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Objectives Tadalafil was examined in vitro and in vivo for its ability to affect human cytochrome P450 (CYP) 3A-mediated metabolism. Methods Reversible and mechanism-based inhibition of CYP3A by tadalafil was examined in human liver microsomes. The ability of tadalafil to influence CYP3A activity was also examined in primary cultures of human hepatocytes. The effect of tadalafil on the pharmacokinetics of CYP3A probe substrates was evaluated in human volunteers before and after coadministration with either a single dose or multiple doses of tadalafil (10 or 20 mg). Results Negligible competitive inhibition of CYP3A was observed in vitro. Mechanism-based inhibition of CYP3A was detected, albeit with a low potency. In human hepatocytes, exposure to 1 μmol/L or greater of tadalafil resulted in increased CYP3A protein expression; however, as with a combined effect of induction and inhibition, a corresponding increase in CYP3A activity did not occur. The clinical pharmacokinetics of midazolam and lovastatin, probe substrates of CYP3A, were unaffected by up to 14 days of tadalafil administration (90% confidence intervals for the ratio of least squares means for the pharmacokinetic parameters of tadalafil were contained within the no-effect boundaries of 0.7 to 1.43). Conclusions In vitro results suggested that tadalafil would have little effect on the pharmacokinetics of drugs metabolized by CYP3A. Clinical studies demonstrated that the pharmacokinetics of 2 different CYP3A substrates, midazolam and lovastatin, were virtually unchanged after tadalafil coadministration. Thus therapeutic concentrations of tadalafil do not produce clinically significant changes in the clearance of drugs metabolized by CYP3A. Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics (2005) 77, 63–75; doi: 10.1016/j.clpt.2004.09.006

To evaluate the effects of gender, age, diabetes mellitus, renal and hepatic impairment on tadalafil pharmacokinetics and tolerability.Six single-dose (5, 10 or 20 mg orally) clinical pharmacology studies were conducted in the UK, Belgium, Poland and Germany in healthy male and female subjects, elderly subjects and subjects with diabetes mellitus, renal impairment, end-stage renal failure (ESRF) or hepatic impairment. The gender study also incorporated administration of 10 mg tadalafil daily for 10 days.Systemic exposure in the elderly was 25% greater than in young subjects (mean AUC ratio 1.25; 90% confidence interval 0.972, 1.61). The AUC was 19% lower in subjects with diabetes mellitus than in healthy age/gender-matched controls. Pharmacokinetics in female subjects were essentially similar to those in males. Exposure in subjects with mild or moderate renal insufficiency was approximately twice that in healthy subjects. The mean AUC for the major metabolite (total methylcatechol glucuronide) in the presence of ESRF was three times the mean for healthy subjects. Haemodialysis contributed negligibly to elimination of tadalafil or the metabolite. Hepatic impairment had negligible effects on exposure. The most common adverse events in these six studies were headache, back pain and myalgia. A 10-mg dose was not well tolerated by subjects with moderate renal dysfunction in this study.No clinically significant effect of gender, age, diabetes mellitus or hepatic impairment on tadalafil pharmacokinetics was observed. Renal insufficiency resulted in increased systemic exposure. Tadalafil was not associated with any serious clinically significant adverse events or study discontinuations due to adverse events.