In Vitro and In Vivo Assessment of Metabolic Drug Interaction Potential of Dutasteride with Ketoconazole

In 2019, a study was conducted to investigate the potential interaction between Dutasteride, a drug used for treating hair loss, and Ketoconazole, an antifungal medication. The research was conducted both in vitro and in vivo. The results showed that co-administration of Dutasteride and Ketoconazole led to a significant increase in the systemic exposure of Dutasteride, suggesting that Ketoconazole inhibits the metabolism of Dutasteride, which could potentially lead to increased side effects. The study also developed a high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection (HPLC-FL) method for simultaneous determination of Dutasteride and its major active metabolite, 6β-hydroxydutasteride (H-DUT). The pharmacokinetics of Dutasteride and H-DUT were significantly altered by the co-administration of Ketoconazole. This was the first study to show the drug interaction potential of Dutasteride with azole antifungal drugs including Ketoconazole.