1. Optimizing Hydroxychloroquine Dosing for Patients With COVID‐19: An Integrative Modeling Approach for Effective Drug Repurposing
- Author
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Belén P. Solans, Jacqueline P Ernest, Erika Wallender, Anne F Luetkemeyer, Maria Garcia-Cremades, Francesca T. Aweeka, Radojka M. Savic, and Emma Hughes
- Subjects
Oncology ,Biomedical ,Azithromycin ,Virus Replication ,030226 pharmacology & pharmacy ,0302 clinical medicine ,Models ,Pharmacology (medical) ,Pharmacology & Pharmacy ,Translational Medical Research ,Lung ,education.field_of_study ,Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences ,Viral Load ,SARS Virus ,Infectious Diseases ,Severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus ,5.1 Pharmaceuticals ,030220 oncology & carcinogenesis ,6.1 Pharmaceuticals ,Development of treatments and therapeutic interventions ,Coronavirus Infections ,Infection ,Viral load ,medicine.drug ,Hydroxychloroquine ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Population ,QT interval ,Antiviral Agents ,Article ,03 medical and health sciences ,Betacoronavirus ,Rare Diseases ,Pharmacokinetics ,Internal medicine ,Translational Research ,medicine ,Humans ,Dosing ,education ,Pharmacology ,business.industry ,SARS-CoV-2 ,Research ,Drug Repositioning ,COVID-19 ,Reproducibility of Results ,Evaluation of treatments and therapeutic interventions ,Biological ,Pharmacometrics ,COVID-19 Drug Treatment ,Good Health and Well Being ,business - Abstract
Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) is a promising candidate for Coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) treatment. The optimal dosing of HCQ is unknown. Our goal was to integrate historic and emerging pharmacological and toxicity data to understand safe and efficacious HCQ dosing strategies for COVID-19 treatment. The data sources included were (i) longitudinal clinical, pharmacokinetic (PK), and virologic data from patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection who received HCQ with or without azithromycin (n=116), (ii) in vitro viral replication data and SARS-CoV-2 viral load inhibition by HCQ, (iii) a population PK model of HCQ, and (iv) a model relating chloroquine PKs to corrected QT (QTc) prolongation. A mechanistic PK/virologic/QTc model for HCQ was developed and externally validated to predict SARS-CoV-2 rate of viral decline and QTc prolongation. SARS-CoV-2 viral decline was associated with HCQ PKs (P400mg b.i.d. for ≥5days were predicted to rapidly decrease viral loads, reduce the proportion of patients with detectable SARS-CoV-2 infection, and shorten treatment courses, compared with lower dose (≤400mg daily) regimens. However, HCQ doses >600mg b.i.d. were also predicted to prolong QTc intervals. This prolongation may have clinical implications warranting further safety assessment. Due to COVID-19's variable natural history, lower dose HCQ regimens may be indistinguishable from controls. Evaluation of higher HCQ doses is needed to ensure adequate safety and efficacy.
- Published
- 2020