Purpose: Evaluate dalcetrapib's potential to prolong QT intervals in healthy subjects.
Methods: This was a single-center, randomized, active and placebo-controlled, six-sequence, three-period cross-over study. Participants [18-65 years; body mass index (BMI) 18-30 kg/m(2)] were randomized to daily doses of dalcetrapib 600 mg (therapeutic) or 3,900 mg (supratherapeutic) or to dalcetrapib-matched placebo for 7 days. On Day 8, subjects received single-dose moxifloxacin 400 mg (active control) or placebo, following the placebo or dalcetrapib, respectively. Electrocardiographic parameters were recorded on Days -1, 1, 7, and 8. The primary endpoint was the difference to placebo of time-matched change from baseline in the study-specific corrected QT interval (QTcS) at seven time-points within 24 h after dalcetrapib 3,900 mg on Day 7. An upper 95% confidence interval (CI) <10 ms confirmed the absence of a significant effect. Pharmacokinetic and lipid-related parameters were measured.
Results: Subjects (n = 49) were predominantly male (71%), and all were white, with a mean age of 45 years and mean BMI of 25 kg/m(2). For the primary analysis, the upper 95% CI for dalcetrapib 3,900 mg was <10 ms at all time-points. Similar findings were obtained for dalcetrapib 600 mg. Following the administration of moxifloxacin, the QTcS increased by >5 ms. At Day 7, exposure for dalcetrapib 3,900 mg was approximately eightfold higher than that for dalcetrapib 600 mg [mean area under the plasma concentration-time curve between time 0 and 24 h 68,500 vs. 8,280 ng*h/mL; mean peak concentration 6,810 vs. 861 ng/mL]. Cholesteryl ester transfer protein activity was inhibited by 30%, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol increased by 26% for dalcetrapib 600 mg. Dalcetrapib was well tolerated.
Conclusions: Dalcetrapib is not associated with QT interval prolongation, even at doses markedly greater than intended therapeutically.