A pharmacokinetic approach to model-guided design of infliximab schedules in ulcerative colitis patients

Background: Infliximab, an anti-tumour necrosis factor approved for treatment of Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, is administered at predefined interdose-intervals. On insufficient response or loss of response, treatment can be intensified. The lack or loss of response is likely related to complex pharmacokinetics of infliximab. Aims: To explore optimal dosing strategies of infliximab in treatment-naïve patients with ulcerative colitis through predictive Monte Carlo simulations based on a validated population PK model. Methods: A population of 2,000 treatment-naïve patients was generated by Montecarlo simulation. Six dosing strategies for maintenance therapy were simulated on this population. Strategies 1 and 2 consisted on 5 mg/kg and 6 mg/kg doses, respectively, and 8 weeks inter-dose interval. Strategies 3 and 4 used Individualized doses, adjusted to albumin level, sex and body weight, and a fix inter-dose interval of 8 weeks to achieve a target trough concentration of 5 mg/L or 6 mg/L, respectively. Strategies 5 and 6 used a fix dose of 5 mg/kg and individualized inter-dose intervals, adjusted to the same covariates, to achieve a target concentration, of 5 mg/L or 6 mg/L, respectively. Results: Strategies 2-6 reached trough levels statistically higher than strategy 1 (p < 0.05). Strategy 5 proved to be the best dosing strategy. It was associated with a higher proportion of responder patients than strategy 1 (62 % vs. 40 %) without reaching higher peak concentrations. Conclusions: Optimization of maintenance treatment of colitis with infliximab by a pharmacokinetic approach could benefit infliximab-naive patients with ulcerative colitis.

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Pérez-Pitarch,Alejandro, Ferriols-Lisart,Rafael, Alós-Almiñana,Manuel, Mínguez-Pérez,Miguel
Format: Digital revista
Language:English
Published: Sociedad Española de Patología Digestiva 2015
Online Access:http://scielo.isciii.es/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1130-01082015000300003
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