by Gillon J-Y, Dennison J, van den Berg F, Delhomme S, Dequatre Cheeseman K, Peña Rossi C, Strub Wourgaft N, Specht S, Pedrique B, Monnot F, Skrabs S, Rodriguez M-L, Stass H. British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology 2021. doi: 10.1111/bcp.14816
Summary: Emodepside is an anthelmintic agent, currently registered for veterinary use in combination with other drug substances. Emodepside may have the potential to treat parasitic infections in humans, including onchocerciasis. The authors investigated the safety and pharmacokinetics of a liquid service formulation (LSF) and an immediate release tablet of emodepside in two placebo‐controlled, Phase I studies. No major safety concerns were identified, and tissue distribution was relatively rapid, which, along with a long terminal half‐life, is expected to be beneficial for the treatment of onchocerciasis. The rate and extent of absorption was significantly lower with the tablets compared to the LSF. Further studies are on-going to select a tablet formulation to overcome the limitations observed in this study.
