A Population Pharmacokinetic Model of Oral Docetaxel Coadministered With Ritonavir to Support Early Clinical Development

Oral administration of docetaxel is an attractive alternative for conventional intravenous (IV) administration. The low bioavailability of docetaxel, however, hinders the application of oral docetaxel in the clinic. The aim of the current study was to develop a population pharmacokinetic (PK) model for docetaxel and ritonavir based on the phase 1 studies and to support drug development of this combination treatment. PK data were collected from 191 patients who received IV docetaxel and different oral docetaxel formulations (drinking solution, ModraDoc001 capsule, and ModraDoc006 tablet) coadministered with ritonavir. A PK model was first developed for ritonavir. Subsequently, a semiphysiological PK model was developed for docetaxel, which incorporated the inhibition of docetaxel metabolism by ritonavir. The uninhibited intrinsic clearance of docetaxel was estimated based on data on IV docetaxel as 1980 L/h (relative standard error, 11%). Ritonavir coadministration extensively inhibited the hepatic metabolism of docetaxel to 9.3%, which resulted in up to 12‐fold higher docetaxel plasma concentrations compared to oral docetaxel coadministered without ritonavir. In conclusion, a semiphysiological PK model for docetaxel and ritonavir was successfully developed. Coadministration of ritonavir resulted in increased plasma concentrations of docetaxel after administration of the oral formulations of ModraDoc. Furthermore, the oral ModraDoc formulations showed lower variability in plasma concentrations between and within patients compared to the drinking solution. Comparable exposure could be reached with the oral ModraDoc formulations compared to IV administration.