PKPD “ingrained” in development and evolution will continue

PKPD modelling and simulation is now “ingrained” in drug development and its importance will continue to grow as approaches evolve in “very exciting” coming years, according to an Icon VP.

Efforts to reduce attrition in drug development, and support from regulators, has led to more widespread use of pharmacokinetic (PK) and pharmacodynamic (PD) modelling and simulation.

Roger Toothaker, vice president of PK/PD modelling and simulation at Icon Developmental Solutions, told Outsourcing-Pharma the techniques have become “ingrained” in drug development in recent years and evolution is continuing.

The current shift is towards a systems biology networked approach. Adopting this system allows biopharm to evaluate all potential aspects of drug-body interaction to give a “comprehensive, holistic, if you will, understanding of that therapeutic”, said Toothaker.