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A combination of olanzapine and samidorphan (OLZ/SAM) is in development to provide the established antipsychotic efficacy of olanzapine while mitigating olanzapine-induced weight gain. Two multicenter, open-label, parallel-cohort studies were performed to evaluate the effect of moderate hepatic impairment (Child-Pugh score 7-9 [class B]; study 1) and severe renal impairment (estimated glomerular filtration rate: 15-29 mL/min/1.73 m ; study 2) on the pharmacokinetics, safety, and tolerability of a single dose of OLZ/SAM 5/10 mg. There was a 1.67-fold increase in area under the plasma concentration-time curve from time 0 to infinity (AUC ) and a 2.17-fold increase in maximum plasma concentration (C ) of olanzapine, and a 1.52-fold increase in AUC and a 1.63-fold increase in C of samidorphan, in subjects with moderate hepatic impairment compared with healthy control subjects. Compared with healthy control subjects, subjects with severe renal impairment had a 33% and 56% reduction in clearance, a 1.51- and 2.31-fold increase in AUC , and a 1.32- and 1.37-fold increase in C of olanzapine and samidorphan, respectively. OLZ/SAM 5/10 mg was generally well tolerated under the conditions of the studies, with a safety profile consistent with that observed in other clinical studies of OLZ/SAM.

A major challenge with the treatment of Clostridioides difficile infection is restoring the antibiotic-associated alterations of bowel flora to a state less hospitable to C. difficile . In this trial, a microbiome-replacement therapy, SER-109, was used to treat patients with recurrent C. difficile infection and was shown to reduce the risk of further recurrence.

ALKS 3831 is composed of a flexible dose of olanzapine and a fixed dose of 10-mg samidorphan (a novel opioid system modulator), designed to provide the established antipsychotic efficacy of olanzapine and to mitigate olanzapine-induced weight gain. To support clinical development of ALKS 3831, we conducted a multicenter, randomized, open-label, Phase I study to obtain steady-state exposure for olanzapine and samidorphan and short-term safety at the intended therapeutic dose range of ALKS 3831 10/10 (10-mg olanzapine/10-mg samidorphan) to ALKS 3831 20/10 (20-mg olanzapine/10-mg samidorphan) in subjects with schizophrenia. After a 1-week olanzapine lead-in period, 42 subjects (14 women) with schizophrenia were randomly assigned (1:1) to receive ALKS 3831 10/10 or ALKS 3831 20/10 bilayer oral tablets once daily for 14 days. Plasma concentrations of olanzapine and samidorphan were quantified by using an LC-MS/MS method. Pharmacokinetic parameters were calculated according to noncompartmental analysis. Safety was monitored throughout the study. After a 1-week olanzapine lead-in phase with titration of olanzapine dose up to 15 mg/d, the steady-state concentration of olanzapine was reached in 3–4 days and that of samidorphan was reached in 5 days after initiation of once-daily oral administration of ALKS 3831 10/10 or ALKS 3831 20/10. At steady state, exposure to olanzapine increased dose proportionally from 10 mg (ALKS 3831 10/10) to 20 mg (ALKS 3831 20/10), and exposure to samidorphan was similar between the 2 ALKS 3831 dose groups, indicating that different dose levels of olanzapine in ALKS 3831 had no impact on the pharmacokinetic profile of samidorphan. ALKS 3831 was well tolerated, and no safety concerns unique to ALKS 3831 compared with olanzapine monotherapy were identified. In the present study, samidorphan exposure was not affected by different dose levels of olanzapine in ALKS 3831. In addition, olanzapine exposure as a component of ALKS 3831 was comparable with previously published data for olanzapine monotherapy. The present data indicate that combining olanzapine with samidorphan does not affect the pharmacokinetic profile of either drug and support continued clinical evaluation of ALKS 3831. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02804568.

Background: Aripiprazole lauroxil (AL), a long-acting injectable antipsychotic for the treatment of schizophrenia in adults, can be started with either 21 days of daily oral aripiprazole supplementation or a 1-day initiation regimen consisting of a single injection of a NanoCrystal® Dispersion formulation of AL (ALNCD) and a single dose of 30 mg oral aripiprazole. This phase I study assessed the pharmacokinetics and safety of deltoid versus gluteal ALNCD injections. Methods: Patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder (N = 47) were randomized 1:1 to receive a single intramuscular dose of ALNCD in the deltoid or gluteal muscle. Plasma samples were collected over 85 days to measure ALNCD concentration by injection site. Relative aripiprazole bioavailability for deltoid versus gluteal injection was assessed based on area under the curve (AUC∞ and AUClast) and maximum concentration (Cmax) values. Adverse events were monitored throughout the study. Results: Plasma aripiprazole concentrations after a single ALNCD injection were comparable between deltoid and gluteal administration. Mean maximum plasma aripiprazole concentrations were 196.1 ng/ml (deltoid) and 175.0 ng/ml (gluteal). Exposure to aripiprazole was similar, with mean AUC∞ values of 6591 day × ng/ml for deltoid and 6437 day × ng/ml for gluteal. Aripiprazole bioavailability was not significantly different between injection sites. ALNCD administration in the deltoid or gluteal muscle was well tolerated, with similar safety profiles at both sites. Conclusion: ALNCD demonstrated similar exposure and safety profiles between the two administration sites, suggesting that ALNCD can be given in either the gluteal or the deltoid muscles as a component of the 1-day initiation regimen for AL.

Background A combination of the atypical antipsychotic olanzapine and opioid receptor antagonist samidorphan (OLZ/SAM) is in development for the treatment of schizophrenia. The goal of OLZ/SAM is to provide the antipsychotic efficacy of olanzapine while mitigating olanzapine-induced weight gain and many associated long-term metabolic consequences. The primary metabolic pathways for olanzapine are direct glucuronidation via uridine 5′-diphospho-glucuronosyltransferase (UGT)1A4 and cytochrome P450 (CYP)-mediated oxidation, mainly by CYP1A2. In contrast, the samidorphan metabolic pathway is mediated predominantly by CYP3A4. Objective The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of CYP3A4 induction on the single-dose pharmacokinetics of OLZ/SAM in healthy subjects. Methods In this phase I, single-center, open-label, two-period study, 24 healthy volunteers received a single oral dose of OLZ/SAM 10/10 (10 mg olanzapine/10 mg samidorphan) on day 1. After a 14-day washout, 600 mg of rifampin (rifampicin), a strong CYP3A4 inducer, as well as an inducer of UGT enzymes and a weak inducer of CYP1A2, was administered once daily on days 15‒21. A single oral dose of OLZ/SAM 10/10 was coadministered with rifampin 600 mg on day 22. Olanzapine and samidorphan pharmacokinetic parameters were determined after OLZ/SAM dosing on days 1 and 22. The geometric mean ratio of maximum plasma concentration ( C max ) and area under the plasma concentration–time curve from zero to infinity (AUC ∞ ) for olanzapine and samidorphan in the presence and absence of rifampin, along with its two-sided 90% confidence interval, were derived from a linear mixed-effects model. Safety was monitored throughout the study. Results Compared with OLZ/SAM alone, coadministration of OLZ/SAM with rifampin decreased the C max and AUC ∞ of olanzapine by 11% and 48%, and that of samidorphan by 44% and 73%, respectively. OLZ/SAM 10/10 was generally well tolerated in this study. Conclusion Coadministration with rifampin decreased total systemic exposure (based on AUC ∞ ) of olanzapine and samidorphan by 48% and 73%, respectively.

One of the challenges with initiating long-acting injectable (LAI) antipsychotic regimens is achieving relevant drug levels quickly. After first injection of the LAI antipsychotic aripiprazole lauroxil (AL), the lag to reaching relevant plasma aripiprazole levels was initially addressed using supplemental oral aripiprazole for 21 days. A 1-day AL initiation regimen using a NanoCrystal ® Dispersion formulation of AL (AL NCD ; Aristada Initio ® ) combined with a single 30 mg dose of oral aripiprazole has been developed as an alternative approach. We compared the 1-day AL initiation regimen (AL NCD + 30 mg oral aripiprazole for 1 day) with the 21-day AL initiation regimen (AL + 15 mg/day of oral aripiprazole for 21 days) using kinetic modeling. Observed and modeled data demonstrate that the 1-day AL initiation regimen provides continuous aripiprazole exposure comparable to the 21-day AL initiation regimen. Each component of the 1-day AL initiation regimen (30 mg oral aripiprazole, AL NCD , and AL) contributes to aripiprazole plasma levels at different times, with oral aripiprazole predominating in the first week, then AL NCD and AL over time. In a double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 1 study in patients with schizophrenia, the 1-day initiation regimen resulted in rapid achievement of relevant plasma aripiprazole levels comparable to those from the 21-day initiation regimen. Safety and tolerability of the 1-day regimen were consistent with the known profile of aripiprazole. Each part of the 1-day initiation regimen, together with AL, is necessary for continuous aripiprazole exposure from treatment initiation until the next regularly scheduled AL injection is administered.

Chronic use of Saint John's wort (SJW) has been shown to lower the bioavailability for a variety of co‐administered drugs including indinavir, cyclosporin, and digoxin. Decreases in intestinal absorption through induction of the multidrug resistance transporter, P‐glycoprotein (P‐gp), may explain decreased bioavailability. The present study characterized the response of P‐gp to chronic and acute exposure of SJW and hypericin (HYP, a presumed active moiety within SJW) in an in vitro system. Experiments were performed with 3 to 300 μg ml−1 of methanol‐extracted SJW and 0.03 to 3 μM HYP, representing low to high estimates of intestinal concentrations. In induction experiments, LS‐180 intestinal carcinoma cells were exposed for 3 days to SJW, HYP, vehicle or a positive control (ritonavir). P‐gp was quantified using Western blot analysis. P‐gp expression was strongly induced by SJW (400% increase at 300 μg ml−1) and by HYP (700% at 3 μM) in a dose‐dependent fashion. Cells chronically treated with SJW had decreased accumulation of rhodamine 123, a P‐gp substrate, that was reversed with acute verapamil, a P‐gp inhibitor. Fluorescence microscopy of intact cells validated these findings. In Caco‐2 cell monolayers, SJW and HYP caused moderate inhibition of P‐gp‐attributed transport at the maximum concentrations tested. SJW and HYP significantly induced P‐gp expression at low, clinically relevant concentrations. Similar effects occurring in vivo may explain the decreased bioavailability of P‐gp substrate drugs when co‐administered with SJW. British Journal of Pharmacology (2001) 134, 1601–1608; doi:10.1038/sj.bjp.0704399

aripiprazole once-monthly 400 mg (AOM 400) and aripiprazole lauroxil (AL). We would like to address a few major concerns. The AL popPK model has been well described in a peer-reviewed publication.2 However, Salzman et al omitted publishing information regarding the development and validation of the AOM popPK model, including any critical discussion of the covariates, other key characteristics, assumptions and limitations of the AOM model. Thus, a reader cannot objectively assess the simulated values for AOM reported in the publication.View the original paper by Salzman and colleagues.