Evaluation of Pharmacokinetic Drug Interactions Between Gemigliptin (Dipeptidylpeptidase-4 Inhibitor) and Glimepiride (Sulfonylurea) in Healthy Volunteers

PURPOSE: Gemigliptin is approved for the treatment of type II diabetes mellitus. Sulfonylureas are commonly used in combination with other antidiabetic drugs to improve glycemic control. The objective of this study was to evaluate the pharmacokinetics, safety, and tolerability of gemigliptin and glimepiride combination therapy compared with those of monotherapies. METHODS: A randomized, open-label, crossover study was performed on healthy Korean male volunteers. Each subject received the following treatments (A and B) with a 7-day washout period: treatment A consisted of gemigliptin 50 mg once daily administered orally for 6 days, followed by concomitant oral dosing of glimepiride 4 mg and gemigliptin 50 mg on day 7; treatment B consisted of a single dose of glimepiride 4 mg. Blood samples were collected up to 24-h postdose on day 6 (gemigliptin) and day 7 (gemigliptin and glimepiride) following treatment A, and on day 1 (glimepiride) following treatment B. Concentrations of gemigliptin, glimepiride, and metabolites were determined using validated liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS). Safety assessments were performed throughout the study. RESULTS: Twenty-three subjects completed the study. The geometric mean ratios (GMRs) of C (max,ss) and AUC(τ,ss) for gemigliptin were 1.0097 [90 % confidence interval (CI) 0.924–1.103] and 0.9997 (90 % CI 0.976–1.024), respectively. For glimepiride, the GMRs of C (max) and AUC(last) were 1.031 (90 % CI 0.908–1.172) and 0.995 (90 % CI 0.902–1.097), respectively. Both combination and monotherapy were well tolerated, and no serious adverse events were reported. CONCLUSION: Gemigliptin and glimepiride did not alter the pharmacokinetic properties of each other when they were co-administered in healthy volunteers, and were generally tolerated.