GBT440 Demonstrates High Specificity for Red Blood Cells in Nonclinical Species

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is caused by a point mutation in the β-globin gene leading to production of hemoglobin S (HbS) that polymerizes upon deoxygenation with subsequent formation of sickled red blood cells (RBCs).  GBT440 modulates O₂ affinity of hemoglobin (Hb) by binding to the N-terminal α chain of Hb via a reversible Schiff base. We previously demonstrated that GBT440 prevented sickling of RBCs from sickle cell patients, in vitro.  Also, in a murine model of sickle cell disease (Townes SS mice), GBT440 prevented ex vivo sickling of RBCs and prolonged RBC half-life.

Pharmacokinetic (PK) studies of GBT440 were conducted in mouse, rat, dog and monkey following IV and oral administration. Both blood and plasma samples were collected and assayed for GBT440 concentration using LCMS.  Following IV and oral administrations, GBT440 quickly partitions into the RBC with a high blood/plasma ratio of ~70:1 which corresponded to a RBC/plasma ratio of ~150:1. Volume of distribution (Vss) was small in whole blood (0.041–0.171 L/kg) but much larger in plasma (1.44–8.45 L/kg) indicating that RBCs are a reservoir of GBT440. Systemic clearance (CLs) was low in both blood (0.016–0.113 mL/min/kg) and plasma (0.943–3.16 mL/min/kg) indicating that GBT440 was mostly bound to hemoglobin and only a small fraction of unbound GBT440 re-distributed into the plasma and was available for clearance. Terminal elimination half-life (t1/2) was similar between whole blood and plasma for each species and was long, ranging from 6.4 hours in mouse plasma to 93.5 hours in dog plasma. GBT440 was well absorbed and absolute oral bioavailability ranged from 33% to 70% in four species.

A quantitative whole body autoradiography study to determine tissue distribution of GBT440 was conducted in male rats following an oral dose of ¹⁴C-GBT440 (10 mg/kg; 150 µCi/kg PO).  The data showed that GBT440 is co-located in hematopoietic tissues as expected for a molecule whose target is hemoglobin, including blood, spleen, liver and bone marrow.

A mass balance study of ¹⁴C-GBT440 (10 mg/kg; 150 µCi/kg PO) was conducted in rats to determine route of elimination of GBT440. The ¹⁴C-GBT440-derived radioactivity was well absorbed and rapidly excreted after oral administration. By 240 hours postdose, mean values of 79.0 ± 3.86 and 9.74 ± 3.02% of the administered radioactivity were excreted in feces and urine, respectively. The mean overall recovery of radioactivity was 92.4 ± 0.875%. Metabolism via both Phase I and Phase II pathways was the major route of elimination of GBT440. These data indicate that despite its high affinity binding toward Hb, GBT440 could be released from the hemoglobin complex and completely eliminated from the body. 

To further correlate PK to pharmacological activity (hemoglobin modification based on changes in the oxygen equilibrium curve), mice were given an oral dose of 30, 50 and 100 mg/kg and blood were collected at 4 and 6 hr postdose for hemoximetry analysis. Data showed good correlation between blood concentrations and changes in p50.  Blood concentrations following 30, 50 and 100 mg/kg at 4 hr were 243, 446, and 806 µM, which resulted in changes in p50 of 11%, 25% and 55%, respectively, indicating that GBT440 elicits an ex vivo dose dependent increase in Hb-O2 affinity following increasing dosage to mice.

Based on PK data from 4 animal species, PK profile of GBT440 in human was predicted using a simple allometric scaling technique. The predicted PK profile following an oral administration was highly concordant with actual data from healthy subjects for Cmax, AUC and T½ _, which suggested that the disposition kinetics of GBT440 in humans were consistent to that in animals.

In summary, nonclinical PK studies support previous findings that GBT440 partitions to RBCs, binds specifically to Hb with a slow off rate, modulates Hb-O2 affinity, and is completely eliminated from the body.  GBT440 is in clinical trials for the treatment of SCD.