The global ROCKET AF phase III trial evaluated rivaroxaban 20 mg once daily (o.d.) for stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation (AF). Based on rivaroxaban pharmacokinetics in Japanese subjects and lower anticoagulation preferences in Japan, particularly in elderly patients, the optimal dose regimen for Japanese AF patients was considered. The aim of this analysis was dose selection for Japanese patients from a pharmacokinetic aspect by comparison of simulated exposure in Japanese patients with those in Caucasian patients. As a result of population pharmacokinetics-pharmacodynamics analyses, a one-compartment pharmacokinetic model with first-order absorption and direct link pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic models optimally described the plasma concentration and pharmacodynamic models (Factor Xa activity, prothrombin time, activated partial thromboplastin time, and HepTest), which were also consistent with previous works. Steady-state simulations indicated 15 mg rivaroxaban o.d. doses in Japanese patients with AF would yield exposures comparable to the 20 mg o.d. dose in Caucasian patients with AF. In conclusion, in the context of the lower anticoagulation targets in Japanese practice, the population pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic modeling supports 15 mg o.d. as the principal rivaroxaban dose in J-ROCKET AF.

ObjectiveThis open-label, non-randomized, phase I study examined the pharmacokinetics (PK) and radiation dosimetry of a single dose of radium-223 in Japanese patients with castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) and bone metastases.MethodsSix male Japanese patients (mean age 72.5 years, range 65–79 years) with histologically or cytologically confirmed stage IV adenocarcinoma of the prostate were recruited. A single IV dose of radium-223 was delivered intravenously (IV) via slow bolus over a 2–5 min period: Cohort 1 received 50 kBq/kg and Cohort 2 received 100 kBq/kg.ResultsFollowing IV injection, radium-223 was rapidly eliminated from the blood in a multi-phasic manner. The fraction of the injected activity of radium-223 retained in the whole body 24 h following injection was 85 %. Biodistribution results showed initial bone uptake was 52 % (range 41–57 %). The maximum activity of radium-223 in the bone was observed within 2 h of dosing. Activity of radium-223 passed through the small intestine within 24 h. No activity was detected in other organs. The major radiation dose from radium-223 was found in osteogenic cells; calculated absorbed doses in osteogenic cells and in the red marrow were 0.76 Gy/MBq and 0.09 Gy/MBq, respectively.ConclusionsIn Japanese patients with CRPC and bone metastases, radium-223 (IV) achieved maximum activity in the bone rapidly and passed through the intestine within 24 h, without signs of activity in other organs. The PK profile and absorbed radiation dose in organs and tissues in Japanese patients were similar to data from non-Japanese patients.Trial registration identification: NCT01565746.

This study was designed to confirm the appropriateness of the dose setting for a Japanese phase III study of rivaroxaban in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF), which had been based on model simulation employing phase II study data. The previously developed mixed-effects pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK-PD) model, which consisted of an oral one-compartment model parameterized in terms of clearance, volume and a first-order absorption rate, was rebuilt and optimized using the data for 597 subjects from the Japanese phase III study, J-ROCKET AF. A mixed-effects modeling technique in NONMEM was used to quantify both unexplained inter-individual variability and inter-occasion variability, which are random effect parameters. The final PK and PK-PD models were evaluated to identify influential covariates. The empirical Bayes estimates of AUC and C(max) from the final PK model were consistent with the simulated results from the Japanese phase II study. There was no clear relationship between individual estimated exposures and safety-related events, and the estimated exposure levels were consistent with the global phase III data. Therefore, it was concluded that the dose selected for the phase III study with Japanese NVAF patients by means of model simulation employing phase II study data had been appropriate from the PK-PD perspective.

Purpose To evaluate the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, and efficacy of the intravenously administered pan-PI3K inhibitor copanlisib in Japanese patients with advanced or refractory solid tumors.MethodsA Phase I open-label study in Japanese patients with advanced or refractory solid tumors was carried out. Patients received a single intravenous dose of either copanlisib 0.4 mg/kg or copanlisib 0.8 mg/kg, dosed intermittently on days 1, 8, and 15 of a 28-day cycle. Safety was monitored throughout the study. Plasma copanlisib levels were measured for pharmacokinetic analysis. ResultsTen patients were enrolled and treated; three received copanlisib 0.4 mg/kg and seven received copanlisib 0.8 mg/kg. Overall, median duration of treatment was 6.2 weeks. No patients treated at 0.4 mg/kg experienced a dose-limiting toxicity, and the maximum tolerated dose in Japanese patients was determined to be 0.8 mg/kg. Adverse events were recorded in all ten patients; the most common were hyperglycemia, hypertension, and constipation. Copanlisib pharmacokinetic exposures displayed near dose-proportionality, with no accumulation. No patients achieved a complete or partial response, and disease control rate was 40.0%.ConclusionsCopanlisib was well tolerated in Japanese patients with advanced or refractory solid tumors, and the maximum tolerated dose was determined to be 0.8 mg/kg. Copanlisib demonstrated near dose-proportional pharmacokinetics and preliminary disease control, warranting further investigation.Clinical trial registration numberNCT01404390.

PCP may occur early in the course of adalimumab therapy in patients with RA. Careful monitoring, early diagnosis, and proper management are mandatory to secure a good prognosis for these patients.

We aimed to reanalyze the differences in the pharmacokinetics (PKs) of meloxicam in East Asian populations based on a population approach using previously published data and to investigate the factors found in population PK analysis that affect the pharmacodynamics (PDs) of meloxicam. Population PK analysis was performed in 119 healthy male subjects (30 Japanese, 30 Chinese, 29 Korean, and 30 white) under strictly controlled trial conditions with regulated meals and a single lot of the drug. We found that CYP2C9 genotype and lean body mass were statistically significant predictors of clearance and volume of distribution, respectively. A statistical significant difference in the PK parameters between ethnic groups could not be identified. Simulations using PK/PD models showed that CYP2C9 genotype is the factor that affects the PDs of meloxicam. The genetic polymorphisms highlighted in this study would be beneficial for conducting clinical trials in East Asians with similar genetic backgrounds.

No abstract

No abstract