In Vitro Evaluation of CYP‐Mediated Metabolism of Fezolinetant and Pharmacokinetic Interaction Between Fezolinetant and Fluvoxamine in Healthy Postmenopausal Smokers and Nonsmokers

Abstract Fezolinetant is an oral, nonhormonal, neurokinin 3 receptor antagonist treatment option for moderate to severe vasomotor symptoms associated with menopause. An in vitro study using human recombinant cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes and human liver microsomes showed that fezolinetant is metabolized to its major but inactive metabolite, ES259564, predominantly through CYP1A2, with minor contributions from CYP2C9 and CYP2C19. The clinical impact of CYP1A2 inhibition and induction on single‐dose pharmacokinetics of fezolinetant was assessed in an open‐label, single‐sequence, phase 1 study in healthy postmenopausal women, where the impact of fluvoxamine, a strong CYP1A2 inhibitor, and smoking, a moderate CYP1A2 inducer, were evaluated. In total, 18 participants, 9 of whom were smokers, were enrolled. Fezolinetant pharmacokinetics were evaluated after a single 30‐mg dose on Day 1 and Day 7. Fluvoxamine 50 mg was administered as a single dose on Days 3 and 10 and twice daily from Days 4 to 9. Fluvoxamine increased geometric mean ratio of fezolinetant maximum plasma concentrations (C max ) and area under the curve from time of dosing extrapolated to infinity (AUC inf ) to 182% and 939%, respectively, while ES259564 C max decreased to 20.1% with no significant change in AUC. In smokers versus nonsmokers, when fezolinetant was administered alone, fezolinetant C max and AUC inf decreased to 71.7% and 48.3%, respectively, while ES259564 C max increased to 130.2% and AUC inf decreased to 81.8%. A single oral 30‐mg dose of fezolinetant was considered safe and well tolerated when co‐administered with fluvoxamine in healthy postmenopausal women.