Simcyp

Simcyp is a physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) modeling and simulation platform used in pharmaceutical research and development to predict drug disposition in virtual populations. It combines mechanistic models of absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion with a library of physiological parameters representing age, sex, organ function, disease states, and genetic polymorphisms.

The platform offers a PBPK engine, virtual population generation, and modules for in vitro to in vivo extrapolation (IVIVE) as well as simulations of drug–drug interactions and population-specific scenarios. It can simulate tissue concentration–time profiles and exposure metrics across diverse patient groups, including pediatrics and individuals with hepatic or renal impairment, as well as different routes of administration and formulations.

Applications of Simcyp span various stages of drug development and regulatory science. It is used for dose selection, optimization of clinical trial design, and risk assessment of drug interactions. The tool supports pediatric dosing recommendations, label setting, formulation development, and the evaluation of variability due to genetics, age, body composition, and disease states. In regulatory contexts, PBPK analyses contributed by Simcyp data can support submissions and risk assessments.

Historically, Simcyp Limited, a UK-based company, developed the platform. In 2018, Certara acquired Simcyp Limited, incorporating the technology into Certara’s portfolio of biosimulation software and expanding its scope in model-informed drug development.

Note: Simcyp emphasizes that model predictions depend on input data quality and the validity of the underlying physiological and drug-specific assumptions.