Real-world population pharmacokinetics of tezacaftor-ivacaftor in
children with cystic fibrosis: the SYM-CF study
Abstract
Aim: The clinical effectiveness of tezacaftor-ivacaftor in children with
cystic fibrosis (cwCF) varies; some patients respond while others do not
or have adverse effects. The pharmacokinetics (PK) of
tezacaftor-ivacaftor are inadequately published, especially in children.
Knowledge of the PK in this cohort may give further insight into the
drug’s exposure-response relationship and its associated
inter-individual variability (IIV). The aim of this study was to assess
the real-world PK of tezacaftor-ivacaftor in cwCF. Methods: A
prospective, observational PK study was performed in cwCF using
tezacaftor-ivacaftor. PK samples were obtained by dried blood spots
(DBS) at home and during routine outpatient hospital visits. Population
PK (popPK) models were created utilizing nonlinear mixed-effects
modeling. Due to data scarcity, prior information from adolescent/adult
PK models was required. Results: The study involved 21 children (age
6-17 years, weight 24-70 kg). Novel popPK models were created for
tezacaftor-ivacaftor and its active metabolites. Variability in PK was
explained by variation in body weight. The AUC of tezacaftor-ivacaftor
varied significantly within and across age groups, which corresponded to
the reported AUC in the product information. Cmax and elimination
half-lives closely matched adult reported values. There was a strong
correlation between Cmin and AUC for tezacaftor-ivacaftor. Conclusions:
This is the first study to investigate the popPK of tezacaftor-ivacaftor
in cwCF. The established models can be utilized for more personalized
dosing in children experiencing suboptimal efficacy, adverse effects,
drug-drug interactions, or where adherence is a concern.