Single-dose pharmacokinetics of indinavir and the effect of food

Indinavir sulfate is a human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) protease inhibitor indicated for treatment of HIV infection and AIDS in adults. The purpose of this report is to summarize single-dose studies which characterized the pharmacokinetics of the drug and the effect of food in healthy volunteers. Indinavir concentrations in plasma and urine were obtained by high-pressure liquid chromatography and UV detection assay methods. The results indicate that indinavir was rapidly absorbed in the fasting state, with the time to the maximum concentration in plasma occurring at approximately 0.8 h for all doses studied. Over the 40- to 1,000-mg dose range studied, concentrations in plasma and urinary excretion of unchanged drug increased greater than dose proportionally. The nonlinear pharmacokinetics were attributed to the dose-dependent oxidative metabolism of first-pass metabolism as well as to metabolism in the systemic circulation. Renal clearance slightly exceeded the glomerular filtration rate, suggesting a net tubular secretion component. At high concentrations in plasma, tubular secretion appeared to be lowered because there was a trend for a decreased renal clearance. Administration of 400 mg of indinavir sulfate following a high-fat breakfast resulted in a blunted and decreased absorption (areas under the concentration-time curves [AUCs], 6.86 microM.h in the fasted state versus 1.54 microM.h in the fed state; n = 10). However, two types of low-fat meals were found to have no significant effect on the absorption of 800 mg of indinavir sulfate (AUCs, 23.15 microM.h in the fasted state versus 22.71 and 21.36 microM.h, respectively, in the fed state; n = 11). Immediately following dosing, the concentrations of indinavir in urine often exceeded its intrinsic solubility. To reduce the risk of nephrolithiasis, it is recommended that indinavir sulfate be administered with water.

Effect of MK-386, a novel inhibitor of type 1 5 alpha-reductase, alone and in combination with finasteride, on serum dihydrotestosterone concentrations in men

Two isozymes (types 1 and 2) of 5 alpha-reductase (5 alpha R; EC 1.3.99.5), with differential tissue distribution, have been identified in humans. These enzymes catalyze the reduction of testosterone (T) to dihydrotestosterone (DHT). The contributions of each of these isozymes to serum and tissue concentrations of DHT remain to be fully defined. Finasteride, a selective inhibitor of type 2 5 alpha R, lowers circulating DHT levels by approximately 70% in men after treatment with 5 mg daily. MK-386 (4,7 beta-dimethyl-4-aza-5 alpha-cholestan-3-one) is a new selective inhibitor of type 1 5 alpha R. A single rising dose, alternating panel, trial in 16 healthy males (age range, 21-25 yr) studied the effect of 0.1-100 mg MK-386. DHT was maximally reduced by 20-30% relative to placebo at MK-386 doses of 10 mg or more, orally, by 24 h posttreatment (P < 0.01 vs. placebo). No consistent effect on T concentrations was evident. In a second trial, finasteride (5 mg) was given for 19 days to 10 healthy young men (age range, 24-47 yr); a 25-mg dose of MK-386 was added for 2 days of combination therapy after at least 10 days of finasteride treatment. Withdrawal of MK-386 was followed by 5-6 days of finasteride follow-up treatment. Finasteride alone reduced DHT, on the average, by 68.7% (SE = 3.4%). Addition of MK-386 suppressed DHT by 89.5% (SE = 1.4%) relative to baseline (P < 0.01 vs. effect of finasteride alone). Small increases in serum T were observed with finasteride alone and in combination with MK-386 (approximately 10% and 19%, respectively). These data are consistent with selective 5 alpha R type 1 inhibition in man by MK-386 and the prediction that types 1 and 2 5 alpha R account for all, or nearly all, of circulating DHT. Further clinical trials are needed to assess the therapeutic utility of type 1 5 alpha R inhibition as well as that of combined inhibition of types 1 and 2 5 alpha R.