Denosumab dose selection for patients with bone metastases from solid tumors.

Purpose: To quantitatively characterize the longitudinal dose exposure-response [urinary N-telopeptide normalized to urinary creatinine (uNTx/Cr) suppression] relationship for denosumab in patients with bone metastases from solid tumors.

Experimental Design: Data from 373 patients who received denosumab as single or multiple subcutaneous doses ranging from 30 to 180 mg (or 0.01 to 3 mg/kg) administered every 4 or 12 weeks for up to 3 years were used in this analysis. An inhibitory sigmoid I(Max) model was used to characterize the time course of uNTx/Cr as a function of serum denosumab concentrations and the M3 method was used to analyze the 52% of uNTx/Cr values below the limit of quantification in the context of a mixed-effects model. Age, weight, sex, race, and cancer type were evaluated as potential covariates for model parameters. Model-based simulations were undertaken to explore and predict the role of denosumab dose and dosing intervals on uNTx/Cr suppression.

Results: The typical value (between-subject variability; %) for uNTx/Cr at baseline was 49.2 nmol/L/mmol/L (76.8%), denosumab maximal uNTx/Cr suppression (efficacy) was 93.7% (127%), and the denosumab concentration providing half-maximal uNTx/Cr suppression (potency) was 31.8 ng/mL (287%). No effect of covariates on denosumab efficacy and potency was identified. Simulations indicated that a s.c. denosumab dose of 120 mg administered every 4 weeks provides more than 90% suppression of uNTx/Cr in the maximum proportion of patients relative to other every 4- and 12-week doses evaluated.

Conclusions: Over the wide range of dosing regimens examined, a s.c. denosumab dose of 120 mg administered every 4 weeks is the optimal dosing regimen to suppress uNTx/Cr in patients with bone metastases from solid tumors. Clin Cancer Res; 18(9); 2648-57. ©2012 AACR.