Physiologically based pharmacokinetic modelling to predict potential drug-drug interactions of dersimelagon (MT-7117)

Dersimelagon is a novel, investigational, orally administered, selective agonist of the melanocortin-1 receptor that has demonstrated efficacy at increasing symptom-free light exposure and an acceptable safety profile in patients with protoporphyria. A phase 1 drug-drug interaction (DDI) study demonstrated that dersimelagon 300 mg has the potential for clinically relevant DDIs with drugs that are substrates for breast cancer resistance protein, such as atorvastatin and rosuvastatin. This study uses physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) modelling to further investigate the DDI effects at lower doses of dersimelagon with substrate drugs.

The data from in silico, in vitro and in vivo studies were used to construct a PBPK model for dersimelagon to assess the DDI potential between dersimelagon and substrate drugs for cytochrome P450 3A, P-glycoprotein, organic anion transporting polypeptide 1B1/1B3, organic anion transporter 3 and breast cancer resistance protein, including atorvastatin and rosuvastatin.

The systemic exposure of atorvastatin based on the maximum plasma concentration and area under the plasma concentration-time curve was predicted to increase 1.21-fold and 1.25-fold, respectively, if coadministered with dersimelagon 100 mg, and 1.42-fold and 1.45-fold with dersimelagon 200 mg. The systemic exposure of rosuvastatin followed trends similar to atorvastatin (1.67-fold and 1.34-fold increase in maximum plasma concentration and area under the plasma concentration-time curve, respectively, with dersimelagon 100 mg, and 2.40-fold and 1.69-fold with dersimelagon 200 mg).

Overall, PBPK modelling results indicate that the simulated changes in plasma exposure of atorvastatin and rosuvastatin following coadministration with dersimelagon 100 or 200 mg are not clinically significant, but caution and appropriate clinical monitoring should be recommended.