Pharmacokinetic study of saxagliptin in healthy Chinese subjects

The pharmacokinetics of some medications may be affected by differences in race and ethnicity, which can lead to suboptimal outcomes. The present study was conducted to assess the single- and multiple-dose pharmacokinetics of saxagliptin in healthy Chinese subjects living in China.

This was an open-label, 9-day study conducted at the Drug Clinical Trial Center, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing, China. Sixteen healthy Chinese subjects of both sexes between 21 and 33 years of age were administered saxagliptin 5 mg orally on day 1, then once daily on days 3-7. Pharmacokinetic variables for saxagliptin (primary outcome) and its active metabolite, 5-hydroxy saxagliptin (secondary outcome), after single and multiple oral doses of saxagliptin were assessed. Safety was also assessed.

Saxagliptin was absorbed rapidly (median time to reach maximum concentration [t(max)]: 0.5 and 1 hour on days 1 and 7, respectively), and its pharmacologically active metabolite, 5-hydroxy saxagliptin, appeared in plasma (median t(max): 1.0 and 1.5 hours, respectively). Plasma exposure to 5-hydroxy saxagliptin was approximately 2- to 3-fold higher than exposure to saxagliptin. Plasma concentration-time profiles for saxagliptin and 5-hydroxy saxagliptin were similar on days 1 and 7, with no evidence of drug accumulation on repeated dosing. The elimination half-lives (t(½)) for saxagliptin and 5-hydroxy saxagliptin were approximately 3 and 4 hours, respectively, with renal excretion as the primary route of elimination. After single and multiple dosing, 54.48% and 52.60%, respectively, of the administered saxagliptin dose was recovered in urine as unchanged drug or 5-hydroxy saxagliptin. Saxagliptin was generally well tolerated. Six (37.5%) subjects experienced an adverse event (AE). All AEs were mild in intensity and judged by the investigator as not related to the study medication. There were no deaths, serious AEs, discontinuations due to AEs, or other clinically significant AEs during this study.

Saxagliptin 5 mg (single dose and once-daily doses for 5 days) was generally well tolerated; the pharmacokinetics of saxagliptin and 5-hydroxy saxagliptin in healthy Chinese subjects were consistent with previous assessments in the saxagliptin clinical development program.

ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00770302.