Comprehensive Safety Exposure‐Response Analysis to Support Ritlecitinib Dose Selection

ABSTRACT Ritlecitinib is a kinase inhibitor drug recently approved for the treatment of alopecia areata (AA) in both adults and adolescents based on a single, combined Phase 2b/3 study. Various QD doses with and without a loading dose have been evaluated in the pivotal Phase 2b/3 study. Therefore, c...

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Main Authors: Yeamin Huh, Ruolun Qiu, John Prybylski, Jessica Wojciechowski, Yuchen Wang, Vivek S. Purohit
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2025-06-01
Series:CPT: Pharmacometrics & Systems Pharmacology
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1002/psp4.70030
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author Yeamin Huh
Ruolun Qiu
John Prybylski
Jessica Wojciechowski
Yuchen Wang
Vivek S. Purohit
author_facet Yeamin Huh
Ruolun Qiu
John Prybylski
Jessica Wojciechowski
Yuchen Wang
Vivek S. Purohit
author_sort Yeamin Huh
collection DOAJ
description ABSTRACT Ritlecitinib is a kinase inhibitor drug recently approved for the treatment of alopecia areata (AA) in both adults and adolescents based on a single, combined Phase 2b/3 study. Various QD doses with and without a loading dose have been evaluated in the pivotal Phase 2b/3 study. Therefore, characterization of the ritlecitinib safety profile becomes important to help inform the dose selection within the single Phase 2b/3 trial in conjunction with efficacy analysis. The purpose of this study is to characterize the safety profile of ritlecitinib with comprehensive exposure‐response (ER) analyses. The concentration‐QTc model was developed using a scientific white paper model, indicating no evidence of ritlecitinib‐induced QTc prolongation. The semi‐mechanistic PK/PD model well described the longitudinal profile of lymphocytes, indicating ritlecitinib‐induced decrease in lymphocytes was marginal and the incidence of Grade 3/4 lymphopenia was predicted to be small across the investigated dose range except for a slight increase in the loading dose regimen. The ritlecitinib‐dependent increase in the incidence of infections and rash was successfully described by a Poisson regression model using time‐weighted average concentration as an exposure metric, indicating that the dose‐dependent increase in the incidence of AEs is not dose‐proportionally large in the investigated dose range. Covariate analysis within each model indicated that the safety ER relationship of ritlecitinib is similar across all the patient subgroups and no unique safety risks associated with ritlecitinib are anticipated in adolescent patients. Therefore, this comprehensive safety ER analysis supported the selection of the ritlecitinib 50 mg non‐loading dose regimen for AA patients including both adults and adolescents.
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spelling doaj-art-54fa32da11304f899273dcd78a57b45e2025-08-20T02:40:17ZengWileyCPT: Pharmacometrics & Systems Pharmacology2163-83062025-06-011461108111810.1002/psp4.70030Comprehensive Safety Exposure‐Response Analysis to Support Ritlecitinib Dose SelectionYeamin Huh0Ruolun Qiu1John Prybylski2Jessica Wojciechowski3Yuchen Wang4Vivek S. Purohit5Pfizer Research and Development Pfizer Inc Groton Connecticut USAPfizer Research and Development Pfizer Inc Cambridge Massachusetts USAPfizer Research and Development Pfizer Inc Groton Connecticut USAPfizer Research and Development Pfizer Inc Groton Connecticut USAPfizer Research and Development Pfizer Inc South San Francisco California USAPfizer Research and Development Pfizer Inc Groton Connecticut USAABSTRACT Ritlecitinib is a kinase inhibitor drug recently approved for the treatment of alopecia areata (AA) in both adults and adolescents based on a single, combined Phase 2b/3 study. Various QD doses with and without a loading dose have been evaluated in the pivotal Phase 2b/3 study. Therefore, characterization of the ritlecitinib safety profile becomes important to help inform the dose selection within the single Phase 2b/3 trial in conjunction with efficacy analysis. The purpose of this study is to characterize the safety profile of ritlecitinib with comprehensive exposure‐response (ER) analyses. The concentration‐QTc model was developed using a scientific white paper model, indicating no evidence of ritlecitinib‐induced QTc prolongation. The semi‐mechanistic PK/PD model well described the longitudinal profile of lymphocytes, indicating ritlecitinib‐induced decrease in lymphocytes was marginal and the incidence of Grade 3/4 lymphopenia was predicted to be small across the investigated dose range except for a slight increase in the loading dose regimen. The ritlecitinib‐dependent increase in the incidence of infections and rash was successfully described by a Poisson regression model using time‐weighted average concentration as an exposure metric, indicating that the dose‐dependent increase in the incidence of AEs is not dose‐proportionally large in the investigated dose range. Covariate analysis within each model indicated that the safety ER relationship of ritlecitinib is similar across all the patient subgroups and no unique safety risks associated with ritlecitinib are anticipated in adolescent patients. Therefore, this comprehensive safety ER analysis supported the selection of the ritlecitinib 50 mg non‐loading dose regimen for AA patients including both adults and adolescents.https://doi.org/10.1002/psp4.70030modeling and simulationpharmacokinetic‐pharmacodynamicpopulation analysis
spellingShingle Yeamin Huh
Ruolun Qiu
John Prybylski
Jessica Wojciechowski
Yuchen Wang
Vivek S. Purohit
Comprehensive Safety Exposure‐Response Analysis to Support Ritlecitinib Dose Selection
CPT: Pharmacometrics & Systems Pharmacology
modeling and simulation
pharmacokinetic‐pharmacodynamic
population analysis
title Comprehensive Safety Exposure‐Response Analysis to Support Ritlecitinib Dose Selection
title_full Comprehensive Safety Exposure‐Response Analysis to Support Ritlecitinib Dose Selection
title_fullStr Comprehensive Safety Exposure‐Response Analysis to Support Ritlecitinib Dose Selection
title_full_unstemmed Comprehensive Safety Exposure‐Response Analysis to Support Ritlecitinib Dose Selection
title_short Comprehensive Safety Exposure‐Response Analysis to Support Ritlecitinib Dose Selection
title_sort comprehensive safety exposure response analysis to support ritlecitinib dose selection
topic modeling and simulation
pharmacokinetic‐pharmacodynamic
population analysis
url https://doi.org/10.1002/psp4.70030
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AT ruolunqiu comprehensivesafetyexposureresponseanalysistosupportritlecitinibdoseselection
AT johnprybylski comprehensivesafetyexposureresponseanalysistosupportritlecitinibdoseselection
AT jessicawojciechowski comprehensivesafetyexposureresponseanalysistosupportritlecitinibdoseselection
AT yuchenwang comprehensivesafetyexposureresponseanalysistosupportritlecitinibdoseselection
AT vivekspurohit comprehensivesafetyexposureresponseanalysistosupportritlecitinibdoseselection