Results From Drug–Drug Interaction Studies In Vitro and In Vivo Investigating the Inhibitory Effect of Finerenone on the Drug Transporters BCRP, OATP1B1, and OATP1B3

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: In vitro and in vivo studies were performed with the novel, selective, nonsteroidal mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist finerenone to assess the relevance of inhibitory effects on the transporters breast cancer resistance protein (BCRP), organic anion transporting polypeptide 1B1 (OATP1B1), and OATP1B3. These transporters are involved in the disposition of a number of drugs, including statins. Statins are also a frequent comedication in patients receiving finerenone. Therefore, inhibitory effects on BCRP and OATPs are of potential clinical relevance. METHODS: The effect on the transport of specific substrates of BCRP and OATP1B1/1B3 was assessed in cell-based in vitro assays with finerenone or its metabolites. A fixed-sequence crossover study in 14 healthy male volunteers investigated the effects of finerenone (40 mg once daily) on the pharmacokinetics of the index substrate rosuvastatin (5 mg) administered alone, simultaneously with, or approximately 4 h before finerenone. The effect of finerenone on the endogenous OATP substrates coproporphyrin I and III was also assessed. RESULTS: Based on in vitro findings and threshold values proposed in regulatory guidelines, finerenone appeared to be a potentially relevant inhibitor of all three transporters. Relevant inhibition could also not be ruled out for the finerenone metabolites M1a (OATP1B1) and M3a (OATP1B1 and OAT1B3), which prompted an investigation into the relevance of these findings in vivo. After administration on a background of finerenone 40 mg, all point estimates of area under the curve ratios (114.47% [rosuvastatin], 99.62% [coproporphyrin I; simultaneous], and 105.28% [rosuvastatin; 4 h separation]) and maximum concentration ratios (111.24% [rosuvastatin], 101.22% [coproporphyrin I], 89.14% [coproporphyrin III; simultaneous], and 96.84% [rosuvastatin; 4 h separation]) of the investigated substrates were within 80.0–125%. In addition, the 90% confidence intervals of the ratios were within the conventional no-effect boundaries of 80.0% and 125% for rosuvastatin after temporally separated administration, and for coproporphyrin I and III. CONCLUSION: Administration of finerenone 40 mg once daily confers no risk of clinically relevant drug–drug interactions with substrates of BCRP, OATP1B1, or OATP1B3. The potential for relevant inhibition of these transporters suggested by in vitro findings was not confirmed in vivo. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13318-022-00794-5.