This report is a synthesis of (1) the earlier conference on Analytical Methods Validation−Bioavailability, Bioequivalence and Pharmacokinetic Studies (Conference held in Arlington, VA, December 3–5, 1990 and the report published in Pharmaceutical Research, 9: 588-592, 1992) and (2) the workshop on “Bioanalytical Methods Validation—A Revisit with a Decade of Progress,” (Workshop held in Arlington, VA, January 12–14, 2000), sponsored by the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists and the U. S. Food and Drug Administration. The bioanalytical method validation workshop of January 12–14, 2000 was directed towards small molecules. A separate workshop was held in March 1–3, 2000 to discuss validation principles for macromolecules. The purpose of this report is to represent the progress in analytical methodologies over the last decade and assessment of the major agreements and issues discussed with regard to small molecules at both the conference and the workshop. The report is also intended to provide guiding principles for validation of bioanalytical methods employed in support of bioavailability, bioequivalence, and pharmacokinetic studies in man and in animals.

Bioanalytical method validation--a revisit with a decade of progress.

Purpose.With this publication a subcommittee of the AAPS Ligand Binding Assay Bioanalytical Focus Group (LBABFG) makes recommendations for the development, validation, and implementation of ligand binding assays (LBAs) that are intended to support pharmacokinetic and toxicokinetic assessments of macromolecules.

Recommendations for the Bioanalytical Method Validation of Ligand-binding Assays to Support Pharmacokinetic Assessments of Macromolecules

Temozolomide, a methylating imidazotetrazinone, has antitumor activity against gliomas, malignant melanoma, and mycosis fungoides and is presently administered as a 5-day oral schedule every 4 weeks. This Phase I study aimed to determine the maximum tolerated dose of temozolomide administered as a single oral daily dose for a continuous 6- or 7-week period, evaluate the plasma pharmacokinetics on this schedule, and compare total plasma exposure over 7 weeks with the conventional 5-day regimen. Twenty-four patients with varying tumor types (17 of 24 gliomas) received temozolomide. All had clinically evaluable, refractory disease; normal renal, hepatic, and bone marrow function; and WHO performance status < or = 2. Temozolomide was administered at 50 mg/m2/day, increasing by 25 mg/m2/day/cohort until at 100 mg/m2/day grade 4 myelotoxicity forced dose reductions to 85 mg/m2/day, then 75 mg/m2/day. At 75 mg/m2/day the regimen was extended to 7 weeks, allowing the future potential combination with irradiation for primary gliomas. Patient responses (standard Union International Contre Cancer criteria; for gliomas objective response) and toxicity were assessed. Temozolomide plasma pharmacokinetics were determined on day 1 and at the beginning of the final week of administration (n = 5). The most frequent toxicities were myelosuppression and grades 1 and 2 nausea and vomiting. Grade 4 leucopenia and thrombocytopenia occurred in one of four patients receiving 100 mg/m2/day temozolomide and in one of seven patients receiving 85 mg/m2/day. These hematological toxicities did not exceed grade 2 in 10 patients receiving 75 mg/m2/day temozolomide. One of 4 malignant melanoma patients and 7 of 17 glioma patients (41%) demonstrated tumor responses. The overall response rate for this prolonged schedule was 33% (objective response, 7 of 24 patients; partial response, 1 of 24 patients); also, 6 of 17 glioma patients maintained SD. Peak plasma temozolomide concentrations were obtained 30-90 min after oral administration. Elimination in plasma was best described by a monoexponential equation with an elimination half-life of 96 +/- 16 min. No plasma accumulation of temozolomide occurred. Toxicity was greatest in higher dose cohorts, with a resultant maximum tolerated dose of 85 mg/m2/day, whereas lower dose cohorts tolerated the schedule well. The area under the temozolomide plasma versus time curve was noncumulative between the first and last week of the schedule. Temozolomide administration of 75 mg/m2/day over a 7-week period permits a 2.1-fold greater drug exposure/4 weeks in comparison with the 5-day schedule of 200 mg/m2/day repeated every 28 days. The overall response rate was 33% (glioma patients, 41% and a further 25% SD). Temozolomide (75 mg/m2/day) for 7 weeks is the recommended starting dose for further assessment of this schedule.

https://cancerres.aacrjournals.org/content/canres/58/19/4363.full.pdf

Phase I Trial of Temozolomide Using an Extended Continuous Oral Schedule

Background

P-Glycoprotein is an efflux pump in many epithelial cells with excretory function. It has been demonstrated that rifampin (INN, rifampicin) induces P-glycoprotein, particularly in the gut wall. We therefore hypothesized that rifampin affects pharmacokinetics of the P-glycoprotein substrate talinolol, a β1-blocker without appreciable metabolic disposition but intense intestinal secretion in human beings.



Methods

Pharmacokinetics of talinolol (a single dose of 30 mg administered intravenously or 100 mg administered orally for 7 days) and duodenal expression of the MDR1 gene product P-glycoprotein as assessed by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction of the MDR1–messenger ribonucleic acid, by immunohistochemistry and Western blot analysis were analyzed before and after coadministration of rifampin (600 mg per day for 9 days) in 8 male healthy volunteers (age 22 to 26 years).



Results

During rifampin treatment, the areas under the curve of intravenous and oral talinolol were significantly lower (21% and 35% P < .05). Treatment with rifampin resulted in a significantly increased expression of duodenal P-glycoprotein content 4.2-fold (2.9, 6.51) (Western blot) and messenger RNA was increased in six of the eight volunteers. P-Glycoprotein expression in biopsy specimens of gut mucosa correlated significantly with the systemic clearance of intravenous talinolol (rs = 0.74; P < .001).



Conclusions

Rifampin induces P-glycoprotein–mediated excretion of talinolol predominantly in the gut wall. Moreover, clearance of talinolol from the blood into the lumen of the gastrointestinal tract may be predicted by the individual intestinal P-glycoprotein expression. Thus we describe a new type of steady-state drug interaction affecting compounds that are subject to transport rather than metabolism. (Clin Pharmacol Ther 2000;68:345-55.)



Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics (2000) 68, 345–355; doi: 10.1067/mcp.2000.109797

Induction of P‐glycoprotein by rifampin increases intestinal secretion of talinolol in human beings: A new type of drug/drug interaction

The role of biomarkers in drug discovery and development has gained precedence over the years. As biomarkers become integrated into drug development and clinical trials, quality assurance and, in particular, assay validation become essential with the need to establish standardized guidelines for analytic methods used in biomarker measurements. New biomarkers can revolutionize both the development and use of therapeutics but are contingent on the establishment of a concrete validation process that addresses technology integration and method validation as well as regulatory pathways for efficient biomarker development. This perspective focuses on the general principles of the biomarker validation process with an emphasis on assay validation and the collaborative efforts undertaken by various sectors to promote the standardization of this procedure for efficient biomarker development.

https://clincancerres.aacrjournals.org/content/clincanres/14/19/5967.full.pdf

Ron Lange

Papers

Analytical methods validation: Bioavailability, bioequivalence and pharmacokinetic studies