<i>In Vitro</i> Evaluation of the Drug Interaction Potential of Doravirine

Abstract

Doravirine is a novel nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor for the treatment of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 infection. <i>In vitro</i> studies were conducted to assess the potential for drug interactions with doravirine via major drug-metabolizing enzymes and transporters. Kinetic studies confirmed that cytochrome P450 3A (CYP3A) plays a major role in the metabolism of doravirine, with ∼20-fold-higher catalytic efficiency for CYP3A4 versus CYP3A5. Doravirine was not a substrate of breast cancer resistance protein (BCRP) and likely not a substrate of organic anion transporting polypeptide 1B1 (OATP1B1) or OATP1B3. Doravirine was not a reversible inhibitor of major CYP enzymes (CYP1A2, -2B6, -2C8, -2C9, -2C19, -2D6, and -3A4) or of UGT1A1, nor was it a time-dependent inhibitor of CYP3A4. No induction of CYP1A2 or -2B6 was observed in cultured human hepatocytes; small increases in CYP3A4 mRNA (≤20%) were reported at doravirine concentrations of ≥10 μM but with no corresponding increase in enzyme activity. <i>In vitro</i> transport studies indicated a low potential for interactions with substrates of BCRP, P-glycoprotein, OATP1B1 and OATP1B3, the bile salt extrusion pump (BSEP), organic anion transporter 1 (OAT1) and OAT3, organic cation transporter 2 (OCT2), and multidrug and toxin extrusion 1 (MATE1) and MATE2K proteins. In summary, these <i>in vitro</i> findings indicate that CYP3A4 and CYP3A5 mediate the metabolism of doravirine, although with different catalytic efficiencies. Clinical trials reported elsewhere confirm that doravirine is subject to drug-drug interactions (DDIs) via CYP3A inhibitors and inducers, but they support the notion that DDIs (either direction) are unlikely via other major drug-metabolizing enzymes and transporters.