New predictive models to support optimal antimalarial use now openly available
Models aim to improve patient treatment and support drug development
For the first time and after several years of collaboration between MMV, Certara and Monash University, predictive models have been made available for 18 major marketed antimalarials and two in-development compounds. They have been shared, together with an accompanying strategy, for free use by the scientific community.
Each model predicts how the body interacts with a specific drug. This helps researchers to optimize the use of currently available antimalarials and better navigate the complexities of drug development thereby supporting the development of safer, more effective, and targeted antimalarial treatments. For example, they can be used to:
-Understand how a drug may interact with another drug taken by the same patient and recommend potential dosing adjustments
-Adapt dosing for a particular population, such as pregnant women
-Support the selection of combinations of drugs for clinical testing by predicting potential interactions between the drugs in the combinations.
This type of modelling, called physiologically-based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) modelling, is commonly used in the pharmaceutical industry for other therapeutic areas and can replace the need for some clinical studies, reducing cost and timelines for drug approval. Their use in global health is still very limited.
“This is a significant step forward in improving antimalarial drug development and a culmination of several years of work in partnership with colleagues at Certara and Monash University. As a result, today, scientists around the world can apply these models to optimize the use of existing antimalarials in different populations.” says Nada Abla, Director, Drug Disposition & PBPK Modelling, Integrated Sciences at MMV and the paper’s lead author.
The details can be found in the paper “Development and Application of a PBPK Modelling Strategy to support Antimalarial Drug Development,” published in the journal CPT: Pharmacometrics & Systems Pharmacology. The models are open access using the software SimcypTM from Certara.
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