A high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method for the determination of lifrafenib, a novel RAF kinase and EGFR inhibitor, in human plasma and urine and its application in clinical pharmacokinetic study

Abstract

Lifirafenib (BGB-283), a dual inhibitor trageting BRAF kinase and EGFR, showed favorable efficacy and safety in treating patients with different cancer types harboring mutations in BRAF, KRAS and NRAS. In order to support the clinical pharmacokinetic study, a sensitive high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC–MS/MS) method was developed and validated to quantify lifirafenib concentration in human plasma and urine. Plasma samples were purified using protein precipitation. Urine samples were pre-treated by adding tween 80 with the purpose of preventing non-specific adsorption, then extracted by centrifugation. Chromatographic separation was achieved on Phenomenex Luna C18 column with a gradient elution. The mass detection was performed using electrospray ionization (ESI) source under multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) in positive ionization mode. The method was fully validated, and the result of inter-assay and intra-assay precisions were less than 15% and the accuracy within the scope of ±15%. The linear range for plasma and urine covered from 10 to 10,000 ng/mL and 1 to 200 ng/mL, respectively, with correlation coefficients of 0.99. The validation for matrix effect, recovery, stability and carryover were met the acceptance criteria. The method showed robust and sensitive, it successfully fulfilled the requirement of clinical pharmacokinetic study of lifirafenib in Chinese patients with locally advanced or metastatic solid tumors.