Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of oral insulin (ORMD-0801) in healthy subjects: A phase I study using...

To characterise the pharmacokinetic (PK) and pharmacodynamic (PD) properties of an oral insulin formulation (ORMD-0801) in healthy subjects.

In this phase I hyperinsulinaemic-euglycaemic clamp study with open-label, randomised, crossover design, 20 healthy Chinese male subjects were randomised to receive either oral ORMD-0801 (8 or 16 mg), followed by subcutaneous (SC) insulin (5 IU, Tianmailin®) or vice versa. PK and PD parameters were evaluated by assessing changes in plasma insulin levels and glucose infusion rate (GIR) during an 11-h clamp procedure.

For 16 mg oral versus SC insulin, maximum GIR (GIR_max) was 3.87 ± 1.08 versus 3.51 ± 0.52 mg/kg/min, and area under the glucose infusion rate curve from 0 to 11 h (AUC_GIR0-11h) was 26.98 ± 10.69 versus 23.74 ± 9.04 h·mg/kg/min. For 8 mg oral versus SC insulin, GIR_max was 3.86 ± 1.25 versus 5.41 ± 3.05 mg/kg/min, and AUC_GIR0-11h was 27.07 ± 8.43 versus 29.95 ± 7.70 h·mg/kg/min. SC-equivalent doses were 6.53 ± 3.97 IU (16 mg) and 4.62 ± 1.13 IU (8 mg), respectively. PK analysis showed area under the insulin concentration-time curve from zero to infinite (AUC_Ins0-∞) of 5.47 ± 3.17 versus 7.50 ± 2.37 h·ng/mL for 16 mg oral versus SC insulin, and 4.86 ± 2.89 versus 7.85 ± 2.02 h·ng/mL for 8 mg oral versus SC insulin, with relative bioavailability of 0.53 ± 0.25% and 0.94 ± 0.77%.

This study comprehensively describes the PK/PD characteristics of ORMD-0801 in healthy subjects and provides a basis for future clinical trials.