Clinical pharmacokinetics of AZD3199, an inhaled ultra-long-acting β2-adrenoreceptor agonist (uLABA)

Leif Bjermer,1 Piotr Kuna,2 Carin Jorup,3 Thomas Bengtsson,4 Johan Rosenborg4 1Department of Respiratory Medicine and Allergology, University Hospital, Lund, Sweden; 2Department of Internal Medicine, Asthma and Allergy, Barlicki University Hospital, Medical University of Lodz, Lodz, Poland; 3AstraZeneca R&D, Mölndal, Sweden; 4StatMind, Lund, Sweden Objective: The clinical pharmacokinetics of AZD3199, an ultra-long-acting β2-agonist, were investigated in healthy volunteers and patients with asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Materials and methods: Five studies are presented: one single ascending dose study in healthy Caucasian males; two multiple ascending dose studies in healthy males, one in Caucasians and one in Japanese; a Phase IIA asthma study; and a Phase IIB COPD study. Subjects received AZD3199 via a Spira nebulizer (Turbuhaler; equivalent delivered doses 5–3200 µg) or Turbuhaler (single delivered doses of 120–1920 µg or repeated delivered once-daily doses 240–1,680 µg). AZD3199 pharmacokinetics were assessed using total plasma concentration and urinary excretion, and tolerability using adverse events, clinical laboratory tests, and physical examinations. Results: AZD3199 appeared rapidly in the systemic circulation following single and multiple dosing in healthy volunteers and patients (maximum plasma concentration within 30 minutes), with dose-proportional time-independent pharmacokinetics. Plasma exposure to unmetabolized drug was similar in healthy volunteers and patients with asthma, but relatively lower in patients with COPD. Estimated terminal half-life was up to 142 hours in healthy Caucasian males. AZD3199 was well tolerated and showed no or at most mild systemic effects. Conclusion: AZD3199 plasma exposure in healthy volunteers and patients suggested linear pharmacokinetics and a long half-life. Systemic availability was similar in healthy subjects and patients with asthma, but was lower in patients with COPD. These clinical trials suggest that AZD3199 is well-tolerated in healthy male volunteers and patients, with no safety concerns identified to preclude further evaluation. Keywords: AZD3199, uLABA, COPD, asthma, pharmacokinetics, tolerabilit

5-hydroxy-3-indole acetic acid levels in infantile colic: Is serotoninergic tonus responsible for this problem?

Levels of 5-hydroxy-3-indole acetic acid (5-OH IAA), a metabolite of serotonin, were studied in infants with infantile colic in order to investigate the aetiology of infantile colic pathogenesis. The study included 16 patients with infantile colic and 10 control subjects. Random urinary 5-OH IAA levels of colicky infants were found to be higher than those in the control group. This finding suggested that high serotonin levels may be responsible for infantile colic