Rethinking the Application of Pemetrexed for Patients with Renal Impairment: A Pharmacokinetic Analysis.

Abstract

CONCLUSION

Renal function is more important for the clearance of pemetrexed than previously thought and this should be taken into account in patients with renal impairment. Furthermore, a third compartment may contribute to prolonged exposure to pemetrexed during drug washout.

RESULTS

The dataset included 548 paired observations of 47 patients, with a wide range of estimated glomerular filtration rates (eGFR; 14.4-145.6 mL/min). Pemetrexed PK were best described by a three-compartment model with eGFR (calculated using the Chronic Kidney Disease-Epidemiology Collaboration [CKD-EPI] formula) as a linear covariate on renal pemetrexed clearance. Using the developed model, we found that renal clearance accounts for up to 84% (95% confidence interval 69-98%) of total pemetrexed clearance, whereas the manufacturer previously reported a 50% contribution of renal clearance.

BACKGROUND

Pemetrexed is used for the treatment for non-small cell lung cancer and mesothelioma. Patients with renal impairment are withheld treatment with this drug as it is unknown what dose is well tolerated in this population.

METHODS

A population PK analysis of pemetrexed was performed using non-linear mixed-effects modelling with phase I data obtained from the manufacturer. Additionally, the impact of renal function on pemetrexed PK was assessed with a simulation study using the developed PK model and a previously developed PK model lacking the phase I data.

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of our study was to investigate the pharmacokinetics (PK) of pemetrexed in patients with renal impairment.

More about this publication

Clinical pharmacokinetics
  • Volume 60
  • Issue nr. 5
  • Pages 649-654
  • Publication date 01-05-2021

This site uses cookies

This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website.