TB is a leading cause of death among people living with HIV highlighting the need for adequate treatment for both diseases when treated concurrently [3]. This modelling study investigated dose escalation of ATV/r 300/100 mg from once daily to twice daily towards overcoming DDI effect with standard doses of rifampicin in children. The paediatric PBPK model used was built from a validated adult PBPK model with DDI modelling components which was earlier developed for investigating DDI between ATV/r and rifampicin in adults [7]. Age-related changes affecting organ weights and blood flows were incorporated into the paediatric PBPK model as previously described in literature [12]. Enzyme abundance and activities were kept at adult values as the relative expressions of most CYP enzymes in children compared to adults are expected to peak around 5 years after birth. The paediatric PBPK model was successfully validated with relevant clinical data for ATV/r and rifampicin in children [19, 20].
Co-administration of ATV/r and rifampicin was simulated in children with different weight-bands (25–30, 30–49 and 50–70 kg) and overlapping age ranges. These weight-bands were determined using the WHO recommended dosing for rifampicin and ATV/r in children [3, 21]. For each weight-band, ATV PK was simulated during once and twice daily dosing of ATV/r 300/100 mg in the presence of the respective standard rifampicin dose. Co-administration of ATV/r 300/100 mg once daily with standard doses of rifampicin once daily in children was predicted to lower ATV exposures with 67, 72, and 78% reduction in the predicted ATV AUC for children in the 25–30, 30–49 and 50–70 kg weight-bands, respectively. Likewise, 42, 65, and 94% of the children population were predicted to have Ctrough below 14 ng/ml in the 25–30, 30–49 and 50–70 kg weight-bands, respectively. Generally, trough concentrations of ritonavir-boosted protease inhibitors at standard doses are known to be reduced by > 90% when taken with rifampicin [22]. Simulated ATV concentrations were predicted to be much higher with the co-administration of ATV/r 300/100 mg twice daily and the respective standard doses of rifampicin taken once daily across the different weight-bands. Within each 24-hour dosing cycle of rifampicin, the impact of rifampicin’s induction on predicted ATV PK was higher during the first 12 hours after rifampicin’s administration. Nonetheless, dose escalation to twice-daily dosing of ATV/r was predicted to boost ATV Ctrough adequately. Predicted ATV Ctrough during ATV/r 300/100 mg twice daily was higher than 14 ng/ml in all the children across the different weight-bands in the presence of rifampicin. Also, the lowest predicted ATV Ctrough was 15-, 3.7- and 7-fold higher than 14 ng/ml in the 25–30, 30–49, and 50–70 kg weight-bands, respectively. Nonetheless, these predicted ATV Ctrough fell below 150 ng/ml in 4 and 9% of the children in the 30–49 and 50–70 kg weight-bands, respectively. Interestingly, reliability of the common clinical cut-off concentration for ATV (150 ng/ml) has been questioned recently with evidence suggesting the ATV PAIC90 being more reliable [8]. Predicted ATV Cmax experienced the least change between the once daily and the twice-daily dosing of ATV/r in the presence of rifampicin.
Model predictions suggest increasing the dosing of ATV/r to twice daily could overcome the DDI effect of rifampicin during concurrent treatment of HIV and TB in children within the weight-bands that were investigated. Nonetheless, clinical studies are warranted to investigate twice daily dosing of ATV/r 300/100 mg in the presence and/or absence of rifampicin in children to confirm these model predictions. Similarly, the safety of this dose escalation requires further clinical investigation in children. Some evidence suggests that the risks of hepatotoxicity with adjusted doses of boosted protease inhibitors might be reduced in people living with HIV that are established on protease inhibitors prior to the introduction of rifampicin. Likewise, the sequence of introducing of ATV/r (boosted protease inhibitors) and rifampicin along with any necessary dose escalation might modulate reduce the risk of hepatotoxicity [22]. Thus, the sequence of introducing of ATV/r and rifampicin along with any necessary dose escalation to reduce the risk of hepatotoxicity in children might also need to be studied [8].