Macitentan and Tadalafil (Opsynvi)

CADTH recommends that Opsynvi should be reimbursed by public drug plans for the long-term treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH; WHO Group 1) to reduce morbidity in patients in WHO functional class (FC) II or III whose PAH is idiopathic, heritable, or associated with connective tissue disease or congenital heart disease if certain conditions are met. Opsynvi should only be covered for patients who are currently treated simultaneously with stable doses of macitentan 10 mg and tadalafil 40 mg as separate tablets. Opsynvi should only be reimbursed if prescribed by a specialist with expertise in managing and treating patients with PAH and if the price of Opsynvi is negotiated to ensure cost savings in comparison with separate macitentan and tadalafil tablets.

Bioequivalence of a Fixed-Dose Combination Tablet of the Complete Two-Drug Regimen of Dolutegravir and Rilpivirine for Treatment of HIV-1 Infection

ABSTRACTA complete 2-drug regimen of dolutegravir at 50 mg and rilpivirine at 25 mg was approved to treat HIV-1 infection in virologically suppressed patients after demonstrating acceptable efficacy and tolerability. This study investigated the bioequivalence and pharmacokinetics of the fixed-dose combination tablet compared with those of separate tablets. Secondary endpoints were the tolerability and safety of the fixed-dose combination tablet. In this open-label, randomized-sequence, 2-way crossover trial, single doses of the fixed-dose combination tablet (the test treatment) and the combination of separate tablets (the reference treatment) were administered to healthy adults after a moderate-fat meal, with a 21-day washout between treatments. Pharmacokinetic samples were collected through 12 days after dosing. The primary endpoints were the area under the plasma concentration-time curve (AUC) and the maximum concentration of drug in plasma (Cmax). The study employed a prespecified sample size reestimation based on a blind midpoint review ofCmaxvariability to update the enrollment size to achieve statistical power. Of 118 participants enrolled, 113 received both treatments and underwent pharmacokinetic assessment. The 90% confidence intervals for the geometric least-squares mean ratios for the AUC from 0 h to infinity, the AUC from 0 h to the last quantifiable measurement, andCmax(test treatment versus reference treatment) were within the bioequivalence range of 0.80 to 1.25 for both drugs, indicating bioequivalence. In this study, a single dose of either treatment was well tolerated overall, with 4% (n= 5) and 3% (n= 3) of participants reporting adverse events considered related to the test and reference treatments, respectively. The dolutegravir-rilpivirine fixed-dose combination tablet is bioequivalent to a combination of separate tablets, and no new safety signals emerged. (This study has been registered at ClinicalTrials.gov under identifier NCT02741557.)