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A sensitive method using enantiospecific liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry detection for the quantitation of S- and R-mephenytoin as well as its metabolites S- and R-nirvanol and S- and R-4'-hydroxymephenytoin in plasma and urine has been developed and validated. Plasma samples were prepared by protein precipitation with acetonitrile, while urine samples were diluted twice with the mobile phase before injection. The analytes were then separated on a chiral alpha(1)-acid glycoprotein (AGP) column and thereafter detected, using electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry. In plasma, the lower limit of quantification (LLOQ) was 1 ng/mL for S- and R-4'-hydroxymephenytoin and S-nirvanol and 3 ng/mL for R-nirvanol and S- and R-mephenytoin. In urine, the LLOQ was 3 ng/mL for all compounds. Resulting plasma and urine intra-day precision values (CV) were

The population pharmacokinetics (PK) of lopinavir in tuberculosis (TB)/human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) co-infected South African children taking super-boosted lopinavir (lopinavir/ritonavir ratio 1:1) as part of antiretroviral treatment in the presence of rifampicin were compared with the population PK of lopinavir in HIV-infected South African children taking standard doses of lopinavir/ritonavir (ratio 4:1).Lopinavir concentrations were measured in 15 TB/HIV-co-infected paediatric patients who were sampled during and after rifampicin-based TB treatment and in 15 HIV-infected children without TB. During TB therapy, the dose of ritonavir was increased to lopinavir/ritonavir 1:1 in order to compensate for the induction of rifampicin. The children received median (interquartile range=IQR) doses of lopinavir 292 mg/m(2) (274, 309) and ritonavir 301 mg/m(2) (286, 309) twice daily. After TB treatment completion the children received standard doses of lopinavir/ritonavir 4:1 (median [IQR] lopinavir dose 289 mg/m(2) [286, 303] twice daily) as did those without TB (median [IQR] lopinavir dose 265 mg/m(2) [249, 289] twice daily).Lopinavir oral clearance (CL/F) was about 30% lower in children without TB than in co-infected children treated with super-boosted lopinavir. However, the predicted lopinavir C(min) was above the recommended minimum therapeutic concentration during TB/HIV co-treatment in the 15 children. Lopinavir CL/F increased linearly during the dosing interval.Increasing the ritonavir dose to achieve a lopinavir/ritonavir ratio of 1:1 when given in combination with rifampicin-based TB treatment did not completely compensate for the enhancement of lopinavir CL/F caused by rifampicin. The time-dependent lopinavir CL/F might be due to a time-dependent recovery from ritonavir inhibition of lopinavir metabolism during the dosing interval.

The aim was to develop a model to describe the population pharmacokinetics of nevirapine in South African human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients who were taking nevirapine-based antiretroviral therapy concomitantly or in the absence of rifampicin-based tuberculosis therapy.Patients were divided into two groups: (1) patients receiving nevirapine-containing antiretroviral regimen (200 mg twice daily) and continuation phase rifampicin-containing tuberculosis therapy (n = 27) in whom blood samples were obtained before and not less than 14 days after they completed tuberculosis therapy; (2) patients without tuberculosis who were receiving a nevirapine-containing antiretroviral regimen for at least 3 weeks (n = 26). The population pharmacokinetics of nevirapine was described using nonlinear mixed effects modelling with NONMEM software. Based on the developed model, plasma concentration profiles after 300, 400 and 500 mg of nevirapine twice daily were simulated.Concomitant administration of rifampicin increased nevirapine oral clearance (CL/F) by 37.4% and reduced the absorption rate constant (k(a)) by almost sixfold. Rifampicin reduced the nevirapine average minimum concentration by 39%. Simulated doses of 300 mg twice daily elevated nevirapine concentrations above subtherapeutic levels in most patients, with minimum exposure above the recommended maximum concentration. The area under the concentration-time curve of 12-hydroxynevirapine was not different in the presence of rifampicin. 2-, 3- and 8-Hydroxynevirapine were not detectable (LLOQ = 0.025 mg/L).The developed model adequately describes nevirapine population pharmacokinetics in a South African population when taken with/and in the absence of rifampicin treatment. The simulations suggest that an increased dose of 300 mg twice daily would achieve adequate nevirapine concentrations in most patients during rifampicin-containing treatment for tuberculosis.

The study aim was to assess the inductive properties of artemisinin antimalarials using mephenytoin as a probe for CYP2B6 and CYP2C19 enzymatic activity. The population pharmacokinetics of S-mephenytoin and its metabolites S-nirvanol and S-4'-hydroxymephenytoin, including enzyme turn-over models for induction, were described by nonlinear mixed effects modeling. Rich data (8-16 samples/occasion/subject) were collected from 14 healthy volunteers who received mephenytoin before and during ten days of artemisinin administration. Sparse data (3 samples/occasion/subject) were collected from 74 healthy volunteers who received mephenytoin before, during and after five days administration of artemisinin, dihydroartemisinin, arteether, artemether or artesunate. The production rate of CYP2B6 was increased 79.7% by artemisinin, 61.5% by arteether, 76.1% by artemether, 19.9% by dihydroartemisinin and 16.9% by artesunate. The production rate of CYP2C19 increased 51.2% by artemisinin, 14.8% by arteether and 24.9% by artemether. In conclusion, all studied artemisinin derivatives induced CYP2B6. CYP2C19 induction by arteether and artemether as well as CYP2B6 and CYP2C19 induction by artemisinin was confirmed. The inductive capacity is different among the artemisinin drugs, which is of importance when selecting drugs to be used in antimalarial combination therapy such that the potential for drug-drug interactions is minimized.

The aim of this study was to investigate which principal human cytochrome P450 (CYP450) enzymes are affected by artemisinin and to what degree the artemisinin derivatives differ with respect to their respective induction and inhibition capacity. Seventy-five healthy adults were randomized to receive therapeutic oral doses of artemisinin, dihydroartemisinin, arteether, artemether or artesunate for 5 days (days 1-5). A six-drug cocktail consisting of caffeine, coumarin, mephenytoin, metoprolol, chlorzoxazone and midazolam was administered orally on days -6, 1, 5 and 10 to assess the activities of CYP1A2, CYP2A6, CYP2C19, CYP2D6, CYP2E1 and CYP3A, respectively. Four-hour plasma concentrations of parent drugs and corresponding metabolites and 7-hydroxycoumarin urine concentrations were quantified by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. The 1-hydroxymidazolam/midazolam 4-h plasma concentration ratio (CYP3A) was increased on day 5 by artemisinin [2.66-fold (98.75% CI: 2.10-3.36)], artemether [1.54 (1.14-2.09)] and dihydroartemisinin [1.25 (1.06-1.47)] compared with day -6. The S-4'-hydroxymephenytoin/S-mephenytoin ratio (CYP2C19) was increased on day 5 by artemisinin [1.69 (1.47-1.94)] and arteether [1.33 (1.15-1.55)] compared with day -6. The paraxanthine/caffeine ratio (CYP1A2) was decreased on day 1 after administration of artemisinin [0.27 (0.18-0.39)], arteether [0.70 (0.55-0.89)] and dihydroartemisinin [0.73 (0.59-0.90)] compared with day -6. The alpha-hydroxymetoprolol/metoprolol ratio (CYP2D6) was lower on day 1 compared with day -6 in the artemisinin [0.82 (0.70-0.96)] and dihydroartemisinin [0.83 (0.71-0.96)] groups, respectively. In the artemisinin-treated subjects this decrease was followed by a 1.34-fold (1.14-1.58) increase from day 1 to day 5. These results show that intake of artemisinin antimalarials affect the activities of several principal human drug metabolizing CYP450 enzymes. Even though not significant in all treatment groups, changes in the individual metrics were of the same direction for all the artemisinin drugs, suggesting a class effect that needs to be considered in the development of new artemisinin derivatives and combination treatments of malaria.