PK/PD trial in 48 healthy Chinese volunteers shows obicetrapib behaves like it does in White participants, supporting the global phase 3 programme (J Clin Pharmacol 2024)

Obicetrapib is a selective cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) inhibitor. Previous research has demonstrated similar pharmacokinetic (PK) responses to single doses of obicetrapib between Japanese and White males, but the PK responses have not been established in Chinese individuals. The purpose of this randomized, parallel, open-label trial was to characterize the PK and pharmacodynamic (PD; CETP activity and plasma lipids) responses and safety of single doses (5, 10, or 25 mg; N = 36) and multiple doses (10 mg for 14 days; N = 12) of obicetrapib in healthy Chinese individuals. The maximum concentration and area under the drug concentration-time curve of obicetrapib from 0 h to infinity increased with dose after all single doses of obicetrapib. After 7 consecutive days of dosing, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol reached their minimum and maximum changes of 42% reduction and 108% increase, respectively. Primary PK and PD parameters after single- and multiple-dose administration of obicetrapib were similar to those in healthy white participants in previous studies. One participant in the 5 mg dose group experienced a treatment-emergent adverse event of decreased white blood cell and neutrophil counts, which resolved without intervention. In conclusion, these findings support the inclusion of Chinese individuals in the ongoing phase 3 clinical development program of obicetrapib.