Proposal of a Parameter for OATP1B1 Inhibition Screening at the Early Drug Discovery Stage

It is known that potent inhibition of organic-anion-transporting polypeptide (OATP)1B1 increases exposure to statins, leading to severe adverse effects. The aim of this study was to propose a parameter and its criteria in OATP1B1 inhibition assay at the early drug discovery stage to avoid compounds with the risk of statin-related adverse effects. According to drug label information, most compounds classified as “contraindicated” or “should be avoided” when administered concomitantly with statins increased their AUCs more than 4-fold. Generally, R values where R = 1 + plasma unbound fraction (fu) × maximum inhibitor concentration at the inlet to the liver/IC₅₀ are used to evaluate the extent of clinical drug interaction. However, clinical doses and C_max cannot be determined at the screening stage. Therefore, we estimated the correlations between change in AUC of statins concomitantly administered with OATP1B1 inhibitors and various parameters including fu/IC₅₀. Cyclosporin A, rifampicin, and telaprevir increased the AUC of statins more than 4-fold and fu/IC₅₀ of these compounds was >0.1 L/μmol. On the other hand, fu/IC₅₀ of other compounds was ≤0.03 L/μmol. This study indicates that fu/IC₅₀ is a useful parameter to avoid compounds that seriously affect statin potency through interaction with OATP1B1 at the screening stage.