Usefulness of minipigs for predicting human pharmacokinetics: Prediction of distribution volume and plasma clearance

In this study, advantages of minipigs to use in preclinical study for new drug development were evaluated in terms of prediction of human pharmacokinetic (PK) parameters of various drugs. Fourteen model drugs having diverse physicochemical properties were selected and intravenously administered to mice, rats and minipigs to obtain their PK parameters. The human volume of distribution (Vd) and clearance (CL) of model drugs were predicted from PK parameters in each animal species.When Vd of 14 drugs in each species were directly compared with those in humans, minipigs showed the highest correlation. Correction of Vd with an unbound fraction of drugs in tissues further improved the correlation. Allometric scaling that included minipig data resulted in high accuracy in the prediction of human Vd, clearly indicating an importance of minipig data. Minipigs also showed the high predictability of human CL. The prediction of human CL by allometric scaling showed a high accuracy when the data of minipigs were included.In conclusion, potential advantages of minipigs for predicting human Vd and CL were clearly demonstrated. Reliable prediction of human PK from data of minipigs appears to be possible in preclinical PK study, without relying on PK analysis in other species.