Publications by authors named "Pithavala Y"

As development of new oncology small molecule therapies is focused mainly on molecularly targeted agents, the dose selection paradigm has shifted from the maximum tolerated dose (MTD)-based approach traditionally utilized with cytotoxic drugs towards determining an optimal dose with long-term tolerability while maintaining efficacy. To assess overall tolerability in recently approved oncology small molecules, we surveyed 54 compounds approved by the FDA since March 2017 with respect to dose intensity, dose modifications, and treatment emergent adverse events (TEAEs). Of the 54 new molecular entities surveyed, only 15 were approved at a label dose equal to the MTD (Label Dose = MTD).

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  • The landscape of oncology drug development has improved significantly, leading to better patient outcomes and quality of life, particularly through initiatives like Project Optimus by the FDA.
  • Project Optimus aims to reform how drug doses are selected in oncology, shifting the focus from maximum tolerated doses to more personalized strategies that consider disease and patient specifics.
  • The Oncology Dose Optimization IQ Working Group emphasizes the need for a tailored, evidence-based approach to dose optimization, acknowledging industry's challenges and advocating for strategies that adapt to various factors in cancer treatment.
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  • - The study investigated how lorlatinib, a drug for lung cancer, affects certain metabolic enzymes and transporters in the body, specifically CYP2B6, CYP2C9, UGT, and P-glycoprotein (P-gp).
  • - In a clinical trial with 32 patients, lorlatinib reduced the effectiveness of several probe drugs, with the most significant impact on the P-gp substrate fexofenadine, showing decreases of 67% in overall exposure and 63% in peak concentration.
  • - The results indicate that lorlatinib moderately induces P-gp and slightly affects CYP2B6, CYP2C9, and UGT, suggesting that patients on lorlatinib should
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Although rifampin drug-drug interaction (DDI) studies are routinely conducted, there have been instances of liver function test (LFT) elevations, warranting further evaluation. A literature review was conducted to identify studies in which combination with rifampin resulted in hepatic events and evaluate any similarities. Over 600 abstracts and manuscripts describing rifampin DDI studies were first evaluated, of which 30 clinical studies reported LFT elevations.

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Lorlatinib is a third-generation, brain-penetrant anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) and c-ros oncogene 1 (ROS1) tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) with robust intracranial activity in patients with ALK- or ROS1-positive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Data from the ongoing open-label, single-arm, multicenter, phase-1/2 study of lorlatinib in patients with metastatic ALK- or ROS1-positive NSCLC were used to further investigate the potential brain penetration of lorlatinib. Patients received escalating lorlatinib doses (10-200 mg once daily or 35-100 mg twice daily) or the approved dosing (100 mg daily).

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  • Lorlatinib, a drug for ALK-positive metastatic non-small cell lung cancer, was studied to assess its safety and pharmacokinetics in patients with different levels of renal impairment.
  • The study involved 29 participants divided into groups based on their renal function, and the results showed that lorlatinib was generally well tolerated, with no serious adverse events reported.
  • It was found that dose adjustments are not needed for mild and moderate renal impairment, but those with severe renal impairment should reduce the dose from 100 mg to 75 mg daily.
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Purpose: Lorlatinib is a third-generation tyrosine kinase inhibitor currently approved for the treatment of anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK)-positive metastatic non-small cell lung cancer. This open-label, phase 1, randomized two-sequence, two-treatment, two-period, crossover study investigated the absolute oral bioavailability of lorlatinib in healthy participants.

Methods: Eligible participants were randomized to receive two treatments in one of two sequences: lorlatinib 100 mg single oral dose followed by lorlatinib 50 mg intravenous (IV) dose, or lorlatinib IV dose followed by lorlatinib oral dose, each with at least a 10-day washout between successive lorlatinib doses.

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Lorlatinib is approved worldwide as treatment for anaplastic lymphoma kinase-positive and c-ros oncogene 1-positive non-small cell lung cancer. The objectives of this phase 1, open-label crossover study (NCT02569554) in healthy adult participants were to determine (1) the effects of the proton pump inhibitor (PPI) rabeprazole on lorlatinib pharmacokinetics (PK), (2) the effects of a high-fat meal on lorlatinib PK, and (3) the relative bioavailability of an oral solution to tablet formulation of lorlatinib under fasted conditions. Participants were followed on-study for ≥50 days after the first dose of lorlatinib.

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Lorlatinib is a potent small-molecule anaplastic lymphoma kinase inhibitor approved for the treatment of patients with nonsmall cell lung cancer. In a drug-drug interaction study in healthy human participants, liver enzyme elevations were observed when a single 100 mg dose of lorlatinib was administered after multiple doses of rifampin, a strong cytochrome P450 (CYP) 3A inducer and a pregnane X receptor (PXR) agonist. A series of in vitro and in vivo studies were conducted to evaluate potential mechanisms for the observed clinical toxicity.

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Background: Lorlatinib demonstrated efficacy (including intracranial activity) in patients with anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK)-positive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in a phase I/II study (NCT01970865).

Background And Objective: This analysis describes the pharmacokinetics (PK) of lorlatinib following single and multiple dosing.

Methods: This ongoing, multicenter, open-label, single-arm, phase I/II trial enrolled patients with ALK-positive or c-ros oncogene 1 (ROS1)-positive advanced NSCLC.

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Background And Objective: Lorlatinib is a third-generation tyrosine kinase inhibitor approved for the second-line treatment of patients with advanced anaplastic lymphoma kinase-positive non-small cell lung cancer. Lorlatinib is metabolized by cytochrome P450 (CYP) 3A and contraindicated with strong CYP3A inducers because of significant transaminase elevation. This phase I, open-label, two-period study evaluated the impact of a moderate CYP3A inducer, modafinil, on the safety and pharmacokinetics of lorlatinib.

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Lorlatinib, a selective inhibitor of anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) and c-ROS oncogene 1 (ROS1) tyrosine kinase, is indicated for the treatment of ALK-positive metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) following progression on crizotinib and at least one other ALK inhibitor, or alectinib/ceritinib as the first ALK inhibitor therapy for metastatic disease. The population pharmacokinetics (PopPK) of lorlatinib was conducted by nonlinear mixed effects modeling of data from 330 patients with ALK-positive or ROS1-positive NSCLC and 95 healthy participants from six phase I studies in healthy volunteers; demographic, metabolizer phenotype, and patient prognostic factors were evaluated as covariates. Lorlatinib plasma PK was well-characterized by a two-compartment model with sequential zero-order and first-order absorption and a time-varying induction of clearance.

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While an initial clinical absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion (ADME) study (Study 1; N = 6) with 100 mg/100 µCi [ C]lorlatinib, radiolabeled on the carbonyl carbon, confirmed that the primary metabolic pathways for lorlatinib are oxidation (N-demethylation, N-oxidation) and N-glucuronidation, it also revealed an unanticipated, intramolecular cleavage metabolic pathway of lorlatinib, yielding a major circulating benzoic acid metabolite (M8), and an unlabeled pyrido-pyrazole substructure. Concerns regarding the fate of unknown metabolites associated with this intramolecular cleavage pathway led to conduct of a second ADME study (Study 2; N = 6) of identical design but with the radiolabel positioned on the pyrazole ring. Results were similar with respect to the overall mass balance, lorlatinib plasma exposures, and metabolic profiles in excreta for the metabolites that retained the radiolabel in both studies.

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Article Synopsis
  • Lorlatinib is a third-generation ALK/ROS1 tyrosine kinase inhibitor that effectively crosses the blood-brain barrier and is being studied for ALK-positive non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients previously treated with ALK TKIs.
  • A phase II study analyzed 198 patients' progression, separating cases into central nervous system (CNS) and non-CNS progression, using a competing risks approach.
  • Results indicated that lorlatinib demonstrated significant intracranial efficacy, with lower cumulative incidence rates of CNS progression compared to non-CNS progression in patients with and without pre-existing CNS metastases.
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Introduction: Lorlatinib is a third-generation tyrosine kinase inhibitor approved for the treatment of anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK)-positive metastatic non-small cell lung cancer; cytochrome P450 (CYP) 3A plays an important role in the metabolism of lorlatinib.

Methods: This phase 1, open-label, two-period, crossover study estimated the effect of oral rifampin (a strong CYP3A inducer) on the pharmacokinetics and safety of oral lorlatinib (NCT02804399). Healthy participants received single-dose lorlatinib 100 mg in period 1 followed by rifampin 600 mg/day (days 1-12) and single-dose lorlatinib 100 mg (day 8) in period 2.

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Background The third-generation tyrosine kinase inhibitor lorlatinib is approved for the treatment of ALK-positive metastatic NSCLC. CYP3A plays a major role in lorlatinib metabolism; therefore, a drug-drug interaction study was warranted to evaluate the impact of the strong CYP3A inhibitor, itraconazole, on lorlatinib plasma exposure. Methods This phase 1, open-label, 2-period, crossover study estimated the effects of itraconazole on the plasma pharmacokinetics and safety of lorlatinib in healthy participants (NCT02838264).

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Purpose: Axitinib, a tyrosine kinase inhibitor targeting vascular endothelial growth factor receptors 1-3, is approved for second-line treatment of advanced renal cell carcinoma. Axitinib is partially metabolized by cytochrome P450 1A2, which is induced by chronic heavy smoking. The effect of smoking on axitinib pharmacokinetics was evaluated in a non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patient population with a large number of active and ex-smokers.

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A mixed effect model describing median overall survival (mOS) in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (aHCC) treated with antiangiogenic therapy (AAT) was developed from literature data. Data were extracted from 59 studies, representing 4,813 patients. The final model included estimates of mOS after AAT (8.

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Background: Axitinib, an inhibitor of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) receptors, is approved as second-line treatment for advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Agents targeting the VEGF pathway may induce renal toxicities, which may be influenced by pre-existing renal dysfunction.

Objective: The objective was to characterize axitinib pharmacokinetics and safety in patients with renal impairment.

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Background: In a randomized, double-blind phase II trial in patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC), axitinib versus placebo titration yielded a significantly higher objective response rate. We evaluated pharmacokinetic and blood pressure (BP) data from this study to elucidate relationships among axitinib exposure, BP change, and efficacy.

Patients And Methods: Patients received axitinib 5 mg twice daily during a lead-in period.

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Axitinib, a potent and selective tyrosine kinase inhibitor of vascular endothelial growth factor receptors 1, 2, and 3, showed improved progression-free survival over sorafenib in patients previously treated for advanced renal cell carcinoma in the AXIS trial. Although a few studies had established the efficacy and safety of axitinib in Asian patients, additional evaluation was necessary to obtain regulatory approval in several Asian countries, especially in light of ethnic differences that are known to exist in genetic polymorphisms for metabolizing enzymes such as cytochrome P450 (CYP) 3A5, CYP2C19 and uridine diphosphate glucuronosyltransferase (UGT) 1A1, which are involved in axitinib metabolism. Axitinib plasma pharmacokinetics following single or multiple administration of oral axitinib in Asian (Japanese or Chinese) healthy subjects as well as Asian patients with advanced solid tumors was compared with that obtained in Caucasians.

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Purpose: Axitinib is a potent and selective inhibitor of vascular endothelial growth factor receptors 1-3, approved for second-line treatment of advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Preclinical studies did not indicate potential for axitinib-induced delayed cardiac repolarization.

Methods: The effect of axitinib on corrected QT (QTc) prolongation was evaluated with one-stage concentration-QTc response modeling using data from a definitive randomized crossover QT phase I study in healthy volunteers administered one single 5-mg axitinib dose alone or in the presence of steady-state ketoconazole (400 mg once daily).

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