A Population Pharmacokinetic Approach to Understand the Effect of Efavirenz on <scp>CYP3A</scp> Activity in Healthy Volunteers Using Midazolam as a Probe

Efavirenz induces and inhibits multiple drug-metabolizing enzymes, contributing to significant drug-drug interactions. This study quantified the impact of multiple doses of efavirenz on CYP3A activity via midazolam metabolism using a population pharmacokinetic approach. Healthy volunteers received 1 mg midazolam orally in two sessions: first with a single 600 mg efavirenz dose and then after chronic efavirenz dosing (600 mg/day for 17 days). Midazolam and 1'-hydroxymidazolam were quantified via LC-MS/MS, and CYP2B6, CYP3A4, and CYP3A5 genotypes were assessed using TaqMan assays. Seventy-two volunteers (n = 72) completed sampling after the initial dose, and 58 completed both occasions. Non-linear mixed effects modeling was performed using the stochastic approximation expectation maximization estimation method in NONMEM. The base pharmacokinetic model employed was a two-compartment model with first-order absorption and first-order elimination, incorporating proportional error terms for midazolam and 1'-hydroxymidazolam. Covariate analysis utilized a full model approach to assess the impact of CYP3A4 and CYP3A5 genotypes, self-reported sex, and multiple doses of efavirenz as covariates affecting the formation clearance of 1-OH midazolam. CYP3A5 expressors exhibited a 1.27-fold increase in midazolam clearance compared to non-expressors, while CYP3A4 intermediate metabolizers showed a 0.94-fold decrease relative to normal metabolizers. Clearance was also 1.30-fold higher in females compared to males. Multiple doses of efavirenz increased midazolam clearance by 1.92-fold (95% CI 1.65-2.28) after accounting for inter-individual variability caused by other covariates. Furthermore, K_a and bioavailability (F) increased with repeated efavirenz exposure. In conclusion, this population pharmacokinetic analysis effectively quantified the specific induction effect of multiple doses of efavirenz on CYP3A compared to a single dose of efavirenz. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00668395.