Limited sampling strategies for accurate determination of extended half-life factor VIII pharmacokinetics in severe haemophilia A patients

Haemophilia. 2021 May;27(3):408-416. doi: 10.1111/hae.14288. Epub 2021 Mar 20.

Abstract

Background: Extended half-life (EHL) factor VIII (FVIII) products may decrease the burden of prophylactic treatment in haemophilia A by reducing infusion frequency. However, these products still exhibit wide inter-patient variability and benefit from pharmacokinetic (PK) tailoring.

Objective: Identify limited sampling strategies for rFVIIIFc, an EHL FVIII product, that produce accurate estimates of PK parameters and relevant troughs.

Methods: We performed a limited sampling analysis on simulated populations of adults, adolescents, and children based on published population PK data. Sampling strategies were evaluated by comparing the error in estimates of half-life, clearance, and trough levels, to a full 6-sample design. Furthermore, we assessed the impact of incorporating knowledge about prior doses, and the day of the PK study within the regimen. We also evaluated the potential inappropriate dose adjustment rate (IDAR) among the modelled sampling strategies.

Results: Many sampling strategies, including several 2-sample designs, accurately predicted the PK and exposure measures (median absolute error <10%). When samples are only collected during a single visit (i.e., predose + peak), inclusion of prior dose information reduces median half-life error from >20% to ~5% for adults/adolescents. In this same scenario, appropriate scheduling of the PK study decreases likelihood of unmeasurable predose samples, reducing median error on the 72-h trough from 25% to <12% in the youngest population.

Conclusions: The PK of rFVIIIFc can be accurately estimated using only peak and trough samples, provided that knowledge of prior doses is incorporated and the PK study is planned on an appropriate day within the dosing regimen.

Keywords: Bayesian forecasting; extended half-life; factor VIII; haemophilia A; population pharmacokinetics.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Child
  • Factor VIII
  • Half-Life
  • Hemophilia A* / drug therapy
  • Hemostatics*
  • Humans

Substances

  • Hemostatics
  • Factor VIII