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Aim: The aim was to investigate the effects of lotiglipron, a once‐daily, oral small‐molecule glucagon‐like peptide‐1 (GLP‐1) receptor agonist, in participants with type 2 diabetes (T2D) or obesity. Materials and Methods: A phase 2, randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled, dose‐ranging study investigated the efficacy and safety of lotiglipron. The study was terminated early for safety reasons after routine data and monitoring review. The planned analyses for the end points were modified prior to unblinding the study. Results: In total, 901 participants were treated with at least one dose of the study drug (T2D cohort: n = 512, obesity cohort: n = 389). Although the majority of participants who were randomly assigned to higher doses did not reach their target maintenance dose, statistically significant changes in HbA1c and body weight were observed. In the T2D cohort, reductions in HbA1c were observed across all lotiglipron doses at week 16 (p < 0.0001), with least squares mean decreases up to −1.44% (90% confidence interval [CI]: −1.63, −1.26) (lotiglipron 80 mg), versus placebo, −0.07% (90% CI: −0.25, 0.11). In the obesity cohort, decreases in body weight were observed across all lotiglipron doses at week 20 (p < 0.01), up to −7.47% (90% CI: −8.50, −6.43) (lotiglipron 200 mg, five‐step titration), versus placebo, −1.84% (90% CI: −2.85, −0.83). Across cohorts, the most frequently reported treatment‐emergent adverse events were gastrointestinal related (most mild to moderate severity), with nausea being the most common (ranging from 4% [placebo] to 28.8% [80 mg] in the T2D cohort and 12.5% [placebo] to 60.6% [200 mg, four‐step titration] in the obesity cohort). Transaminase elevations were observed in a subset of participants (6.6% and 6.0% of participants on lotiglipron in the T2D and obesity cohorts, respectively, compared with 1.6% on placebo in the obesity cohort). Conclusions: The efficacy (HbA1c and/or body weight) of a range of lotiglipron doses was demonstrated in T2D and obesity cohorts. The safety profile was largely consistent with what has been previously known about the mechanism of action. Our results are unique in reporting elevations in liver transaminases in a subset of participants treated with lotiglipron, with attempts to identify the at‐risk population unsuccessful and therefore clinical development of lotiglipron terminated. ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT05579977. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To investigate the effects of lotiglipron (PF‐07081532), a once‐daily, oral small‐molecule glucagon‐like peptide‐1 receptor agonist, in participants with type 2 diabetes (T2D) and/or obesity. Materials and Methods: Two Phase 1 randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled, multiple‐ascending‐dose studies were conducted to investigate the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of lotiglipron. Results: Across the studies, 74 participants with T2D were treated for 28 or 42 days, and 26 participants with obesity without diabetes were treated for 42 days, following randomization to placebo or lotiglipron (target doses 10–180 mg/day, with dose titration to higher target doses). Most adverse events were mild (89.6%), with nausea the most frequently reported in both studies. There were no clinically meaningful adverse trends noted in safety laboratory tests, vital signs, or electrocardiogram parameters. In participants with T2D, lotiglipron resulted in dose‐dependent reductions in mean daily glucose. The 180‐mg dose was associated with least squares mean decreases from baseline in glycated haemoglobin (−1.61% [90% confidence interval {CI} –2.08, −1.14] vs. −0.61% [−1.56, 0.34] for placebo) and body weight (−5.10 kg [90% CI –6.62, −3.58] vs. −2.06 kg [90% CI –4.47, 0.36] for placebo) after 42 days; a similar magnitude of weight loss was seen in participants with obesity. The observed pharmacokinetic profile supported once‐daily dosing. Conclusions: The profile of once‐daily lotiglipron with doses up to 180 mg, as observed in these two Phase 1 studies, indicated a safety and tolerability profile consistent with the mechanism of action, with dose‐dependent reductions in glycaemic indices (T2D) and body weight (both populations) after multiple doses. Clinicaltrials.gov identifier: NCT04305587, NCT05158244. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PF‐06817024 is a high affinity, humanized antibody that binds interleukin‐33, a proinflammatory type 2 cytokine, and thereby has the potential to inhibit downstream type 2 inflammation. This Phase 1, randomized, placebo‐controlled study was conducted in 3 parts to evaluate the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics (PK), immunogenicity, and pharmacodynamics of escalating single and limited repeat PF‐06817024 doses in healthy participants (Part 1), a single dose of PF‐06817024 in participants with chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (Part 2), and repeat doses of PF‐06817024 in participants with moderate to severe atopic dermatitis (atoptic dermatitis; Part 3). PF‐06817024 was generally well tolerated in all participant populations. Most participants experienced a treatment‐emergent adverse event (healthy participants, 78.4% and 100%; participants with chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps, 90.9% and 88.9%; and participants with atoptic dermatitis, 60.0% and 62.5% in the PF‐06817024 and placebo groups, respectively). No substantial deviations from dose proportionality were observed for single intravenous doses of 10‐1000 mg, indicating linear PK in healthy participants. Mean terminal half‐life ranged from 83 to 94 days after single intravenous administration in healthy participants and was similar to that observed after administration in the studied patient populations. Incidences of antidrug antibodies in the studied populations were 10.8%, 9.1%, and 5.0% for healthy participants, participants with chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps, and participants with atoptic dermatitis, respectively. In addition, dose‐dependent increases were observed in total serum interleukin‐33 levels of treated participants, indicating target engagement. Overall, the PK and safety profile of PF‐06817024 supports further investigation of the drug as a potential treatment for allergic diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To evaluate the tolerability, safety and pharmacodynamics of different dose‐escalation schemes of the oral small‐molecule glucagon‐like peptide‐1 receptor (GLP‐1R) agonist danuglipron. Materials and Methods: This Phase 2a, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled, parallel‐group study randomly assigned adults with type 2 diabetes (T2D) treated with metformin to placebo or danuglipron (low [5‐mg] or high [10‐mg] starting dose, with 1‐ or 2‐week dose‐escalation steps, to target doses of 80, 120 or 200 mg twice daily [BID]) and adults with obesity without diabetes to placebo or danuglipron 200 mg BID. Results: Participants with T2D (n = 123, mean glycated haemoglobin [HbA1c] 8.19%) or obesity without diabetes (n = 28, mean body mass index 37.3 kg/m2) were randomly assigned and treated. Discontinuation from study medication occurred in 27.3% to 72.7% of participants across danuglipron groups versus 16.7% to 18.8% for placebo, most often due to adverse events. Nausea (20.0%‐47.6% of participants across danuglipron groups vs. 12.5% for placebo) and vomiting (18.2%‐40.9% danuglipron vs. 12.5% placebo, respectively) were most commonly reported in participants with T2D. Gastrointestinal adverse events were generally related to danuglipron target dose and were not substantially affected by starting dose. In participants with T2D, least squares mean changes from baseline in HbA1c (−1.04% to −1.57% across danuglipron groups vs. −0.32% for placebo), fasting plasma glucose (−23.34 mg/dL to −53.94 mg/dL danuglipron vs. −13.09 mg/dL placebo) and body weight (−1.93 to −5.38 kg danuglipron vs. −0.42 kg placebo) at Week 12 were generally statistically significant for danuglipron compared with placebo (P < 0.05). Conclusions: Danuglipron resulted in statistically significant reductions in HbA1c, FPG and body weight over 12 weeks, in the setting of higher discontinuation rates and incidence of gastrointestinal adverse events with higher target doses. Clinicaltrials.gov identifier: NCT04617275. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To develop a population physiologically-based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) model for simvastatin (SV) and its active metabolite, simvastatin acid (SVA), that allows extrapolation and prediction of their concentration profiles in liver (efficacy) and muscle (toxicity). Methods: SV/SVA plasma concentrations (34 healthy volunteers) were simultaneously analysed with NONMEM 7.2. The implemented mechanistic model has a complex compartmental structure allowing inter-conversion between SV and SVA in different tissues. Prior information for model parameters was extracted from different sources to construct appropriate prior distributions that support parameter estimation. The model was employed to provide predictions regarding the effects of a range of clinically important conditions on the SV and SVA disposition. Results: The developed model offered a very good description of the available plasma SV/SVA data. It was also able to describe previously observed effects of an OATP1B1 polymorphism (c.521 T > C) and a range of drug-drug interactions (CYP inhibition) on SV/SVA plasma concentrations. The predicted SV/SVA liver and muscle tissue concentrations were in agreement with the clinically observed efficacy and toxicity outcomes of the investigated conditions. Conclusions: A mechanistically sound SV/SVA population model with clinical applications ( e.g., assessment of drug-drug interaction and myopathy risk) was developed, illustrating the advantages of an integrated population PBPK approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intestinal disposition of small molecules involves interplay of drug metabolizing enzymes (DMEs), transporters, and host-microbiome interactions, which has spurred the development of in vitro intestinal models derived from primary tissue sources. Such models have been bioengineered from intestinal crypts, mucosal extracts, induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived organoids, and human intestinal tissue. This minireview discusses the utility and limitations of these human-derived models in support of small molecule drug metabolism and disposition. Enteroids from human intestinal crypts, organoids derived from iPSCs using growth factors or small molecule compounds, and enterocytes extracted from mucosal scrapings show key absorptive cell morphology while are limited in quantitative applications due to the lack of accessibility to the apical compartment, the lack of monolayers, or low expression of key DMEs, transporters, and nuclear hormone receptors. Despite morphogenesis to epithelial cells, similar challenges have been reported by more advanced technologies that have explored the impact of flow and mechanical stretch on proliferation and differentiation of Caco-2 cells. Most recently, bioengineered human intestinal epithelial or ileal cells have overcome many of the challenges, as the DME and transporter expression pattern resembles that of native intestinal tissue. Engineering advances may improve such models to support longer-term applications and meet end-user needs. Biochemical characterization and transcriptomic, proteomic, and functional endpoints of emerging novel intestinal models, when referenced to native human tissue, can provide greater confidence and increased utility in drug discovery and development., (Copyright © 2018 by The American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics.)

Microphysiological systems (MPSs) are in vitro models that capture facets of in vivo organ function through use of specialized culture microenvironments, including 3D matrices and microperfusion. Here, we report an approach to co-culture multiple different MPSs linked together physiologically on re-useable, open-system microfluidic platforms that are compatible with the quantitative study of a range of compounds, including lipophilic drugs. We describe three different platform designs - "4-way", "7-way", and "10-way" - each accommodating a mixing chamber and up to 4, 7, or 10 MPSs. Platforms accommodate multiple different MPS flow configurations, each with internal re-circulation to enhance molecular exchange, and feature on-board pneumatically-driven pumps with independently programmable flow rates to provide precise control over both intra- and inter-MPS flow partitioning and drug distribution. We first developed a 4-MPS system, showing accurate prediction of secreted liver protein distribution and 2-week maintenance of phenotypic markers. We then developed 7-MPS and 10-MPS platforms, demonstrating reliable, robust operation and maintenance of MPS phenotypic function for 3 weeks (7-way) and 4 weeks (10-way) of continuous interaction, as well as PK analysis of diclofenac metabolism. This study illustrates several generalizable design and operational principles for implementing multi-MPS "physiome-on-a-chip" approaches in drug discovery.