Pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic assessment of alirocumab in patients with familial hypercholesterolemia associated with proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 gain-of-function or apolipoprotein B loss-of-function mutations

Abstract

Familial hypercholesterolemia is characterized by high levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and causes of familial hypercholesterolemia include apolipoprotein B (APOB) loss-of-function mutations (LOFm) and proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) gain-of-function mutations (GOFm). The aim of this study was to compare the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of alirocumab between patients with APOB LOFm vs PCSK9 GOFm. Patients (6 APOB LOFm and 17 PCSK9 GOFm carriers) with LDL-C ≥70mg/dL on maximally tolerated lipid-lowering therapies received alirocumab 150mg at Weeks 0, 2, 4, and 6, placebo at Week 8, alirocumab at Week 10, placebo at Weeks 12 and 14, then completed a follow-up period at Week22. At Week 8, mean±standard error (SE) alirocumab concentration was lower in APOB LOFm carriers compared with PCSK9 GOFm carriers (12.12±1.81 vs 16.74±2.53mg/L). APOB LOFm carriers had higher mean±SE total PCSK9 (6.56±0.73mg/L) and lower mean±SE free PCSK9 (0.025±0.016mg/L) at Week 8 compared with PCSK9 GOFm carriers (4.21±0.35 and 0.11±0.035mg/L for total and free PCSK9, respectively). Despite this observed greater PCSK9 suppression, mean±SE percent LDL-C reduction was lower in APOB LOFm (55.3±1.0%) compared with PCSK9 GOFm carriers (73.1±0.9%). Treatment-emergent adverse events occurred in 16 patients (94.1%) in the PCSK9 GOFm group and 5 patients (83.3%) in the APOB LOFm group. Overall, PCSK9 inhibition with alirocumab results in clinically meaningful reductions in LDL-C in both APOB LOFm and PCSK9 GOFm carriers, although reductions were greater in the PCSK9 GOFm carriers. The results indicate a possible underlying contributor to hypercholesterolemia other than PCSK9 in patients with APOB LOFm. NCT01604824; clinicaltrials.gov.