STX209 is an exploratory
drug comprising the single, active R-enantiomer of
baclofen which is in later stage clinical trials for the treatment of
fragile x syndrome (FXS) and
autism spectrum disorders (ASD). New clinical data in this article on the metabolism and pharmacokinetics of the R- and S-enantiomers of
baclofen presents scientific evidence for stereoselective metabolism of only S-
baclofen to an abundant oxidative deamination metabolite that is sterically resolved as the S-enantiomeric configuration. This metabolite undergoes some further metabolism by
glucuronide conjugation. Consequences of this metabolic difference are a lower Cmax and lower early plasma exposure of S-
baclofen compared to R-
baclofen and marginally lower urinary excretion of S-
baclofen after racemic
baclofen administration. These differences introduce compound-related exposure variances in humans in which subjects dosed with racemic
baclofen are exposed to a prominent metabolite of
baclofen whilst subjects dosed with STX209 are not. For potential clinical use, our findings suggest that STX209 has the advantage of being a biologically defined and active enantiomer.