A pharmacokinetic study of etravirine (TMC125) co-administered with ranitidine and omeprazole in HIV–negative volunteers

WHAT IS ALREADY KNOWN ABOUT THIS SUBJECT • Drug–drug interactions with acid-suppressing agents were previously described with several other antiretroviral drugs. • Etravirine (TMC125) is a next-generation non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor, metabolized by CYP3A and CYP2C enzymes with demonstrated efficacy in treatment-experienced HIV-infected patients. • The effect of acid-suppressing agents on the pharmacokinetics of etravirine was unknown. WHAT THIS STUDY ADDS • No clinically relevant effect was shown on the pharmacokinetics of etravirine when co-administered with ranitidine or omeprazole, drugs that increase gastric pH. • A drug–drug interaction due to CYP2C19 inhibition by omeprazole has been identified. • Etravirine can be co-administered with proton pump inhibitors and H2 antagonists without dose adjustments. Aims Etravirine is a next-generation non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI) with activity against wild-type and NNRTI-resistant HIV. Proton pump inhibitors and H2-antagonists are frequently used in the HIV-negative-infected population, and drug–drug interactions have been described with other antiretrovirals. This study evaluated the effect of steady-state omeprazole and ranitidine on the pharmacokinetics of a single dose of etravirine. Methods In an open-label, randomized, one-way, three-period crossover trial, HIV-negative volunteers randomly received a single dose of 100 mg etravirine alone (treatment A); 11 days of 150 mg ranitidine b.i.d. (treatment B); and 11 days of 40 mg omeprazole q.d. (treatment C). A single dose of 100 mg etravirine was co-administered on day 8 of sessions 2 and 3. Each session was separated by a 14-day wash-out. Results Nineteen volunteers (seven female) participated. When a single dose of etravirine was administered in the presence of steady-state ranitidine, etravirine least squares means ratios (90% confidence interval) for AUClast and Cmax were 0.86 (0.76, 0.97) and 0.94 (0.75, 1.17), respectively, compared with administration of etravirine alone. When administered with steady-state omeprazole, these values were 1.41 (1.22, 1.62) and 1.17 (0.96, 1.43), respectively. Co-administration of a single dose of etravirine and ranitidine or omeprazole was generally safe and well tolerated. Conclusions Ranitidine slightly decreased etravirine exposure, whereas omeprazole increased it by approximately 41%. The increased exposure of etravirine when co-administered with omeprazole is attributed to CYP2C19 inhibition. Considering the favourable safety profile of etravirine, these changes are not clinically relevant. Etravirine can be co-administered with proton pump inhibitors and H2 antagonists without dose adjustments.