Pharmacokinetics of the BCL‐2 Inhibitor Venetoclax in Healthy Chinese Subjects

Venetoclax has been approved in the United States, Europe, Canada, and Australia for appropriate patients with difficult‐to‐treat chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). The objective of this phase 1 study was to evaluate the pharmacokinetics of venetoclax in Chinese subjects to inform the dose selection of venetoclax in a phase 2 study of patients with relapsed/refractory (R/R) CLL in China. Twelve healthy first‐generation Han Chinese subjects received a single 100‐mg dose of venetoclax following a low‐fat breakfast. Pharmacokinetic parameters were estimated using noncompartmental methods. After a single dose of venetoclax in healthy Chinese subjects, the median time to peak concentration was 6 hours (range, 4 to 6 hours), and the mean ± SD C max , AUC inf , and terminal half‐life were 1.0 ± 0.32 μg/mL, 12.6 ± 5.4 μg·h/mL, and 18.4 ± 2.97 hours, respectively. On average, venetoclax C max and AUC inf values were 94% and 66% higher, respectively, in Chinese subjects compared with those observed historically for non‐Asian subjects receiving the same dose. Based on these pharmacokinetic results and the established exposure–response relationship of venetoclax in non‐Asian CLL subjects, a 400‐mg once‐daily dosage regimen was selected for evaluating the venetoclax pharmacokinetics, efficacy, and safety in the venetoclax phase 2 open‐label study in Chinese subjects with R/R CLL.