Safety, Tolerability and Pharmacokinetics of Vidofludimus calcium (IMU-838) After Single and Multiple Ascending Oral Doses in Healthy Male Subjects

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Vidofludimus is a potent and selective inhibitor of human mitochondrial enzyme dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (DHODH). The clinical efficacy and safety profile of vidofludimus has been analyzed in patients suffering from rheumatoid arthritis and Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. In previous sudies, hematuria at higher doses occurred in close temporal relationship to vidofludimus administration and appeared to be dose related. The present report describes the results from two phase 1 studies conducted in healthy male subjects to investigate the safety, tolerability and pharmacokinetics after single and multiple ascending (SAD and MAD) oral doses of IMU-838 (vidofludimus calcium, tablets containing a specific polymorph). The effect of food on the pharmacokinetics of IMU-838 was also assessed in the SAD study. METHODS: In the SAD study, 12 subjects received single doses of IMU-838 under fasting (10–40 mg) or fed (10 mg) condition in an open-label, partial parallel group design. In the MAD study, 52 subjects received multiple doses of IMU-838 (30–50 mg) in a double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel group design. RESULTS: IMU-838 showed dose-proportional pharmacokinetics after single and multiple oral dosing in both SAD and MAD studies. IMU-838 was well absorbed after single daily doses. Food did not impact the pharmacokinetics of IMU-838. The accumulation factor for multiple daily dosing was approximately 2. Steady-state concentrations were reached within about 6–8 days for 30–50 mg groups. The geometric mean plasma half-life of IMU-838 at steady state was approximately 30 h, which supports its use for once-daily dosing regimen. Single and multiple oral doses of IMU-838 were safe and well tolerated. CONCLUSION: Overall, oral IMU-838 was generally well tolerated in SAD and MAD studies in healthy subjects over a wide dose range of 10–50 mg. IMU-838 was well absorbed after single daily doses. IMU-838 showed dose proportional pharmacokinetics after single and multiple oral dosing. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1007/s13318-020-00623-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.