BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: The subcutaneous injection of therapeutic monoclonal antibodies is increasingly used in the treatment of several diseases because of its convenience. Thus, a simple and accurate method of predicting the pharmacokinetics of monoclonal antibodies after a subcutaneous injection in humans would be a valuable tool for preclinical/clinical development. In this study, we investigated whether the pharmacokinetics of monoclonal antibodies after a subcutaneous injection in humans can be predicted using only pharmacokinetic data after a subcutaneous injection in cynomolgus monkeys. METHODS: First, we compared the accuracy of three approaches to predict the apparent clearance (CL/F) and apparent volume of distribution (Vd/F) for 15 monoclonal antibodies in humans (1) allometric scaling from cynomolgus monkeys; (2) geometric mean of reported values in humans; (3) estimation from a regression line based on CL/F in humans [only Vd/F]). Then, using the predicted CL/F and Vd/F, and the geometric mean of reported absorption rate constant of mAbs the plasma concentration-time profiles of 13 monoclonal antibodies after subcutaneous injections in humans were simulated. RESULTS: In a comparison of approaches, the first approach showed the best prediction accuracy for CL/F with an exponent of 0.9 (100% and 73% prediction accuracy within 2- and 1.5-fold of the observed value),and the third approach was the best for Vd/F (100% prediction accuracy within 1.5-fold of the observed value). Next, using the first approach for CL/F and the third approach for Vd/F, we accurately predicted the plasma concentration-time profiles of 13 monoclonal antibodies after subcutaneous injections in humans. CONCLUSION: This simple approach can be applied in preclinical and clinical settings to predict the pharmacokinetics of monoclonal antibodies after subcutaneous injections in humans. Further, this approach requires only CL/F after a subcutaneous injection in cynomolgus monkeys, contributing to animal welfare and reducing costs.
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: The subcutaneous injection of therapeutic monoclonal antibodies is increasingly used in the treatment of several diseases because of its convenience. Thus, a simple and accurate method of predicting the pharmacokinetics of monoclonal antibodies after a subcutaneous injection in humans would be a valuable tool for preclinical/clinical development. In this study, we investigated whether the pharmacokinetics of monoclonal antibodies after a subcutaneous injection in humans can be predicted using only pharmacokinetic data after a subcutaneous injection in cynomolgus monkeys. METHODS: First, we compared the accuracy of three approaches to predict the apparent clearance (CL/F) and apparent volume of distribution (Vd/F) for 15 monoclonal antibodies in humans (1) allometric scaling from cynomolgus monkeys; (2) geometric mean of reported values in humans; (3) estimation from a regression line based on CL/F in humans [only Vd/F]). Then, using the predicted CL/F and Vd/F, and the geometric mean of reported absorption rate constant of mAbs the plasma concentration-time profiles of 13 monoclonal antibodies after subcutaneous injections in humans were simulated. RESULTS: In a comparison of approaches, the first approach showed the best prediction accuracy for CL/F with an exponent of 0.9 (100% and 73% prediction accuracy within 2- and 1.5-fold of the observed value),and the third approach was the best for Vd/F (100% prediction accuracy within 1.5-fold of the observed value). Next, using the first approach for CL/F and the third approach for Vd/F, we accurately predicted the plasma concentration-time profiles of 13 monoclonal antibodies after subcutaneous injections in humans. CONCLUSION: This simple approach can be applied in preclinical and clinical settings to predict the pharmacokinetics of monoclonal antibodies after subcutaneous injections in humans. Further, this approach requires only CL/F after a subcutaneous injection in cynomolgus monkeys, contributing to animal welfare and reducing costs.