A multilevel object-oriented modelling methodology for physiologically-based pharmacokinetics (PBPK): Evaluation with a semi-mechanistic pharmacokinetic model

Background and objective: The aims of this study are (i) to assess the predictive reliability of the physiologically based software PhysPK versus the well-known population approach software NONMEM for the cited semi-mechanistic PK model, (ii) to determine whether these modelling approaches are interchangeable and (iii) to compare acausal with causal modelling approaches in the framework of semi-mechanistic PK models. Methods: A semi-mechanistic model was proposed, which assumed oral administration of a solid dosage form with a peripheral compartment and two active metabolites. The model incorporates intestinal transit, dissolution limited by solubility, variable efflux transporter expression along the gut and linear and non-linear metabolism in the gut and liver. Four different approximations to the theoretical model were developed in order to validate both the new software and modelling methodology. Results: Plasmatic concentrations correlation plots as well as relative errors in AUC(0-)(48) and C-max predictions revealed the accuracy of PhysPK in the prediction of these exposition parameters. Physiological and acausal object oriented version systematically under-estimated AUC(0-)(48) and C(max)( )of the parent drug, whereas metabolites were over-estimated when taking the semi-mechanistic and extraction-based metabolism version as the reference. Conclusions: PhysPK has been properly validated, where differences are related to numerical precision of integrators and solvers. A systematic bias for the parent drug and active metabolites was predicted when a semi-mechanistic approach including extraction-based metabolism was compared to the physiologic and acausal approach, showing that interchangeability might be possible when intrinsic-clearance metabolism is implemented in the semi-mechanistic approach. The acausal and object-oriented methodology allows for defining the semi-mechanistic model through its local mechanisms and relationships among entities, without the need to build the final set of Ordinary Differential Equations. (C) 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.