P0009EVALUATION OF THE POTENTIAL FOR DRUG INTERACTIONS WITH VEVERIMER

Abstract Background and Aims Veverimer is an investigational drug being developed as an orally administered hydrochloric acid binder for the treatment of metabolic acidosis associated with chronic kidney disease (CKD). In clinical studies, treatment with veverimer safely and effectively increased serum bicarbonate and improved objective and subjective measures of physical functioning1-3. Veverimer, a free-amine polymer, is not systemically absorbed; therefore, its potential for drug-drug interactions (DDIs) is limited to those that occur in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract (i.e., direct binding or indirect effects resulting from transient increases in gastric pH). We assessed the potential for DDIs with veverimer both in vitro and in vivo in healthy subjects. Methods In vitro binding to veverimer was evaluated with 16 drugs of varying molecular weight and charge. In a separate study, the effect of veverimer on gastric pH was measured continuously in vivo in healthy subjects using a microelectrode pH probe placed in the gastric compartment. Human DDI studies were conducted with 4 orally administered drugs, including those that demonstrated the most in vitro binding to veverimer and those with pH-dependent solubility (furosemide, aspirin, warfarin, dabigatran). Results Veverimer did not bind to any of the positively charged, neutral or zwitterionic drugs tested in vitro. It bound to 3 small (MW