Drug Interactions between fesoterodine and quinine

MONITOR: Coadministration with moderate inhibitors of CYP450 3A4 such as grapefruit juice may increase the plasma concentrations of fesoterodine's active metabolite, 5-hydroxymethyl tolterodine, which is partially metabolized by the isoenzyme. The possibility of prolonged and/or increased pharmacologic effects of fesoterodine should be considered. Because 5-hydroxymethyl tolterodine is also metabolized by CYP450 2D6, the clinical significance of the interaction may be greater in patients who are CYP450 2D6-deficient, or so-called poor metabolizers of CYP450 2D6 (approximately 7% of Caucasians and less than 2% of Asians and individuals of African descent) who may rely more on the 3A4 metabolic pathway for clearance of the drug.

MANAGEMENT: Caution is advised if fesoterodine is administered with grapefruit or grapefruit juice. Patients should be advised to notify their physician if they experience potential adverse effects of fesoterodine such as irregular heartbeat, blurry vision, difficulty urinating, dry mouth, headache, drowsiness, dizziness, gastrointestinal upset, or constipation.

Coadministration with grapefruit juice does not appear to affect the pharmacokinetics of quinine in a clinically relevant manner. Although grapefruit juice is an inhibitor of CYP450 3A4 and quinine is metabolized by this pathway to its major metabolite, 3-hydroxyquinine, a study of ten healthy volunteers found no significant differences in quinine peak plasma concentration (Cmax), time to reach Cmax (Tmax), terminal elimination half-life, systemic exposure (AUC), or apparent oral clearance (Cl/F) when a single 600 mg oral dose of quinine sulfate was administered in combination with 200 mL of orange juice (control), half-strength grapefruit juice, and full-strength grapefruit juice twice daily for 6 days each, separated by a 2-week washout period. Relative to the control period, the apparent renal clearance of quinine was markedly increased by 81% during treatment with half-strength grapefruit juice. However, since renal clearance accounts for approximately 6% of the total clearance of quinine, this change would likely have minimal clinical impact. The lack of a significant interaction is probably due to the fact that grapefruit juice primarily inhibits intestinal rather than hepatic CYP450 3A4, and quinine is not known to undergo significant presystemic metabolism as evidenced by its relatively high oral bioavailability (76% to 88%). Nevertheless, excessive consumption of grapefruit juice and tonic water (which contains quinine) was suspected as the cause of torsade de pointes arrhythmia in a patient with a history of asymptomatic long QT syndrome. Treatment with magnesium sulfate and metoprolol had no effect, but the arrhythmia resolved spontaneously 48 hours after discontinuation of the drinks. Based on current data, moderate grapefruit juice consumption is probably safe for the majority of patients taking quinine.