13123 Background: Both gefitinib and paclitaxel are metabolized by CYP3A4, thus co-administration may result in a pharmacokinetic interaction (Miller V.A. et al. JCO 2003, 21:2094–2100). Paclitaxel is formulated in Cremophor EL (crEL), which also has the potential for pharmacokinetic interactions by either altering protein binding or inhibition of P-glycoprotein transporter systems (Gelderblom H. et al. EJC 2001, 37:1590–1598). Gefitinib is a high extraction ratio drug so changes in protein binding are not a concern, but inhibition of P-glycoprotein transporter systems could change gefitinib’s absorption profile. Methods: In a Phase II study, 17 patients (pts) with metastatic breast cancer received paclitaxel (100 mg/m2 on days 8, 15 q21) with gefitinib (250 mg daily, from day 1 to day 15). Blood samples were collected to measure plasma concentrations of gefitinib on days 7, 8, and 15 from six pts at pre-dose and at 3, 7 and 25 hours after gefitinib administration. The AUC at steady-state (AUCss) was calculated by the linear trapezoidal rule using WinNonlin and the minimum concentration at steady-state (Css, min) was taken directly from the data. Results: The effect of paclitaxel or crEL on the exposure to gefitinib was assessed by comparing the AUCss and Css,min on days 8 and 15 in the presence of paclitaxel to those on day 7 when gefitinib was alone. The geometric mean AUCss increased by 30 to 42% and Css,min by 28 to 58% in the presence of paclitaxel. Individual ratios of days 8 and 15 to day 7 also showed a trend to be greater than 1.0, further indicating an increase in exposure to gefitinib in the presence of paclitaxel. Conclusions: Steady state exposure to gefitinib increased by about 30 to 40% in the presence of paclitaxel. As the increase on day 15 was similar to that on day 8, the effect of paclitaxel appears to be transient, and would be unlikely to affect the safety profile of 250 mg gefitinib when in combination with paclitaxel compared to gefitinib monotherapy. [Table: see text]