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TAK-931, a novel, selective, small-molecule inhibitor of cell division cycle 7 has been investigated in multiple clinical trials in patients with advanced solid tumors. An integrated analysis using data from 2 clinical studies assessed effects of TAK-931 on electrocardiogram QT intervals and heart rate (HR). Pharmacokinetic samples and matched triplicate electrocardiogram data were collected in 48 patients with cancer receiving oral administration of TAK-931 50 or 80 mg once daily. The relationships between TAK-931 plasma concentrations and the HR-corrected QT interval via Fridericia (QTcF) or population (QTcP) and HR were analyzed using linear mixed-effects models with fixed effects for day and time. At the geometric mean maximum TAK-931 plasma concentrations after administration of 50 mg, an HR change of 3.40 beats per minute (90%CI, 1.86-4.80) was predicted. Change in QTcF of -3.41 milliseconds (90%CI, -5.77 to -1.17) and QTcP of -2.02 milliseconds (90%CI, -4.15 to 0.0679) were estimated, indicating there was no effect of TAK-931 on the QT intervals at a recommended phase 2 dose of 50 mg once daily for 14 days in a 21-day cycle., (© 2022 Takeda Development Center Americas, Inc. Clinical Pharmacology in Drug Development published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American College of Clinical Pharmacology.)

A population pharmacokinetic (PK) analysis was conducted to characterize sources of interpatient variability on the PK of TAK-931, a cell division cycle 7 kinase inhibitor, in adult patients with advanced solid tumors using data from 198 patients who received oral TAK-931 over the range of 30 to 150 mg once daily in multiple dosing schedules in 2 phase 1 and 1 phase 2 clinical studies. A 2-compartment model with 2 transit compartments describing the absorption and first-order linear elimination adequately described the PK of TAK-931. The apparent oral clearance (CL/F) of TAK-931 was estimated to be 38 L/h, and the terminal half-life was estimated to be approximately 6 hours. Creatinine clearance (CrCL) was identified as a covariate on CL/F, and body weight as a covariate on CL/F, apparent central volume of distribution, and apparent intercompartmental clearance. Simulations using the final model indicated that the effect of CrCL (≥35 mL/min) or body weight (29.8-127 kg) on TAK-931 systemic exposures was not considered clinically meaningful, suggesting that no dose adjustments were necessary to account for body weight or renal function (CrCL ≥35 mL/min). Sex, age (36-88 years), race, and mild hepatic impairment had no impact on the CL/F of TAK-931. Taken together, the population PK analysis supports the same starting dose of TAK-931 in Asian and Western cancer patients in a global setting., (© 2021 Millennium Pharmaceuticals, Inc. The Journal of Clinical Pharmacology published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American College of Clinical Pharmacology.)

Population pharmacokinetic (PK) and exposure-safety analyses of alisertib were performed in children enrolled in 2 clinical trials: NCT02444884 and NCT01154816. NCT02444884 was a dose-finding study in children with relapsed/refractory solid malignancies (phase 1) or neuroblastomas (phase 2). Patients received oral alisertib 45 to 100 mg/m 2 as powder-in-capsule once daily or twice daily for 7 days in 21-day cycles. Serial blood samples were collected up to 24 hours after dosing on cycle 1, day 1. NCT01154816 was a phase 2 single-arm study evaluating efficacy in children with relapsed/refractory solid malignancies or acute leukemias. Patients received alisertib 80 mg/m 2 as enteric-coated tablets once daily for 7 days in 21-day cycles. Sparse PK samples were collected up to 8 hours after dosing on cycle 1, day 1. Sources of alisertib PK variability were characterized and quantified using nonlinear mixed-effects modeling to support dosing recommendations in children and adolescents. A 2-compartment model with oral absorption described by 3 transit compartments was developed using data from 146 patients. Apparent oral clearance and central distribution volume were correlated with body surface area across the age range of 2 to 21 years, supporting the use of body surface area-based alisertib dosing in the pediatric population. The recommended dose of 80 mg/m 2 once daily enteric-coated tablets provided similar alisertib exposures across pediatric age groups and comparable exposure to that in adults receiving 50 mg twice daily (recommended adult dose). Statistically significant relationships (P < .01) were observed between alisertib exposures and incidence of grade ≥2 stomatitis and febrile neutropenia, consistent with antiproliferative mechanism-related toxicities., (© 2021 Millennium Pharmaceuticals Inc. The Journal of Clinical Pharmacology published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American College of Clinical Pharmacology.)

Machine learning (ML) was used to leverage tumor growth inhibition (TGI) metrics to characterize the relationship with overall survival (OS) as a novel approach and to compare with traditional TGI-OS modeling methods. Historical dataset from a phase III non-small cell lung cancer study (OAK, atezolizumab vs. docetaxel, N = 668) was used. ML methods support the validity of TGI metrics in predicting OS. With lasso, the best model with TGI metrics outperforms the best model without TGI metrics. Boosting was the best linear ML method for this dataset with reduced estimation bias and lowest Brier score, suggesting better prediction accuracy. Random forest did not outperform linear ML methods despite hyperparameter optimization. Kernel machine was marginally the best nonlinear ML method for this dataset and uncovered nonlinear and interaction effects. Nonlinear ML may improve prediction by capturing nonlinear effects and covariate interactions, but its predictive performance and value need further evaluation with larger datasets., (© 2020 Genentech Inc. CPT: Pharmacometrics & Systems Pharmacology published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of the American Society for Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics.)

Aims This two-part, phase I study evaluated the mass balance, excretion, pharmacokinetics and safety of the investigational aurora A kinase inhibitor, alisertib, in three patients with advanced malignancies. Methods Part A; patients received a single 35-mg dose of [ 14 C]-alisertib oral solution (~80 μCi total radioactivity [TRA]). Serial blood, urine, and fecal samples were collected up to 336 h post-dose for alisertib mass balance and pharmacokinetics in plasma and urine by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry, and mass balance/recovery of [ 14 C]-radioactivity in urine and feces by liquid scintillation counting. Part B; patients received non-radiolabeled alisertib 50 mg as enteric-coated tablets twice-daily for 7 days in 21-day cycles. Results In part A, absorption was fast (median plasma T max , 1 h) for alisertib and TRA. Mean plasma t 1/2 for alisertib and TRA were 23.4 and 42.0 h, respectively. Mean plasma alisertib/TRA AUC 0-inf ratio was 0.45, indicating presence of alisertib metabolites in circulation. Mean TRA blood/plasma AUC 0-last ratio was 0.60, indicating preferential distribution of drug-related material in plasma. On average, 87.8% and 2.7% of administered radioactivity was recovered in feces and urine, respectively (total recovery, 90.5% by 14 days post-dose). In part B, patients received a median 3 cycles of alisertib. The most common any-grade adverse events were fatigue and alopecia. Conclusions Findings suggest that alisertib is eliminated mainly via feces, consistent with hepatic metabolism and biliary excretion of drug-related material. Further investigation of alisertib pharmacokinetics in patients with moderate-severe hepatic impairment is warranted to inform dosing recommendations in these patient populations.

Aims: This population pharmacokinetic analysis was conducted to describe quantitatively the regional differences and sources of interpatient variability on the apparent oral clearance of alisertib., Methods: A population pharmacokinetic analysis was performed on data from 671 cancer patients in Western countries and in Japan/East Asia to whom alisertib 5-150 mg once or twice daily (b.i.d.) was administered in multiple dosing schedules. The final model was used to simulate alisertib pharmacokinetics in patients in the West and East Asian regions in the single-agent schedule of 7 days of dosing in a 21-day cycle. Exposure-safety relationships for mechanism-related antiproliferative toxicities (neutropenia, mucositis and diarrhoea) were estimated by logistic regression., Results: Alisertib pharmacokinetics were described by a two-compartment model with four-transit compartment absorption and linear elimination. The final model included a covariate effect of region on relative bioavailability, with patients in the East Asian region estimated to have a 52% higher bioavailability compared with Western patients. Population simulated exposure at 30 mg b.i.d. in patients in Asia was similar to that at 50 mg b.i.d. in Western patients [geometric mean (coefficient of variation) steady state area under the concentration-time curve over the dosing interval (AUC (0-τ) ): 21.4 μM.h (52.3%) and 24.1 μM.h (53.6%), respectively]. Exposure-AE relationships could be described for neutropenia, stomatitis and diarrhoea, supporting the lower dosage of alisertib in Asia for global clinical development., Conclusions: Model-based simulations support the achievement of similar alisertib exposures in patients in Asia who are administered a 40% lower dose compared with the Western population, thereby providing a quantitative clinical pharmacology bridging and regional dosing rationale for global drug development., (© 2017 Takeda Pharmaceuticals. British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of British Pharmacological Society.)

Purpose TAK-733, an investigational, selective, allosteric MEK1/2 inhibitor, has demonstrated antitumor effects against multiple cancer cell lines and xenograft models. This first-in-human study investigated TAK-733 in patients with solid tumors. Methods Patients received oral TAK-733 once daily on days 1-21 in 28-day treatment cycles. Adverse events (AEs) were graded using the Common Terminology Criteria for AEs version 3.0. Response was assessed using RECIST v1.1. Blood samples for TAK-733 pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics (inhibition of ERK phosphorylation) were collected during cycle 1. Results Fifty-one patients received TAK-733 0.2-22 mg. Primary diagnoses included uveal melanoma (24 %), colon cancer (22 %), and cutaneous melanoma (10 %). Four patients had dose-limiting toxicities of dermatitis acneiform, plus fatigue and pustular rash in one patient, and stomatitis in one patient. The maximum tolerated dose was 16 mg. Common drug-related AEs included dermatitis acneiform (51 %), diarrhea (29 %), and increased blood creatine phosphokinase (20 %); grade ≥ 3 AEs were reported in 27 (53 %) patients. Median T max was 3 h; systemic exposure increased less than dose-proportionally over the dose range 0.2-22 mg. On day 21 maximum inhibition of ERK phosphorylation in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of 46-97 % was seen in patients receiving TAK-733 ≥ 8.4 mg. Among 41 response-evaluable patients, 2 (5 %) patients with cutaneous melanoma (one with BRAF L597R mutant melanoma) had partial responses. Conclusions TAK-733 had a generally manageable toxicity profile up to the maximum tolerated dose, and showed the anticipated pharmacodynamic effect of sustained inhibition of ERK phosphorylation. Limited antitumor activity was demonstrated. Further investigation is not currently planned., Competing Interests: Compliance with ethical standards Conflicts of interest AR has acted as a consultant for and has received honoraria from Amgen, Compugen, Flexus, GSK, Genentech, and Merck, and holds stock in Novartis and Kite Pharma. JAS has acted as a consultant for Millennium Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Merck, and Amgen, and has received honorarium from Millennium Pharmaceuticals, Inc. The institution of JAS has also received grants from Bristol-Myers Squibb, GSK, and Millennium Pharmaceuticals, Inc. XZ, SF, RN, MK, EG and VB were employees of Millennium Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited. AAA, PL, AP, and GKD have no conflicts of interest to disclose. Funding The work was supported by Millennium Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Cambridge, MA, USA, a wholly owned subsidiary of Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited. Ethical approval All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. Informed consent Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

Purpose: This phase 1 study assessed the pharmacokinetics (PK), maximum tolerated dose (MTD)/recommended phase 2 dose (RP2D), safety, and preliminary efficacy of the investigational Aurora A kinase inhibitor, alisertib, in East Asian patients with advanced solid tumors or lymphomas., Patients and Methods: Patients received alisertib twice-daily (BID) for 7 days in 21-day cycles. Doses were escalated (3 + 3) from 30 mg BID based on cycle 1 dose-limiting toxicities (DLTs) until the MTD, followed by expansion for PK/safety characterization., Results: Thirty-six patients (61 % Chinese, 36 % Korean, 3 % Malay) received alisertib (30 mg BID, n = 30; 40 mg BID, n = 6; median, 2.5 cycles). Alisertib exposures increased approximately dose proportionally, and mean half-life was 16 h. Geometric mean apparent oral clearance (2.65 L/h) was 40 % lower than previous estimates in Western patients, resulting in approximately 70 % higher mean dose-normalized, steady-state exposures (735 nM*h/mg) in East Asian patients. Two patients experienced DLTs at 40 mg BID (grade 3 stomatitis; grade 4 neutropenia); the MTD/RP2D was 30 mg BID. Common toxicities (grade ≥3 at RP2D) were neutropenia (50 %), diarrhea (13 %), and stomatitis (10 %). One patient with extranodal T-/NK-cell lymphoma (nasal type) achieved a partial response and 18 (51 %) had stable disease., Conclusion: The MTD/RP2D of alisertib in East Asian patients (30 mg BID) was lower than in Western patients (50 mg BID), consistent with higher systemic exposures in the East Asian population. Alisertib was generally well tolerated and showed signs of antitumor activity in East Asian cancer patients.

Objectives: Alisertib (MLN8237) is an investigational, oral, small-molecule, selective inhibitor of Aurora A kinase. Phase I/II studies of powder-in-capsule (PIC) and enteric-coated tablet formulations of alisertib have determined the recommended phase II dose and have demonstrated anti-tumor activity. This phase I relative bioavailability study characterized the pharmacokinetics of a prototype oral solution (OS) of alisertib (developed for patients unable to swallow solid dosage forms) in reference to the PIC formulation in adult cancer patients., Materials and Methods: A safety evaluation was undertaken first following a 3+3 design (OS starting dose, 15 mg). The relative bioavailability of alisertib OS vs. PIC was then evaluated following single dose administration of alisertib OS 25 mg and PIC 50 mg, using a 2-way crossover study design., Results: The relative bioavailability (geometric mean dose-normalized AUCinf ratio) of alisertib OS vs. PIC formulation was 1.26 (90% confidence interval (CI): 1.09-1.47 (OS, n=17; PIC, n=18 evaluable patients)). These results support a distinguishable difference in bioavailability of alisertib between the two formulations (lower bound of 90% CI>1), with an estimated 26% higher total systemic exposure with alisertib OS vs. PIC. Alisertib absorption from OS was faster than from PIC, with a shorter median tmax (OS, 1 hour; PIC, 2 hours) and a geometric mean dose-normalized Cmax ratio (OS vs. PIC) of 1.90 (90% CI: 1.52 - 2.37)., Conclusions: These findings inform the starting dose of alisertib OS to support further clinical evaluation of alisertib in patients unable to swallow solid dosage forms.

We report population pharmacokinetic, pharmacodynamic, and pharmacokinetic-safety analyses to support phase II/III dose/regimen selection of alisertib, a selective Aurora A kinase (AAK) inhibitor. Phase I studies in adult cancer patients evaluated dosing on Days 1-7 in 21-day cycles or Days 1-21 in 35-day cycles, with corresponding maximum tolerated doses of 50 mg twice daily (BID) and 50 mg QD, respectively. Population pharmacokinetic analyses supported dose- and time-linear pharmacokinetics without identification of clinically meaningful covariates. Exposure-related increases in skin mitotic index and decreases in chromosomal alignment/spindle bipolarity in tumor mitotic cells confirmed AAK inhibition. Exposures in the 7-day schedule at or near 50 mg BID are expected to result in tumor AAK inhibition based on pharmacodynamic assessment in patient tumors. Exposure-safety analyses of data from patients receiving doses of 5-200 mg/day in the 7-day schedule support a low (∼7%) predicted incidence of dose-limiting toxicity at 50 mg BID. Taken together, these analyses support a pharmacologically active and acceptably tolerated dose range of alisertib for future clinical development., (© 2014, The American College of Clinical Pharmacology.)

Background: This phase 1b study evaluated an enteric-coated tablet (ECT) formulation of the investigational Aurora A kinase inhibitor, alisertib (MLN8237)., Methods: Patients with advanced, non-hematologic malignancies received oral alisertib ECT for 7 d BID followed by 14 d treatment-free (21-day cycles; 3 + 3 dose escalation schema). Objectives were to assess safety, pharmacokinetics, and antitumor activity, and to define a recommended phase 2 dose (RP2D) of alisertib., Results: 24 patients were treated. Median age was 57 years. Patients received a median of 2 cycles (range 1-12). The RP2D was determined as 50 mg BID for 7 d (21-day cycles). A cycle 1 dose-limiting toxicity of grade 4 febrile neutropenia was observed in 1 of 13 patients at RP2D. The most common drug-related adverse event (AE) was neutropenia (50%). At doses ≥ 40 mg BID, 7 patients had drug-related AEs that were serious but largely reversible/manageable by dose reduction and supportive care, including 3 with febrile neutropenia. Pharmacokinetic data were available in 24 patients. Following administration of alisertib ECT, the plasma peak concentration of alisertib was achieved at ~3 h; systemic exposure increased with increasing dose over 10-60 mg BID. Mean t½ was ~21 h following multiple dosing. Renal clearance was negligible. Nine patients achieved stable disease (3.98*, 5.59, 1.28*, 2.56, 5.45*, 3.48, 3.15, 8.31, and 6.93* months; *censored)., Conclusions: Alisertib ECT was generally well tolerated in adults with advanced, non-hematologic malignancies. The RP2D is 50 mg BID for 7 d and is being evaluated in ongoing phase 2 studies.

Purpose: Amplification or over-expression of the mitotic Aurora A kinase (AAK) has been reported in several heme-lymphatic malignancies. MLN8237 (alisertib) is a novel inhibitor of AAK that is being developed for the treatment of advanced malignancies. The objectives of this phase I study were to establish the safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetic profiles of escalating doses of MLN8237 in patients with relapsed or refractory heme-lymphatic malignancies., Methods: Sequential cohorts of patients received MLN8237 orally as either a powder-in-capsule (PIC) or enteric-coated tablet (ECT) formulation. Patients received MLN8237 PIC 25-90 mg for 14 or 21 consecutive days plus 14 or 7 days' rest, respectively, or MLN8237 ECT, at a starting dose of 40 mg/day once-daily (QD) for 14 days plus 14 days' rest, all in 28-day cycles. Subsequent cohorts received MLN8237 ECT 30-50 mg twice-daily (BID) for 7 days plus 14 days' rest in 21-day cycles., Results: Fifty-eight patients were enrolled (PIC n = 28, ECT n = 30). The most frequent grade ≥3 drug-related toxicities were neutropenia (45 %), thrombocytopenia (28 %), anemia (19 %), and leukopenia (19 %). The maximum tolerated dose on the ECT 7-day schedule was 50 mg BID. The terminal half-life of MLN8237 was approximately 19 h. Six (13 %) patients achieved partial responses and 13 (28 %) stable disease., Conclusion: The recommended phase II dose of MLN8237 ECT is 50 mg BID for 7 days in 21-day cycles, which is currently being evaluated as a single agent in phase II/III trials in patients with peripheral T-cell lymphoma.

Purpose: Aurora A kinase (AAK) is overexpressed in aggressive lymphomas and can correlate with more histologically aggressive forms of disease. We therefore designed a phase II study of alisertib, a selective AAK inhibitor, in patients with relapsed and refractory aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphomas., Patients and Methods: Patients age ≥ 18 years were eligible if they had relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), mantle-cell lymphoma (MCL), transformed follicular lymphoma, Burkitt's lymphoma, or noncutaneous T-cell lymphoma. Alisertib was administered orally at 50 mg twice daily for 7 days in 21-day cycles., Results: We enrolled 48 patients. Histologies included DLBCL (n = 21), MCL (n = 13), peripheral T-cell lymphoma (n = 8), transformed follicular lymphoma (n = 5), and Burkitt's (n = 1). Most common grade 3 to 4 adverse events were neutropenia (63%), leukopenia (54%), anemia (35%), thrombocytopenia (33%), stomatitis (15%), febrile neutropenia (13%), and fatigue (6%). Four deaths during the study were attributed to progressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma (n = 2), treatment-related sepsis (n = 1), and unknown cause (n = 1). The overall response rate was 27%, including responses in three of 21 patients with DLBCL, three of 13 with MCL, one of one with Burkitt's lymphoma, two of five with transformed follicular lymphoma, and four of eight with noncutaneous T-cell lymphoma. The alisertib steady-state trough concentration (n = 25) revealed the expected pharmacokinetic variability, with a trend for higher incidence of adverse event-related dose reductions at higher trough concentrations. Analysis for AAK gene amplification and total AAK protein revealed no differences between histologies or correlation with clinical response., Conclusion: The novel AAK inhibitor alisertib seems clinically active in both B- and T-cell aggressive lymphomas. On the basis of these results, confirmatory single-agent and combination studies have been initiated.

Purpose: BMS-275183 is an oral C-4 methyl carbonate analogue of paclitaxel that has the same mechanism of action, stabilization of tubulin polymerization. The present study was designed to: (i) assess the safety and tolerability of BMS-275183, and (ii) determine a suitable Phase II dose of BMS-275183 when given on a continuous daily schedule to patients with advanced solid tumor(s)., Methods: This was a multi-institutional, open-label, Phase I, single-arm dose escalation study in which cohorts of eligible patients with advanced malignancies were treated with BMS-275183 orally on a continuous daily schedule. The starting dose level was 6 mg/m(2)/day administered once daily. Cohorts of 3 patients were treated at each dose level provided no dose-limiting toxicities (DLTs) were observed. Each cycle of treatment lasted 28 days., Results: Twenty patients were enrolled in dose cohorts ranging from the initial dose level of 6 mg/m(2)/day to 18 mg/m(2)/day. Overall, the most frequent (>20% of patients) treatment-related adverse events (AEs) were nausea (40%), constipation (20%), diarrhea (20%), and fatigue (20%). There were 2 fatal events of neutropenic sepsis one each at the 15 mg/m(2)/day and 18 mg/m(2)/day dose level, respectively. There were no objective responses; 4 of 20 patients experienced stable disease. Pharmacokinetic data indicated no clear correlation between dose and exposure following daily oral administration of BMS-275183 doses between 6 and 18 mg/m(2). Substantial inter-patient variability was observed, and high drug exposure was associated with fatal neutropenic sepsis., Conclusions: BMS-275183 is a novel oral analogue of paclitaxel with high inter-patient variability in exposure. The lack of evidence of clinical benefit and the occurrence of two fatal events of neutropenic sepsis, coupled with high drug exposure, argues against further evaluation of BMS-275183 on a daily dosing schedule.

Purpose: BMS-275183 is a potent oral paclitaxel analogue that previously showed promising activity. The goal of the present trial was to investigate whether food affects the pharmacokinetics of BMS-275183. Additionally, we evaluated its pharmacokinetic variability using flat-fixed dosing compared with dosing individualized by body surface area (BSA)., Patients and Methods: The patients were treated with 200 mg of BMS-275183 under fasting condition (A), after a standard low-fat meal (B), or after a high-fat meal (C). The patients were randomized to one of six treatment sequences (ABC, ACB, BAC, BCA, CAB, or CBA). The fourth (D) and consecutive weekly doses were normalized by BSA and consisted of 200 mg/m(2). Pharmacokinetic sampling was done up to 72 hours after the first four doses and analyzed with a validated liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry assay., Results: A total of 31 patients were treated. Pharmacokinetic data were available for 26 patients (A and C), 24 patients (B), and 21 patients (D). Compared with administration under fasted conditions, a decrease of 39% and 63% in the maximal observed drug concentration was observed when BMS-275183 was administered after a low-fat and a high-fat meal, respectively. There was no change in systemic exposure as measured by the area under the plasma concentration versus time curve extrapolated to infinity (AUC(inf)). No apparent relationship was observed between AUC(inf) and BSA for either the 200 mg or the 200 mg/m(2) regimen. BMS-275183 was well tolerated with grade 3 and 4 toxicity in eight patients. One partial response was observed in a non-small cell lung cancer patient., Conclusions: Food intake does not affect the pharmacologic exposure to BMS-275183. BMS-275183 can be given orally by flat dosing instead of BSA-normalized dosing.

ObjectiveThis study was conducted to characterize the effects of food on single-dose pharmacokinetics (PK) of the investigational Aurora A kinase inhibitor alisertib (MLN8237) in patients with advanced solid tumors.MethodsFollowing overnight fasting for 10 h, a single 50 mg enteric-coated tablet (ECT) of alisertib was administered under either fasted (alisertib with 240 mL of water) or fed (high-fat meal consumed 30 min before receiving alisertib with 240 mL of water) conditions using a two-cycle, two-way crossover design. Patients on both arms were not allowed food for 4 h post-dose. Water was allowed as desired, except for 1 h before and after alisertib administration.ResultsTwenty-four patients were enrolled and 14 patients were PK-evaluable (ten patients were not PK-evaluable due to insufficient data). Following a single oral dose of alisertib, median t max was 6 h and 3 h under fed and fasted conditions, respectively. The geometric mean ratio of AUCinf (fed- vs. fasted-state dosing) was 0.94 [90% confidence interval (CI) 0.68-1.32]. The geometric mean C max under fed conditions was 84% of that under fasted conditions (90% CI 66-106). Alisertib was generally well-tolerated; most common drug-related grade 3/4 adverse events included neutropenia (50%), leukopenia (38%), and thrombocytopenia (21%).ConclusionsSystemic exposures achieved following a single 50 mg dose of alisertib administered as an ECT formulation after a high-fat meal are similar to those observed in the fasted state. Alisertib 50 mg ECT can be administered without regard for food. CLINICALTRIALS.Gov identifierNCT00962091.

Summary: In this phase 1 open-label study, we assessed the relative bioavailability of a prototype tablet formulation of TAK-931, a cell division cycle 7 kinase inhibitor, in reference to the current powder-in-capsule (PIC) formulation in patients with advanced solid tumors for whom no effective standard treatment was available. Adult patients were randomized 1:1 in a crossover fashion to receive one dose of TAK-931 80 mg PIC on Day 1 and one dose of TAK-931 80 mg tablet on Day 3 (or the reverse sequence), followed by TAK-931 50 mg PIC once daily (QD) for 12 days starting from Day 5, before a 7-day rest period (Cycle 0). From Cycle 1, all patients received 50 mg PIC QD on Days 1–14 followed by a 7-day rest period. Twenty patients were enrolled. Median Tmax was achieved approximately 2 h post-dose of TAK-931 80 mg for both tablet and PIC. Geometric mean Cmax, AUC exposures, and T1/2z of TAK-931 were similar for both formulations. Geometric mean Cmax, AUClast, and AUCinf ratios were 0.936 (90% confidence interval [CI]: 0.808–1.084), 1.004 (90% CI: 0.899–1.120), and 1.007 (90% CI: 0.903–1.123), respectively, for TAK-931 tablet in reference to PIC. Discontinuation of TAK-931 due to treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) occurred in 1 patient. Four (20%) patients experienced a serious TEAE; none were considered related to TAK-931. Pharmacokinetics and systemic exposure profiles were similar following administration of both formulations, supporting the transition from PIC to tablet in the clinical development of TAK-931. (Trial registration numberClinicalTrials.gov NCT03708211. Registration date October 12, 2018). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Pevonedistat (TAK-924/MLN4924) is an investigational small molecule inhibitor of the NEDD8-activating enzyme that has demonstrated clinical activity across solid tumors and hematological malignancies. Here we report the results of a phase 1 study evaluating the effect of rifampin, a strong CYP3A inducer, on the pharmacokinetics (PK) of pevonedistat in patients with advanced solid tumors (NCT03486314). Patients received a single 50 mg/m2 pevonedistat dose via a 1-h infusion on Days 1 (in the absence of rifampin) and 10 (in the presence of rifampin), and daily oral dosing of rifampin 600 mg on Days 3–11. Twenty patients were enrolled and were evaluable for PK and safety. Following a single dose of pevonedistat at 50 mg/m2, the mean terminal half-life of pevonedistat was 5.7 and 7.4 h in the presence and in the absence of rifampin, respectively. The geometric mean AUC0–inf of pevonedistat in the presence of rifampin was 79% of that without rifampin (90% CI: 69.2%–90.2%). The geometric mean Cmax of pevonedistat in the presence of rifampin was similar to that in the absence of rifampin (96.2%; 90% CI: 79.2%–117%). Coadministration of pevonedistat with rifampin, a strong metabolic enzyme inducer, did not result in clinically meaningful decreases in systemic exposures of pevonedistat. The study results support the recommendation that no pevonedistat dose adjustment is needed for patients receiving concomitant CYP3A inducers. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT03486314. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Pevonedistat (TAK-924/MLN4924) is an investigational small-molecule inhibitor of the NEDD8-activating enzyme that has demonstrated preclinical and clinical activity across solid tumors and hematological malignancies. Here we report the results of a phase I trial characterizing the mass balance, pharmacokinetics, and clearance pathways of [14C]-pevonedistat in patients with advanced solid tumors (NCT03057366). In part A (n = 8), patients received a single 1-h intravenous infusion of [14C]-pevonedistat 25 mg/m2. In part B (n = 7), patients received pevonedistat 25 or 20 mg/m2 on days 1, 3, and 5 in combination with, respectively, docetaxel 75 mg/m2 or carboplatin AUC5 plus paclitaxel 175 mg/m2 on day 1 every 3 weeks. Following the single dose of [14C]-pevonedistat 25 mg/m2 in part A, there was a parallel log-linear decline in plasma and whole blood pevonedistat concentration, with systemic exposure of unchanged pevonedistat representing 41% of drug-related material (i.e., unchanged pevonedistat and its metabolites). The mean terminal half-life of pevonedistat and drug-related material in plasma was 8.4 and 15.6 h, respectively. Pevonedistat distributed preferentially in whole blood with a mean whole-blood-to-plasma ratio for pevonedistat AUC∞ of 40.8. By 1 week post dose, the mean recovery of administered radioactivity was 94% (41% in urine and 53% in feces). The pevonedistat safety profile during both study parts was consistent with previous clinical experience, with no new safety signals observed. In part B, pevonedistat in combination with docetaxel or carboplatin plus paclitaxel was generally well tolerated. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT03057366. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deubiquitinases (DUBs) are a new class of drug targets, although the physiological function of only few DUBs has been characterized. Here we identified the DUB USP15 as a crucial negative regulator of T cell activation. USP15 stabilized the E3 ubiquitin ligase MDM2, which in turn negatively regulated T cell activation by targeting the degradation of the transcription factor NFATc2. USP15 deficiency promoted T cell activation in vitro and enhanced T cell responses to bacterial infection and tumor challenge in vivo. USP15 also stabilized MDM2 in cancer cells and regulated p53 function and cancer-cell survival. Our results suggest that inhibition of USP15 may both induce tumor cell apoptosis and boost antitumor T cell responses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]