Efficacy, Safety, Pharmacokinetics, and Pharmacodynamics of Filgotinib, a Selective JAK-1 Inhibitor, After Short-Term Treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis: Results of Two Randomized Phase IIa Trials.

Objective: JAK inhibitors have shown efficacy in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). We undertook this study to test our hypothesis that selective inhibition of JAK-1 would combine good efficacy with a better safety profile compared with less selective JAK inhibitors.

Methods: In two 4-week exploratory, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase IIa trials, 127 RA patients with an insufficient response to methotrexate (MTX) received filgotinib (GLPG0634, GS-6034) oral capsules (100 mg twice daily or 30, 75, 150, 200, or 300 mg once daily) or placebo, added onto a stable regimen of MTX, to evaluate safety, efficacy, pharmacokinetics (PK), and pharmacodynamics (PD) of filgotinib.

Safety, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of GLPG0974, a potent and selective FFA2 antagonist, in healthy male subjects.

Aims: Free fatty acids (FFA) can act as direct signalling molecules through activation of several membrane-bound G-protein coupled receptors. The FFA2 receptor (known as GPR43) is activated by short chain fatty acids (SCFA) such as acetate and has been shown to play a major role in SCFA-induced neutrophil activation and migration and to contribute in the development and control of inflammation. GLPG0974 is a potent and selective antagonist of the human FFA2.

Clinical Confirmation that the Selective JAK1 Inhibitor Filgotinib (GLPG0634) has a Low Liability for Drug-drug Interactions.

Objective: The selective Janus kinase 1 inhibitor filgotinib (GLPG0634), which is currently in clinical development for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and Crohn's disease, demonstrated encouraging safety and efficacy profiles in RA patients after 4 weeks of daily dosing. As RA patients might be treated with multiple medications simultaneously, possible drug-drug interactions of filgotinib with cytochrome P450 enzymes and with key drug transporters were evaluated in vitro and in clinical studies.

Methods: The enzymes involved in filgotinib's metabolism and the potential interactions of the parent and its active major metabolite with drug-metabolizing enzymes and drug transporters, were identified using recombinant enzymes, human microsomes, and cell systems.

Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacokinetic/Pharmacodynamic Modeling of Filgotinib (GLPG0634), a Selective JAK1 Inhibitor, in Support of Phase IIB Dose Selection.

Background And Objectives: Filgotinib (GLPG0634) is a selective inhibitor of Janus kinase 1 (JAK1) currently in development for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and Crohn's disease. While less selective JAK inhibitors have shown long-term efficacy in treating inflammatory conditions, this was accompanied by dose-limiting side effects. Here, we describe the pharmacokinetics of filgotinib and its active metabolite in healthy volunteers and the use of pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic modeling and simulation to support dose selection for phase IIB in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Preclinical characterization of GLPG0634, a selective inhibitor of JAK1, for the treatment of inflammatory diseases.

The JAKs receive continued interest as therapeutic targets for autoimmune, inflammatory, and oncological diseases. JAKs play critical roles in the development and biology of the hematopoietic system, as evidenced by mouse and human genetics. JAK1 is critical for the signal transduction of many type I and type II inflammatory cytokine receptors.

Co-administration of darunavir and a new pharmacokinetic booster: formulation strategies and evaluation in dogs.

Various formulations for combination of the anti-HIV protease inhibitor darunavir (DRV) and TMC41629, a pharmacokinetic booster for DRV, were studied. TMC41629 (a BCS-IV compound) was formulated in capsules, as polyethylene glycol 400 (PEG400) solution, binary or ternary self-microemulsifying drug delivery system (SMEDDS), inclusion complex with hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrin (HPbetaCD) or polyvinylpyrrolidone-co-vinylacetate 64 (PVP/VA64) extrudate. In addition, tablets were prepared using unmilled or micronized powder and a disintegrant.

Pharmacokinetics and disposition of rilpivirine (TMC278) nanosuspension as a long-acting injectable antiretroviral formulation.

The next-generation human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor rilpivirine (TMC278) was administered in rats and dogs as single intramuscular (IM) or subcutaneous (SC) injections, formulated as a 200-nm nanosuspension. The plasma pharmacokinetics, injection site concentrations, disposition to lymphoid tissues, and tolerability were evaluated in support of its potential use as a once-monthly antiretroviral agent in humans. Rilpivirine plasma concentration-time profiles showed sustained and dose-proportional release over 2 months in rats and over 6 months in dogs.

Inulin solid dispersion technology to improve the absorption of the BCS Class IV drug TMC240.

TMC240 is a very poorly soluble and poorly permeating HIV protease inhibitor. In order to enhance its oral bioavailability, a fast dissolving inulin-based solid dispersion tablet was developed. During the dissolution test in water (0.

Rapid HCV-RNA decline with once daily TMC435: a phase I study in healthy volunteers and hepatitis C patients.

Background & Aims: The search for targeted anti-hepatitis C virus (HCV) drugs is driven by the adverse effect profile and limited efficacy of the current standard of care (pegylated interferon-alpha/ribavirin). In a first-in-human trial, we tested the safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics of the macrocyclic HCV NS3/4A protease inhibitor TMC435 in healthy volunteers, followed by HCV genotype 1-infected patients to assess antiviral activity.

Methods: The TMC435350-C101 study was a phase I, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in 49 healthy volunteers, followed by an open-label, nonplacebo-controlled panel in 6 genotype 1 hepatitis C patients.

Development of a long-acting injectable formulation with nanoparticles of rilpivirine (TMC278) for HIV treatment.

Long-acting parenteral formulations of antiretrovirals could facilitate maintenance and prophylactic treatment in HIV. Using the poorly water- and oil-soluble non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI) TMC278 (rilpivirine) as base or hydrochloride (HCl), nanosuspensions were prepared by wet milling (Elan NanoCrystal technology) in an aqueous carrier. Laser diffraction showed that the average particles size were (1) close to the targeted size proportionality (200-400-800 nm), with increasing distributions the larger the average particle size, and (2) were stable over 6 months.

Improved bioavailability of darunavir by use of kappa-carrageenan versus microcrystalline cellulose as pelletisation aid.

The aim of this study was to produce pellet formulations containing a high drug load (80%) of the poorly soluble HIV-protease inhibitor darunavir, using wet extrusion/spheronization with kappa-carrageenan or microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) as pelletization aid. Drug release was assessed in vitro by a standardized paddle-dissolution test and in vivo by a single-dose pharmacokinetic study in dogs. Mean dissolution time (MDT) was 78.

Powder for reconstitution of the anti-HIV-1 drug TMC278 - Formulation development, stability and animal studies.

Powders for reconstitution of the next-generation non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI) TMC278 with low water solubility were developed by using a spray-dry technology. Their flexible dosing ability makes them suitable for patients looking for a different approach for antiretroviral (ARV) therapy. The selection of formulation excipients was based on their potential to create and maintain supersaturation solubility of TMC278 in 0.

Development of an implantable infusion pump for sustained anti-HIV drug administration.

Factors such as insufficient drug potency, non-compliance and restricted tissue penetration contribute to incomplete suppression of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and the difficulty to control this infection. Infusion via standard catheters can be a source of infection, which is potentially life threatening in these patients. We developed an implantable infusion pump, allowing to accommodate large volumes (16-50mL) of high viscous solutions (up to 23.

Correlations between factors determining the pharmacokinetics and antiviral activity of HIV-1 non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors of the diaryltriazine and diarylpyrimidine classes of compounds.

Objective: To investigate the important factors that determine the bioavailability and the antiviral activity of the diaryltriazine (DATA) and diarylpyrimidine (DAPY) non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs) of HIV-1 in animal species and humans using cell-based assays, physicochemical and computed parameters.

Methods: This naturalistic study included 15 parameters ranging from molecular mechanics calculations to phase I clinical trials. The calculated parameters were solvent-accessible surface area (SASA), polar surface area and Gibbs free energy of solvation.

TMC125 exerts similar initial antiviral potency as a five-drug, triple class antiretroviral regimen.

Objective: TMC125, a next generation, non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI), demonstrated a remarkable decline of plasma HIV-1 RNA during a phase IIa study. We compared the initial rate of decline of plasma HIV-1 RNA achieved by TMC125 monotherapy with that of a triple class, five-drug regimen, containing drugs from all three currently licensed classes (zidovudine, lamivudine, abacavir, indinavir and nevirapine).

Methods: The decline in plasma HIV-1 RNA of 12 HIV-1 infected, antiretroviral (ART) naive patients treated for 1 week with TMC125 monotherapy was compared with that observed in the ERA study (n = 11).

A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of TMC125 as 7-day monotherapy in antiretroviral naive, HIV-1 infected subjects.

Objective: To evaluate antiviral activity, tolerability, safety and pharmacokinetics of treatment with TMC125 (a non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor), 900 mg twice daily for 7 days.

Design: Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase IIA clinical trial.

Setting: Two hospital clinics in Moscow and St Petersburg, Russian Federation.