing a sensitive substrate (midazolam) with a potent inhibitor (ketoconazole) at earlier time points (days 1 or 2) might be used to reliably gauge the magnitude of a meaningful interaction. The geometric mean ratios (ketoconazole+midazolamday 5/ketoconazole+midazolamday 1 and ketoconazole+midazolamday 5/ketoconazole+midazolamday 2) for midazolam AUC0-infinity were 1.36 and 1.06 with corresponding 90% confidence intervals of (1.17, 1.57) and (0.83, 1.23), respectively. These findings suggest that short-term drug-drug interaction studies can predict the magnitude of change in AUC as reliably as studies using longer duration treatments.