Population Pharmacodynamic Dose-Response Analysis of Serum Potassium Following Dosing with Sodium Zirconium...

Sodium zirconium cyclosilicate (SZC) is an approved oral treatment for hyperkalemia that selectively binds potassium (K⁺) in the gastrointestinal tract and removes K⁺ from the body through increased fecal excretion. Here, we describe the population pharmacodynamic (PopPD) response of serum K⁺ concentration in patients with hyperkalemia who are treated with SZC, estimate the impact of patients' intrinsic and extrinsic factors, and compare predicted serum K⁺ responses between 5 g alternate daily (QOD) and 2.5 g once daily (QD) maintenance doses.

PopPD analysis was based on pooled data from seven phase II and III clinical trials for SZC. A semi-mechanistic longitudinal mixed-effects (base) model was used to characterize serum K⁺ concentration after SZC dosing. Indirect-response, virtual pharmacokinetics-pharmacodynamics (PK-PD) modeling was used to mimic the drug exposure compartment. Full covariate modeling was used to assess covariate impact on the half-maximal effective concentration of drug (EC₅₀), placebo response, and K_out. Models were evaluated using goodness-of-fit plots, relative standard errors, and visual predictive checks, and data were stratified to optimize model performance across subgroups. Covariate effects were evaluated based on the magnitude of change in serum K⁺ between baseline and end of correction phase dosing (48 h, SZC 10 g three times a day) and maintenance phase dosing (28 days, SZC 10 g QD) using a reference subject.

The analysis data set included 2369 patients and 25,764 serum K⁺ observations. The mean (standard deviation) patient age was 66.0 (12) years, 61% were male, 68% were White, 34% had congestive heart failure, and 62% had diabetes. Mean (standard deviation) serum K⁺ at baseline was 5.49 (0.43) mmol/L. Both the base and full covariance models adequately described observed data. In the final model, there was a sigmoid exposure response on K_in, with EC₅₀ of 32.8 g and a Hill coefficient of 1.36. The predicted placebo-adjusted dose-responses of serum K⁺ change appeared nearly linear in the correction and maintenance phases. No clinically meaningful difference in placebo-adjusted serum K⁺ change from baseline at 28 days was observed between maintenance regimens of SZC 5 g QOD and 2.5 g QD. A greater SZC treatment response was associated with high serum K⁺ at baseline, advanced age, lower body weight, lower estimated glomerular filtration rate, and Black/African American and Asian race, compared with the reference patient. The impact of heart failure status and diabetes status was only minor.

The PopPD model of SZC adequately described changes in serum K⁺ concentration during correction and maintenance phase dosing. A greater treatment response was associated with various covariates, but the impact of each was modest. Overall, these findings suggest that no adjustment in SZC dose is needed for any of the covariates evaluated.