Drug Interactions between Agenerase and lomitapide

ADJUST DOSING INTERVAL: Administration of lomitapide with food may increase the risk of common gastrointestinal adverse reactions such as diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, dyspepsia, abdominal pain or discomfort, abdominal distension, constipation, and flatulence. Absorption of concomitant oral medications may be affected in patients who develop diarrhea or vomiting.

GENERALLY AVOID: Grapefruit juice may significantly increase the plasma concentrations of lomitapide. The proposed mechanism is inhibition of CYP450 3A4-mediated first-pass metabolism in the gut wall by certain compounds present in grapefruit. Weak CYP450 3A4 inhibitors can increase lomitapide exposure (AUC) by approximately 2-fold according to the product labeling. Ketoconazole, a potent CYP450 3A4 inhibitor, has been shown to increase lomitapide AUC by 27-fold .

GENERALLY AVOID: Coadministration with alcohol may increase the risk of hepatotoxicity associated with the use of lomitapide. In a premarketing clinical trial, 34% (10/29) of patients treated with lomitapide had at least one elevation in alanine aminotransferase (ALT) or aspartate aminotransferase (AST) 3 times the upper limit of normal (ULN) or greater, and 14% (4/29) had at least one elevation in ALT or AST 5 times ULN or greater. There were no concomitant clinically meaningful elevations of total bilirubin, international normalized ratio (INR), or alkaline phosphatase. Lomitapide also increases hepatic fat, with or without concomitant increases in transaminases. In the same study, the median absolute increase in hepatic fat was 6% after both 26 and 78 weeks of treatment, from 1% at baseline, measured by magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Hepatic steatosis associated with lomitapide may be a risk factor for progressive liver disease, including steatohepatitis and cirrhosis. Clinical data suggest that hepatic fat accumulation is reversible after stopping treatment with lomitapide, although the long-term consequences are unknown.

MANAGEMENT: Lomitapide should be taken once daily with a glass of water, without food, at least 2 hours after the evening meal. Strict adherence to a low-fat diet (<20% of total calories from fat) and gradual dosage titration may also help to reduce gastrointestinal intolerance. Patients should avoid consumption of grapefruit, grapefruit juice, and any supplement containing grapefruit extract during treatment with lomitapide. Since alcohol may increase levels of hepatic fat and induce or exacerbate liver injury, the manufacturer recommends that patients taking lomitapide not consume more than one alcoholic drink per day.

GENERALLY AVOID: Administration with a high-fat meal may decrease the oral bioavailability of amprenavir. The mechanism is unknown. In healthy volunteers, consumption of a standardized high-fat meal decreased the peak plasma concentration (Cmax) and area under the concentration-time curve (AUC) of amprenavir (1200 mg single oral dose) by 36% and 21%, respectively, compared to administration in the fasted state. The time to reach Cmax (Tmax) was increased 44% following a high-fat meal.

Grapefruit juice does not appear to significantly affect the pharmacokinetics of amprenavir. In 12 healthy volunteers, administration with grapefruit juice (200 mL) decreased the mean peak plasma concentration (Cmax) of amprenavir (1200 mg single oral dose) by 22% compared to water. The median time to reach Cmax (Tmax) was prolonged from 0.75 to 1.13 hours. These pharmacokinetic changes are not thought to be clinically significant, since antiretroviral response is more closely associated with systemic exposure (AUC) and trough plasma concentration (Cmin), which were not affected in the study.

MANAGEMENT: Amprenavir may be taken with or without food, but should not be taken with a high-fat meal.