A Randomized Phase 1 Evaluation of Deupirfenidone, a Novel Deuterium‐Containing Drug Candidate for Interstitial Lung Disease and Other Inflammatory and Fibrotic Diseases

LYT-100 (deupirfenidone) is a selectively deuterated form of pirfenidone under development for the treatment of inflammatory and fibrotic diseases, including interstitial lung disease. Adverse events associated with antifibrotics can be a barrier to adoption and persistence in patients with interstitial lung diseases, most of whom are not on standard-of-care therapy. LYT-100 is designed to have a differentiated pharmacokinetic (PK) profile from pirfenidone and could offer a differentiated safety profile compared to current standard-of-care drugs while retaining the biochemical potency and specificity of pirfenidone. We conducted a phase 1b study to ascertain the safety, tolerability, steady-state PK profile, and food effect of LYT-100. This was a 2-part study. Part 1 assessed multiple ascending doses of LYT-100 from 100, 250, 500, 750, and 1000 mg twice daily given over 5 days without titration. Part 2 assessed the effects of fed vs fasting conditions on the PK profile of a single 500-mg dose of LYT-100. All doses up to 1000 mg were well tolerated, with adverse events being mild and transient. Exposure was slightly lower in the fed condition. LYT-100 was well tolerated and has a dose-proportional PK profile. The ratio of parent to major metabolite concentration was higher than reported with pirfenidone, which is consistent with an effect of deuteration on metabolism. No maximum tolerated dose was identified up to 1000 mg twice-daily dosing. These results support further clinical development of LYT-100, particularly considering the adverse event profile of current standard-of-care drugs.