Does the choice of applied physiologically-based pharmacokinetics platform matter? A case study on simvastatin disposition and drug-drug interaction

Abstract

Physiologically-based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) models have an important role in drug discovery/development and decision making in regulatory submissions. This is facilitated by predefined PBPK platforms with user-friendly graphical interface, such as Simcyp and PK-Sim. However, evaluations of platform differences and the potential implications for disposition-related applications are still lacking. The aim of this study was to assess how PBPK model development, input parameters, and model output are affected by the selection of PBPK platform. This is exemplified via the establishment of simvastatin PBPK models (workflow, final models, and output) in PK-Sim and Simcyp as representatives of established whole-body PBPK platforms. The major finding was that the choice of PBPK platform influenced the model development strategy and the final model input parameters, however, the predictive performance of the simvastatin models was still comparable between the platforms. The main differences between the structure and implementation of Simcyp and PK-Sim were found in the absorption and distribution models. Both platforms predicted equally well the observed simvastatin (lactone and acid) pharmacokinetics (20-80 mg), BCRP and OATP1B1 drug-gene interactions (DGIs), and drug-drug interactions (DDIs) when co-administered with CYP3A4 and OATP1B1 inhibitors/inducers. This study illustrates that in-depth knowledge of established PBPK platforms is needed to enable an assessment of the consequences of PBPK platform selection. Specifically, this work provides insights on software differences and potential implications when bridging PBPK knowledge between Simcyp and PK-Sim users. Finally, it provides a simvastatin model implemented in both platforms for risk assessment of metabolism- and transporter-mediated DGIs and DDIs.