A pharmacokinetic (PK) target is a specific drug concentration range in the body that ensures maximum efficacy while minimizing toxicity. In HIV clinical trials, selecting the correct PK target is crucial for the success of the study and the interpretation of its results.
This issue is particularly relevant when evaluating the treatment of understudied populations like pregnant women, children, or patients on treatments with potential drug-drug interactions, such as those for tuberculosis (TB). These studies are generally too small to assess efficacy and toxicity, but they rather aim to show that target concentrations are successfully achieved. This makes the choice of a suitable PK target even more crucial.
This presentation emphasizes the importance of accurate and critical selection PK targets, highlighting the risks of relying on widely accepted values from literature, which are often based on surprisingly limited evidence.