Integrated Population Pharmacokinetics of Daprodustat in Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease with Anemia

Daprodustat is a first-in-class hypoxia-inducible factor prolyl hydroxylase inhibitor (HIF-PHI) approved in the USA for treatment of anemia owing to chronic kidney disease (CKD) in dialysis-dependent adults and in Japan for treatment of CKD in dialysis- and non-dialysis dependent adults. This analysis characterized the population pharmacokinetics (PopPK) of daprodustat in adults with CKD and evaluated the influence of intrinsic and extrinsic factors.

This PopPK analysis included data from one phase 2B and four phase 3 studies comprising 707 CKD subjects dose titrated to prespecified target hemoglobin levels with daprodustat doses ranging from 1 to 24 mg once daily and 2 to 48 mg given three times a week (TIW). Model development leveraged a previous phase 1/2 PopPK model. Stepwise covariate analysis included 20 extrinsic and intrinsic factors. Model evaluation used standard goodness-of-fit and visual predictive checks.

Daprodustat PopPK was adequately characterized using a three-compartment distribution model with first-order elimination. The absorption phase was described using five transit compartments. Oral clearance and volume of distribution was 24.6 L/h and 26.9 L, respectively. Body weight dependence (with fixed allometric coefficients) of clearance and volume terms was a statistically significant covariate. Concomitant use of clopidogrel (moderate CYP2C8 inhibitor) decreased oral clearance, resulting in higher area under the plasma concentration-time curve (AUC) ratio of 1.59 (90% CI: 1.39-1.82), subjects' dialysis status (non-dialysis versus dialysis) had an effect on absorption, with C_max ratio of 1.19 (90% CI: 1.09-1.30). None of the other investigated intrinsic or extrinsic covariates, including concomitant administration with phosphate binders, oral iron and acid reducing agents resulted in a significant change in daprodustat systemic exposure.

The PopPK of daprodustat in the CKD population with anemia was adequately characterized. Allometrically-scaled body weight on clearance and volume, dialysis status on absorption and clopidogrel on clearance were statistically significant covariates.