Prodrug Strategy to Address Impaired Oral Absorption of a Weakly Basic TYK2 Inhibitor Caused by a Gastric Acid-Reducing Agent

The pH-dependent solubility of the weakly basic TYK2 inhibitor 1 posed a risk to its advancement, given that drugs with such profiles have exhibited drug-drug interaction (DDI) with stomach acid-reducing agents in humans. In a rat model of pH dependence, preadministration of famotidine caused a 2.4-fold lower exposure of 1 when compared to control rats, implying that pH-dependent oral absorption can reduce the active drug's exposure and translate to subtherapeutic treatment. As part of risk mitigation, a prodrug strategy was explored by synthesizing solubility-enhancing prodrugs, resulting in the identification of lead prodrug 3c with acceptable stability and solubility profiles. In rats, the prodrug eliminated the significant difference in AUC and C_max between pentagastrin and famotidine arms, thereby effectively mitigating the impaired drug absorption at the elevated pH relevant for absorption and DDI with famotidine. The prodrug also facilitated dose-proportional systemic exposure of 1 following dose escalation in rats and monkeys.