Physiologically Based Modeling Approach to Predict Dopamine D2 Receptor Occupancy of Antipsychotics in Brain: Translation From Rat to Human

Receptor occupancy (RO) is a translational biomarker for assessing drug efficacy and safety. We aimed to apply a physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) modeling approach to predict the brain dopamine D2 RO time profiles of antipsychotics. Clozapine and risperidone were modeled together with their active metabolites, norclozapine and paliperidone, First, in PK‐Sim a rat PBPK model was developed and optimized using literature plasma PK data. Then, blood‐brain barrier parameters including the expression and efflux transport kinetics of P‐glycoprotein were optimized using literature microdialysis data on brain extracellular fluid (brainECF), which were further adapted when translating the rat PBPK model into the human PBPK model. Based on the simulated drug and metabolite concentrations in brainECF, drug‐D2 receptor binding kinetics (association and dissociation rates) were incorporated in MoBi to predict RO. From an extensive literature search, 32 plasma PK data sets (16 from rat and 16 from human studies) and 23 striatum RO data sets (13 from rat and 10 from human studies) were prepared and compared with the model predictions. The rat PBPK‐RO model adequately predicted the plasma concentrations of the parent drugs and metabolites and the RO levels. The human PBPK‐RO model also captured the plasma PK and RO levels despite the large interindividual and interstudy variability, although it tended to underestimate the plasma concentrations and RO measured at late time points after risperidone dosing. The developed human PBPK‐RO model was successfully applied to predict the plasma PK and RO changes observed after risperidone dose reduction in a clinical trial in schizophrenic patients.