Purpose:The purpose is to determine the maximumtolerated dose, assess the toxicities, characterize the pharmacokinetic behavior, and seek preliminary evidence of biological activity of cantuzumab mertansine when administered as a weekly i.v. infusion without interruption.Experimental Design: Patients with incurable solid tumors that expressed the target antigen for cantuzumab mertansine, CanAg, were treated with doses of cantuzumab mertansine ranging from 40 to 138 mg/m 2 . The maximumtolerated dose was defined as the highest dose at which no more than 1 of 6 patients experienced dose-limiting toxicity. Plasma concentrations of cantuzumab mertansine and total humanized antibody were determined, and area under the plasma concentration-time curve (to the last measured concentration) was calculated.Results: Thirty-nine patients received a total of 280 weekly doses of cantuzumab mertansine. Acute, transient elevation of the hepatic transaminases and reversible fatigue were identified as the dose-limiting toxicities at the highest dose level. The maximum-tolerated dose was determined to be 115 mg/m 2 /week. Evidence of clinical activity was noted in 3 patients. Pharmacokinetic analyses revealed that the pharmacokinetic variability was moderate, without evidence of dose dependency. Furthermore, the drug had a long terminal half-life (ϳ40 h).Conclusions: This study identified a safe and tolerable dose of the novel immunoconjugate prodrug cantuzumab mertansine. The evidence of antitumor activity suggests that additional clinical development is warranted, with a focus on tumors that express high levels of CanAg and which are known to be sensitive to antimicrotubule agents.

No abstract

The pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of remifentanil were not altered in patients with renal disease, but the elimination of its principal metabolite, GR90291, was markedly reduced. Based on simulations, the concentration of GR90291 at the end of a 12-h remifentanil infusion of 2 microg x kg(-1) x min(-1) is not likely to produce significant opioid effects.

Abstract. The purpose of this investigation is to evaluate the scientific benefits of a novel approach in using stable isotopes to reduce the number of subjects needed to perform relative bioavailability and bioequivalence pharmacokinetic studies for formulations that are qualitatively and quantitatively the same and quality by design (QbD) pharmacokinetic studies. The stable isotope approach was investigated using simulations to determine the impact this approach would have on the estimation of variability and, subsequently, the sample size for a bioequivalence study. A biostudy was conducted in dogs in a two period crossover to explore the viability of the stable isotope approach. For a drug product with within-subject variability (CV w ) of 50% and assuming a correlation of 0.95 between the enriched and non-enriched pharmacokinetics (PK), simulations showed that the variability can be reduced by 70% and the required sample size can be reduced by 90% while maintaining 90% power to demonstrate bioequivalence. The dog study showed a strong correlation (R 2 , >0.99) between the enriched and nonenriched area under the curve and maximum observed concentration, and a significant reduction in the variability (reduction in % coefficient of variation from 79.9% to 6.3%). Utilization of a stable isotope approach can markedly improve the efficiency and accuracy of bioavailability and bioequivalence studies particularly for highly variable drugs in formulations that are qualitatively and quantitatively the same and for studies designed for QbD investigations.

The population pharmacokinetic model described in this work well characterized the pharmacokinetic profile of losmapimod following administration of a single oral dose and repeated oral doses in healthy subjects and patients with RA and COPD. Although sex, bodyweight and age were significant factors influencing some pharmacokinetic parameters of losmapimod, the relatively small magnitude of the effect did not result in concerns for dose adjustment.

Nasdaq: ERYP), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing innovative therapies by encapsulating therapeutic drug substances inside red blood cells, today announced that it will present pharmacodynamic characterization data from its Phase 2/3 trial of eryaspase (GRASPA®) in combination with chemotherapy for the treatment of relapsed acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) at the

581 Background: The prognosis for advanced metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma remains dismal with median survival of 12-15 months in most recent trials, highlighting the urgent need for novel therapeutic agents. mFOLFIRINOX remains the standard of care for the first line treatment of advanced disease, with historical objective response rate (ORR) of ̃31%. Eryaspase, L-asparaginase (ASPNase) encapsulated in red blood cells (RBCs), is an investigational product under development. Following infusion, asparagine is actively transported in RBCs where it is hydrolyzed by encapsulated ASPNase. The reduction in plasma concentration of this essential amino acid leads to cancer cell death. A second line pivotal randomized phase III trial (Trybeca-1), which compares chemotherapy (Gemcitabine + Nab-Paclitaxel or 5-Fluorouracil + Irinotecan) with or without Eryaspase, has completed enrollment with results pending (NCT03665441). Methods: Patients with locally advanced or metastatic biopsy-proven pancreatic adenocarcinoma were treated with the combination of mFOLFIRINOX plus Eryaspase. The design was a standard 3 +3 dose escalation. mFOLFIRINOX was given as 5-Fluorouracil 2400 mg/m2 over 46 hours, Oxaliplatin 85 mg/m2, Irinotecan 150 mg/m2 plus Eryaspase 75 units/kg at dose level 0 or 100 units/kg at dose level 1. Key eligibility criteria include performance status of 0 or 1, locally advanced or metastatic disease, and adequate organ function. The primary objectives were to determine the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) and to determine the safety of this combination. Results: To date, nine patients have been enrolled with a mean age of 70. Four patients had locally advanced disease and five had metastatic disease. Three patients were enrolled at dose level 0 and six at dose level 1, with no dose limiting toxicities (DLT). Eight patients have had imaging to evaluate response: the ORR was 50% with four partial responses (PRs); 50% (N = 4) had stable disease (SD); disease control rate (PR + SD) was 100%. There were no grade 4 adverse events (AEs). The most common grade 3 AEs were hypokalemia (33%), fatigue (11%), and hypotension (11%); but they were beyond the DLT period of 28 days. The most common grade 1/2 AEs were neuropathy (78%), elevated liver enzymes (78%), nausea (78%), anemia (66%), fatigue (66%), diarrhea (66%), and mucositis (44%). Conclusions: The novel combination of mFOLFIRINOX plus Eryaspase was well tolerated with no DLT and has encouraging signs of clinical activity. The MTD has been declared with 5-FU 2400 mg/2, Oxaliplatin 85 mg/2, Irinotecan 150 mg/m2, and Eryaspase 100 units/kg. We plan to expand enrollment to further look at efficacy and are in the process of designing a larger randomized study in the first line setting pending results from the Trybeca-1 trial. Clinical trial information: NCT04292743.

No abstract