Drug Interaction Report

GENERALLY AVOID: Coadministration with potent inducers of CYP450 3A4 may significantly decrease the plasma concentrations of macitentan, which is primarily metabolized by the isoenzyme. In ten healthy male subjects pretreated with macitentan (30 mg initially, followed by 10 mg once daily) for 5 days, coadministration with the potent CYP450 3A4 inducer rifampin (600 mg once daily) on days 6 through 12 reduced macitentan systemic exposure (AUC) by 79% and trough plasma concentration (Cmin) by 93% compared to macitentan administered alone. An initial increase in the Cmin of the active metabolite of macitentan was observed following the addition of rifampin on day 6, but a gradual decrease occurred with continued dosing, resulting in concentrations on day 12 that were similar to those observed with macitentan alone. There was also no significant effect of rifampin on the AUC of the active metabolite, which has been reported to be approximately 5-fold less potent than macitentan in vitro, but whose systemic exposure in human is 2.5-fold higher than that of macitentan.

MANAGEMENT: Concomitant use of macitentan with potent CYP450 3A4 inducers should generally be avoided.

GENERALLY AVOID: Coadministration with grapefruit juice may increase the plasma concentrations of macitentan, which is primarily metabolized by CYP450 3A4. The proposed mechanism is inhibition of CYP450 3A4-mediated first-pass metabolism in the gut wall by certain compounds present in grapefruit. The interaction has not been studied with grapefruit juice but has been reported for ketoconazole, a potent CYP450 3A4 inhibitor. In ten healthy subjects, coadministration of a single 10 mg oral dose of macitentan on day 5 of treatment with ketoconazole (400 mg daily for 24 days) resulted in an approximately 2-fold increase in macitentan systemic exposure compared to administration alone. However, the clinical significance of the interaction is unclear. In general, the effect of grapefruit juice is concentration-, dose- and preparation-dependent, and can vary widely among brands. Certain preparations of grapefruit juice (e.g., high dose, double strength) have sometimes demonstrated potent inhibition of CYP450 3A4, while other preparations (e.g., low dose, single strength) have typically demonstrated moderate inhibition. Pharmacokinetic interactions involving grapefruit juice are also subject to a high degree of interpatient variability, thus the extent to which a given patient may be affected is difficult to predict.

MANAGEMENT: Until further information is available, patients receiving macitentan therapy should avoid the consumption of grapefruit or grapefruit juice.