Pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics of polymyxin B in patients with bloodstream infection caused by carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae.

Abstract

Introduction: Polymyxin B is a last-line therapy for carbapenem-resistant microorganisms. However, a lack of clinical pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) data has substantially hindered dose optimization and breakpoint setting. Methods: A prospective, multi-center clinical trial was undertaken with polymyxin B [2.5mg/kg loading dose (3-h infusion), 1.25mg/kg/12h maintenance dose (2-h infusion)] for treatment of carbapenem-resistant K. pneumoniae (CRKP) bloodstream infections (BSI). Safety, clinical and microbiological efficacy were evaluated. A validated liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method was applied to determine the concentrations of polymyxin B in blood samples. Population pharmacokinetic (PK) modeling and Monte Carlo simulations were conducted to examine the susceptibility breakpoint for polymyxin B against BSI caused by CRKP. Results: Nine patients were enrolled and evaluated for safety. Neurotoxicity (5/9), nephrotoxicity (5/9), and hyperpigmentation (1/9) were recorded. Blood cultures were negative within 3days of commencing therapy in all 8 patients evaluated for microbiological efficacy, and clinical cure or improvement occurred in 6 of 8 patients. Cmax and Cmin following the loading dose were 5.53 ± 1.80 and 1.62 ± 0.41mg/L, respectively. With maintenance dosing, AUCss,24h was 79.6 ± 25.0mg h/L and Css,avg 3.35 ± 1.06mg/L. Monte Carlo simulations indicated that a 1mg/kg/12-hourly maintenance dose could achieve >90% probability of target attainment (PTA) for isolates with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) ≤1mg/L. PTA dropped substantially for MICs ≥2mg/L, even with a maximally recommended daily dose of 1.5mg/kg/12-hourly. Conclusion: This is the first clinical PK/PD study evaluating polymyxin B for BSI. These results will assist to optimize polymyxin B therapy and establish its breakpoints for CRKP BSI.