An Evaluation of the Pharmacokinetics, Safety, and Tolerability of Aclidinium/Formoterol Fixed-Dose Combination Administered in Chinese Patients with Moderate-to-Severe Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Abstract

Background and Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the pharmacokinetics, safety, and tolerability of aclidinium bromide/formoterol fumarate in patients from China with moderate-to-severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Methods: In this open-label, repeat-dose, 5-day pharmacokinetic study (NCT03276078) of inhaled aclidinium bromide/formoterol fumarate 400/12 µg twice daily, plasma concentrations of aclidinium, formoterol, and two aclidinium metabolites (LAS34823, LAS34850) were assessed (days 1 and 5). Adverse event (AE) data were collected. Results: Twenty patients (15 [75%] males) with a mean age of 59.2 years were included. Median (range) time to maximum concentration on days 1 and 5 was 0.08 (0.08–0.50) and 0.08 (0.08–0.50) h, respectively, for aclidinium; and 1.00 (0.08–3.00) and 0.08 (0.08–1.50) h, respectively, for formoterol. Mean elimination half-life and accumulation ratio for area under the concentration–time curve during a dosage interval (AUCτ) was 19.42 h and 2.0, respectively, for aclidinium; and 14.06 h and 1.4, respectively, for formoterol. Steady-state maximum concentration (Cmax,ss) and AUCτ on day 5 were 60.86 pg/mL and 168.80 h·pg/mL, respectively, for aclidinium; and 6.47 pg/mL and 31.98 h·pg/mL, respectively, for formoterol. Aclidinium produced high coefficients of variation (day 1: AUCτ 79.0%, Cmax 84.5%; day 5: AUCτ 82.2%, Cmax 150.0%). Few AEs were reported, typically one per patient. One patient discontinued due to a serious AE (considered possibly unrelated to treatment). Conclusions: Aclidinium/formoterol 400/12 µg twice daily was well-tolerated in patients from China with moderate-to-severe COPD. Safety findings were consistent with the known safety profile. Clinical Trial Identifier: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03276078.