Population Pharmacokinetics-pharmacodynamics Research Articles

Model-Informed Dose Selection for a Novel Human Immunoglobulin G4 Derived Monoclonal Antibody Targeting Proprotein Convertase Kwashiorkor Type 9: Insights from Population Pharmacokinetics-Pharmacodynamics and Systems Pharmacology.

Monoclonal antibody drugs targeting proprotein convertase kwashiorkor type 9 (PCSK9) have recently demonstrated remarkable success in lipid-lowering therapies. Specifically, antibodies derived from immunoglobulin G1 (IgG1, alirocumab) and IgG2 (evolocumab) have been successfully utilized for this purpose. Recently, a novel recombinant fully human anti-PCSK9 monoclonal antibody, originally derived from IgG4 and designated as SAL003, was developed. This study aimed to explore the pharmacokinetics, efficacy, and safety of SAL003 in both single and multiple administrations. The investigation included both healthy individuals and individuals with hyperlipidemia. To comprehensively grasp the pharmacokinetic (PK) and pharmacodynamic (PD) attributes of SAL003, this study employed population PK-PD (popPK-PD) and mechanistic systems pharmacology (MSP) modeling. These models were employed for predicting low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDLc) concentrations and appropriate dosages across diverse potential clinical scenarios. The research results indicated that SAL003 demonstrated comparable pharmacokinetic properties to evolocumab, exhibited notable effectiveness in reducing lipid levels, and was confirmed to be safe and well-tolerated in both healthy individuals and individuals with hyperlipidemia. Notably, SAL003 displayed differing effectiveness between patients and healthy populations. This discrepancy was observed in the popPK-PD model, with a positive population influence on Emax, and the MSP model, indicating elevated PCSK9 clearance and LDLr-related LDLc clearance in the healthy group. Simulation results from the popPK-PD and MSP models indicated a dosage of 140 mg of Q4W and 420 mg of Q8W for phase II/III clinical trials. Reducing the drug dose or extending the dosing intervals may result in treatment failure. Additionally, the simultaneous use of statins led to elevated PCSK9 levels and intensified fluctuations in steady-state LDLc levels during SAL003 treatment.

Developmental Population Pharmacokinetics-Pharmacodynamics of Meropenem in Chinese Neonates and Young Infants: Dosing Recommendations for Late-Onset Sepsis.

The pharmacokinetic (PK) studies of meropenem in Chinese newborns with late-onset sepsis (LOS) are still lacking. Causative pathogens of LOS and their susceptibility patterns in China differ from the data abroad. We, therefore, conducted a developmental population pharmacokinetic−pharmacodynamic analysis in Chinese newborns with the goal to optimize meropenem dosing regimens for LOS therapy. An opportunistic sampling strategy was used to collect meropenem samples, followed by model building and validation. A Monte Carlo simulation was performed to show the probability of target attainment (PTA) for various dosages. The information from 78 newborns (postmenstrual age: 27.4−46.1 weeks) was compiled and had a good fit to a 1-compartment model that had first order elimination. The median (range) values of estimated weight−normalized volume of distribution (V)and clearance (CL) were 0.60 (0.51−0.69) L/kg and 0.16 (0.04−0.51) L/h/kg, respectively. Covariate analysis revealed that postnatal age (PNA), gestational age (GA) and current weight (CW) were the most important factors in describing meropenem PK. Simulation results showed for LOS with a minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 8 mg/L, the doses of 30 mg/kg 3 times daily (TID) as a 1-h infusion for newborns with GA ≤ 37 weeks and 40 mg/kg TID as a 3-h infusion for those with GA > 37 weeks were optimal, with PTA of 71.71% and 75.08%, respectively. In conclusion, we proposed an evidence-based dosing regimen of meropenem for LOS in Chinese newborns by using the population pharmacokinetic−pharmacodynamic analysis, based on domestic common pathogens and their susceptibility patterns.

Population pharmacokinetics-pharmacodynamics of fondaparinux in dialysis-dependent chronic kidney disease patients undergoing chronic renal replacement therapy.

Data on the anti-Xa efficacy of fondaparinux in dialysis-dependent chronic kidney disease (DD-CKD) patients are scarce. This study characterizes the pharmacokinetics (PK) and pharmacodynamics (PD) of fondaparinux in DD-CKD patients undergoing renal replacement therapy (RRT), to assess dosing strategies. A retrospective, observational study was conducted using data on anti-Xa activity (112 samples) from 12 (3 male and 9 female) DD-CKD patients (median (IQR) age 71years (63-88), weight 73kg (59-98.5)). Eleven patients underwent high-flux or low-flux hemodialysis (HD) and one patient underwent peritoneal dialysis. Three patients were also treated with therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE). A non-linear mixed effects analysis was performed using NONMEM 7.3.0. The lab-specific slope of the relationship between fondaparinux concentration and anti-Xa levels was 1.18IU/µg. In a one-compartment model, clearance (CL) and volume of distribution (Vd) were 0.05289 L/h and 5.55 L, respectively. High-flux HD was found to increase the CL of fondaparinux 2.26 times. TPE also considerably increased CL, but the fold-change could not be accurately estimated. Low-flux HD and peritoneal dialysis did not impact PK parameters. Model-based simulations showed that standard dosing (2.5mg three times weekly before HD) results in a median anti-Xa activity of 0.55IU/mL and 0.98IU/mL, pre- and post-low-flux HD, respectively. In patients undergoing high-flux HD, these values are approximately 27% lower. Additional caution is warranted with TPE, as this treatment can reduce anti-Xa activity even further.

Developing pharmacokinetics-pharmacodynamics model of valproic acid syrup based on prediction of population pharmacokinetics parameter and seizure frequency in Indonesian pediatric epilepsy outpatients.

Valproic acid (VPA) is a broad-spectrum antiepileptic drug with known efficacy profile in pediatric patients, despite of its narrow therapeutic index. There is lack of VPA's pharmacokinetics profile in Indonesian pediatric subjects, partly due to limited pediatric blood volume taken for conducting therapeutic drug monitoring. This study aimed to determine the correlation between VPA pharmacokinetics parameters based on population data and seizure frequency in pediatric epilepsy outpatients. This observational study was conducted at Sanglah General Hospital during June-December 2019. The subjects of this research were 38 pediatric epilepsy patients who adhered to VPA syrup monotherapy for at least 3weeks. Five subjects randomly selected for blood sample collection. Thus, VPA concentration level in the blood being analysed as a comparison to its concentration predicted from Yukawa's steady state equation. Monolix2019R2® software was used to identify VPA population pharmacokinetics-pharmacodynamics (PK-PD) parameters at steady state level. Population PK-PD of VPA syrup at steady state levelwere ka_pop = 6.25/h, Vd_pop = 3.36L, Cl_pop = 3.17·e-11mL/min, IC50_pop = 1.85·e-6, correlation of Vd_pop and Cl_pop = 0.966. Kendall Tau Correlation of predicted VPA steady state concentration and frequency of seizure was-0.66. Mean prediction error between predicted steady state concentration of five subjects and their related blood levels was≤25% and considered as within clinically acceptable limit. It needs further study to develop best matched PK-PD model of VPA syrup at steady state condition in pediatric epilepsy.

Developmental population pharmacokinetics-pharmacodynamics and dosing optimization of cefoperazone in children.

To evaluate the population pharmacokinetics of cefoperazone in children and establish an evidence-based dosing regimen using a developmental pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic approach in order to optimize cefoperazone treatment. A model-based, open-label, opportunistic-sampling pharmacokinetic study was conducted in China. Blood samples from 99 cefoperazone-treated children were collected and quantified by HPLC/MS. NONMEM software was used for population pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic analysis. This study was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT03113344). A two-compartment model with first-order elimination agreed well with the experimental data. Covariate analysis showed that current body weight had a significant effect on the pharmacokinetics of cefoperazone. Monte Carlo simulation showed that for bacteria for which cefoperazone has an MIC of 0.5 mg/L, 78.1% of hypothetical children treated with '40 mg/kg/day, q8h, IV drip 3 h' would reach the pharmacodynamic target. For bacteria for which cefoperazone has an MIC of 8 mg/L, 88.4% of hypothetical children treated with 80 mg/kg/day (continuous infusion) would reach the treatment goal. A 160 mg/kg/day (continuous infusion) regimen can cover bacteria for which cefoperazone has an MIC of 16 mg/L. Nevertheless, even if using the maximum reported dose of 160 mg/kg/day (continuous infusion), the ratio of hypothetical children reaching the treatment target was only 9.9% for bacteria for which cefoperazone has an MIC of 32 mg/L. For cefoperazone, population pharmacokinetics were evaluated in children and an appropriate dosing regimen was developed based on developmental pharmacokinetics-pharmacodynamics. The dose indicated in the instructions (20-160 mg/kg/day) can basically cover the clinically common bacteria for which cefoperazone has an MIC of ≤16 mg/L. However, for bacteria for which the MIC is >16 mg/L, cefoperazone is not a preferred choice.

On Optimal Designs for Clinical Trials: An Updated Review

Optimization of clinical trial designs can help investigators achieve higher quality results for the given resource constraints. The present paper gives an overview of optimal designs for various important problems that arise in different stages of clinical drug development, including phase I dose–toxicity studies; phase I/II studies that consider early efficacy and toxicity outcomes simultaneously; phase II dose–response studies driven by multiple comparisons (MCP), modeling techniques (Mod), or their combination (MCP–Mod); phase III randomized controlled multi-arm multi-objective clinical trials to test difference among several treatment groups; and population pharmacokinetics–pharmacodynamics experiments. We find that modern literature is very rich with optimal design methodologies that can be utilized by clinical researchers to improve efficiency of drug development.

2562. Re-Appraisal of Aminoglycoside (AG) Susceptibility Testing Breakpoints Based on the Application of Pharmacokinetics–Pharmacodynamics (PK-PD) and Contemporary Microbiology Surveillance Data

BackgroundResistance to AGs and numerous other classes continues to emerge. To ensure that susceptibility is accurately characterized and that clinicians have reliable data to select effective agents, appropriate in vitro susceptibility testing interpretive criteria (susceptible breakpoints [BKPTs]) are crucial to ensure optimal patient care. Recently, USCAST, the USA voice to EUCAST/EMA, evaluated the BKPTs for the 3 most commonly used AGs, gentamicin, tobramycin, and amikacin [Bhavnani et al., IDWeek 2016; P-1977]. As a result of consultation from interested parties, which included evaluating AG dosing regimens provided in the US-FDA product package inserts and simulated patients with varying creatinine clearance, these BKPTS were reassessed.MethodsData sources considered included longitudinal US reference MIC distributions using in vitro surveillance data collected over 18 years, QC performance (MIC, disk diffusion), population pharmacokinetics (PK), and in vivo PK-PD models. Using population PK models, PK-PD targets for efficacy and Monte Carlo simulation, percent probabilities of PK-PD target attainment by MIC after administration of traditional and extended interval AG dosing regimens were evaluated among simulated patients. Epidemiological cut-off and PK-PD BKPTs were considered when recommending BKPTs for AG–pathogen pairs.ResultsAn example of PK-PD target attainment analysis output is provided in Figure 1 and a subset of recommended AG BKPTs for 3 pathogens is shown in Table 1. Updated USCAST BKPTs, which were based on the application of population PK and PK-PD models, simulation techniques, and contemporary MIC distribution statistics, are generally lower than those of EUCAST/EMA, USA-FDA, and CLSI. Adequate PK-PD target attainment was not achieved for some AG-pathogen pairs, even when high-dose AG dosing regimens and PK-PD targets for stasis were evaluated (e.g., gentamicin vs. P. aeruginosa; amikacin vs. S. aureus).ConclusionThese revised AG BKPT recommendations, which will be made freely available to EUCAST, USA-FDA, and CLSI, will be finalized after considering comments from additional interested stakeholders. This process will be followed in an effort to bring harmonization to global BKPTs for AGs. Disclosures All authors: No reported disclosures.

Translational Model-Based Strategy to Guide the Choice of Clinical Doses for Antibody-Drug Conjugates.

This work proposes a model-based approach to help select the phase 1 dosing regimen for the antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) SAR408701 leveraging the available data for 2 other ADCs of the same construct: SAR3419 and SAR566658. First, monkey and human pharmacokinetic (PK) data of SAR566658 and SAR3419 were used to establish the appropriate allometric approach to be applied to SAR408701 monkey PK data. Second, a population pharmacokinetics-pharmacodynamics (PK-PD) model was developed to describe tumor volume evolution following SAR408701 injection in mice. Third, allometric approaches identified for SAR566658 and SAR3419 were applied to SAR408701 monkey PK data to predict the human PK profile. Both SAR566658 and SAR3419 human and monkey PK were best described by a 2-compartment linear model. The relative difference was less than 10% between predicted and observed clearance using allometric exponents of 0.75 and 1, respectively. Tumor volume evolution following SAR408701 injection was best described by a full Simeoni model with a plasma concentration threshold of 4.6μg/mL for eradication in mice. Both allometric exponents were used to predict SAR408701 PK in human from PK in monkey and to identify the potential effective dosing regimens. This translational strategy may be a valuable tool to design future clinical studies for ADCs, to support selection of the most appropriate dosing regimen, and to estimate the minimal dose required to assure antitumor activity, according to the schedule used.

Pharmacodynamics of Isavuconazole in a Dynamic In Vitro Model of Invasive Pulmonary Aspergillosis.

Isavuconazonium sulfate is a novel triazole prodrug that has been recently approved for the treatment of invasive aspergillosis by the FDA. The active moiety (isavuconazole) has a broad spectrum of activity against many pathogenic fungi. This study utilized a dynamic in vitro model of the human alveolus to describe the pharmacodynamics of isavuconazole against two wild-type and two previously defined azole-resistant isolates of Aspergillus fumigatus. A human-like concentration-time profile for isavuconazole was generated. MICs were determined using CLSI and EUCAST methodologies. Galactomannan was used as a measure of fungal burden. Target values for the area under the concentration-time curve (AUC)/MIC were calculated using a population pharmacokinetics-pharmacodynamics (PK-PD) mathematical model. Isolates with higher MICs required higher AUCs in order to achieve maximal suppression of galactomannan. The AUC/MIC targets necessary to achieve 90% probability of galactomannan suppression of <1 were 11.40 and 11.20 for EUCAST and CLSI, respectively.

Population pharmacokinetics-pharmacodynamics of vedolizumab in patients with ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease

SummaryBackgroundVedolizumab, an anti‐α4β7 integrin monoclonal antibody (mAb), is indicated for treating patients with moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD). As higher therapeutic mAb concentrations have been associated with greater efficacy in inflammatory bowel disease, understanding determinants of vedolizumab clearance may help to optimise dosing.AimsTo characterise vedolizumab pharmacokinetics in patients with UC and CD, to identify clinically relevant determinants of vedolizumab clearance, and to describe the pharmacokinetic–pharmacodynamic relationship using population modelling.MethodsData from a phase 1 healthy volunteer study, a phase 2 UC study, and 3 phase 3 UC/CD studies were included. Population pharmacokinetic analysis for repeated measures was conducted using nonlinear mixed effects modelling. Results from the base model, developed using extensive phase 1 and 2 data, were used to develop the full covariate model, which was fit to sparse phase 3 data.ResultsVedolizumab pharmacokinetics was described by a 2‐compartment model with parallel linear and nonlinear elimination. Using reference covariate values, linear elimination half‐life of vedolizumab was 25.5 days; linear clearance (CLL) was 0.159 L/day for UC and 0.155 L/day for CD; central compartment volume of distribution (V c) was 3.19 L; and peripheral compartment volume of distribution was 1.66 L. Interindividual variabilities (%CV) were 35% for CLL and 19% for V c; residual variance was 24%. Only extreme albumin and body weight values were identified as potential clinically important predictors of CLL.ConclusionsPopulation pharmacokinetic parameters were similar in patients with moderately to severely active UC and CD. This analysis supports use of vedolizumab fixed dosing in these patients. Clinicaltrials.gov Identifiers: NCT01177228; NCT00783718 (GEMINI 1); NCT00783692 (GEMINI 2); NCT01224171 (GEMINI 3).

188 Analgesia and Sedation in Critically Ill Children; Local Religion or Evidence Based?

Over the last decade increasingly RCT’s have been published about optimal dosing of opioids and benzodiazepines in critically ill children of different age groups.In this way progress is made about...

Pharmacokinetics

AbstractPharmacokinetics is the study of the absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion of drugs. Simply put, pharmacokinetics is what the body does to the drug, which is opposed to pharmacodynamics, which is what the drug does to the body. This review will introduce pharmacokinetics as a science showing how biochemistry, biology, pharmacology, and physiology interact to explain how a drug ‘works’. Pharmacokinetics is becoming increasingly quantitative with population pharmacokinetics–pharmacodynamics, which uses nonlinear mixed effects model methodology, becoming more and more commonplace and acting as the core to model‐based drug development. This review will show how statistics is becoming increasingly more important in pharmacokinetic analysis and provide an introduction to statistical analysis of pharmacokinetic data. WIREs Comp Stat 2011 3 332–342 DOI: 10.1002/wics.153This article is categorized under: Applications of Computational Statistics &gt; Computational and Molecular Biology

Retrospective population pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic analysis of pyridostigmine, a cholinesterase inhibitor, in Chinese males

AbstractObjectivesWe have characterised the population pharmacokinetics-pharmacodynamics of pyridostigmine given as pyridostigmine bromide.MethodsOver three days 50 healthy Chinese male subjects each received seven doses of 30 mg pyridostigmine bromide orally (3 times 10 mg every 8 h). Plasma concentrations of pyridostigmine and red blood cell acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity were determined at various times within the eight hours after the first and the seventh doses. The resulting pharmacokinetic data were fitted to a single compartment open model with first-order absorption and elimination. The pharmacodynamics were modelled using an inhibitory Emax model. The potential influence of demographic and biological covariates on the model parameters was investigated. Nonlinear mixed effects modelling was performed using NONMEM.Key findingsThe apparent clearance and volume of distribution as well as absorption rate constant of plasma pyridostigmine were estimated to be 136 1/h, 130 1 and 0.68 1/h, respectively. The maximum red blood cell AChE activity decrease (Emax) and plasma pyridostigmine concentration producing 50% of this reduction (EC50) were estimated to be 9.32 AChE units per gram haemoglobin and 51.9 ng/ml, respectively. None of the tested covariates were found to be correlated with any of the model parameters. Dosing simulations suggested that 30 mg repeated every six hours might be needed to achieve steady-state trough percentage inhibition above the recommended 10% in healthy Chinese males.ConclusionsThe pharmacokinetics and the effects of pyridostigmine on red blood cell AChE activity were described using a mixed effects model. For Chinese males, the dosing interval may have been shorter than that recommended for the Caucasian population. Additional studies are needed to confirm these findings.

Retrospective population pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic analysis of pyridostigmine, a cholinesterase inhibitor, in Chinese males

We have characterised the population pharmacokinetics-pharmacodynamics of pyridostigmine given as pyridostigmine bromide. Over three days 50 healthy Chinese male subjects each received seven doses of 30 mg pyridostigmine bromide orally (3 x 10 mg every 8 h). Plasma concentrations of pyridostigmine and red blood cell acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity were determined at various times within the eight hours after the first and the seventh doses. The resulting pharmacokinetic data were fitted to a single compartment open model with first-order absorption and elimination. The pharmacodynamics were modelled using an inhibitory E(max) model. The potential influence of demographic and biological covariates on the model parameters was investigated. Nonlinear mixed effects modelling was performed using NONMEM. The apparent clearance and volume of distribution as well as absorption rate constant of plasma pyridostigmine were estimated to be 136 l/h, 130 l and 0.68 1/h, respectively. The maximum red blood cell AChE activity decrease (E(max)) and plasma pyridostigmine concentration producing 50% of this reduction (EC50) were estimated to be 9.32 AChE units per gram haemoglobin and 51.9 ng/ml, respectively. None of the tested covariates were found to be correlated with any of the model parameters. Dosing simulations suggested that 30 mg repeated every six hours might be needed to achieve steady-state trough percentage inhibition above the recommended 10% in healthy Chinese males. The pharmacokinetics and the effects of pyridostigmine on red blood cell AChE activity were described using a mixed effects model. For Chinese males, the dosing interval may have been shorter than that recommended for the Caucasian population. Additional studies are needed to confirm these findings.

Population pharmacokinetics–pharmacodynamics of alemtuzumab (Campath®) in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia and its link to treatment response

To characterize alemtuzumab pharmacokinetics and its exposure-response relationship with white blood cell (WBC) count in patients with B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL). Nonlinear mixed effects models were used to characterize plasma concentration-time data and WBC count-time data from 67 patients. Logistic regression was used to relate summary measures of drug exposure to tumour response. Alemtuzumab pharmacokinetics were best characterized by a two-compartment model with nonlinear elimination where V(max) (microg h(-1)) was [1020 x (WBC count/10 x 10(9) l(-1))(0.194)], K(m) was 338 microg l(-1), V(1) was 11.3 l, Q was 1.05 l h(-1) and V(2) was 41.5 l. Intersubject variability (ISV) in V(max), K(m), V(1) and V(2) was 32%, 145%, 84% and 179%, respectively. The reduction in WBC over time was modelled by a stimulatory loss indirect response model with values of 18.2 for E(max), 306 microg l(-1) for EC(50), 1.56 x 10(9) cells l(-1) h(-1) for K(in) and 0.029 per h for K(out). The probability of achieving a complete or partial response was >/=50% when the maximal trough concentration exceeded 13.2 microg ml(-1) or when AUC(0-tau) exceeded 484 microg h(-1) ml(-1). Alemtuzumab displayed time- and concentration-dependent pharmacokinetics with large interpatient variability, both in pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics, which was probably reflective of differences in tumour burden among patients. A direct relationship between maximal trough concentrations and clinical outcomes was observed, with increasing alemtuzumab exposure resulting in a greater probability of positive tumour response.

A New Approach to Modeling Covariate Effects and Individualization in Population Pharmacokinetics-Pharmacodynamics

By combining Laplace's approximation and Monte Carlo methods to evaluate multiple integrals, this paper develops a new approach to estimation in nonlinear mixed effects models that are widely used in population pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics. Estimation here involves not only estimating the model parameters from Phase I and II studies but also using the fitted model to estimate the concentration versus time curve or the drug effects of a subject who has covariate information but sparse measurements. Because of its computational tractability, the proposed approach can model the covariate effects nonparametrically by using (i) regression splines or neural networks as basis functions and (ii) AIC or BIC for model selection. Its computational and statistical advantages are illustrated in simulation studies and in Phase I trials.

Plasma concentrations of 5-fluorouracil and its metabolites in colon cancer patients

5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) is a common anticancer agent used in the treatment of solid tumours, with a reported variability in the pharmacokinetic profile and inter-patient differences in efficacy and toxicity. Since 5-FU is intracellularly metabolised to active cytotoxic fluoronucleotides, some authors suggested it would be useful to determine the plasma levels of its main metabolites 5-fluoro-5,6-dihydrouracil (5-FUH 2), 5-fluorouridine (5-FUrd) and 5-fluoro-2′-deoxyuridine (5-FdUrd), in order to better characterise population pharmacokinetics-pharmacodynamics (PK-PD) of this drug. We developed and validated an HPLC method to simultaneously determine plasma concentrations of 5-FU and the three main metabolites, and we analysed the plasma concentration-time curves of the first dose of 18 colon cancer patients treated with folinic acid and 5-FU 400 mg m −2 by intra-venous bolus injection as adjuvant chemotherapy. Non-compartmental PK analysis has been applied to 5-FU and 5-FUH 2 concentrations, estimating the following parameters (median values): C max 55.44 and 6.23 μg ml −1, respectively, AUC 0–2 h 11.59 and 5.94 hx μg ml −1, CL TB 30.64 and 51.81 l h −1 m −2, 5-FUH 2/5-FU AUC ratio 0.47 (range 0.29–1.12). We verified the patient covariables which could influence the inter-patient variability in the area under the time–concentration curves, and we observed that age, sex, weight, body surface area, cycle of therapy, toxicity development and 5-FUrd or 5-FdUrd detectability did not have statistical influence on 5-FUH 2/5-FU AUC ratio. In eight subjects, we compared the PK data of the first and the fifth day of dose administration, and we found stable 5-FU values, but the 5-FUH 2 disposition decreased with lower AUC 0–2 h (7.90 hx μg ml −1 versus 5.99 hx μg ml −1) and, particularly, C max (8.38 μg ml −1 versus 5.50 μg ml −1) at day 5. This fact, evident in almost every patient, could suggest a possible reduction in the catabolic pathway of 5-FU leading to 5-FUH 2, with a possible increase of the therapeutic pathway. For this reason, we tried to detect 5-FUrd and 5-FdUrd and, in fact, in our patients these metabolites were detected only in few samples, but most of them at day 5. In conclusion, our study confirms the relevance of pharmacokinetic analysis of 5-FU main metabolites and especially 5-FUH 2, to better understand the metabolism and to improve the therapeutic efficacy.

Pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic relationships of apomorphine in patients with Parkinson's disease.

In the treatment of patients with Parkinson's disease, apomorphine has an established place as a back-up therapy if other antiparkinsonian drugs, such as levodopa and oral dopamine agonists, have not controlled the existing response fluctuations. Apomorphine is a synthetic derivative of morphine, with a totally distinct pharmacological profile. It is a very lipophilic compound which is easily (auto)oxidised. This (auto)oxidation is the main metabolic route besides glucuronidation and sulphation, which are both responsible for about 10% of the metabolic transformation. Apomorphine quickly passes the nasal and intestinal mucosa as well as the blood-brain barrier (depending on the administration route). Many routes of administration have been explored, but subcutaneous, sublingual, nasal and rectal administration are used in clinical practice. The volume of distribution varies between 1 and 2 times bodyweight. The elimination half-life is very short (30 to 90 min) depending on the type of parenteral administration. Apomorphine is a high clearance drug (3 to 5 L/kg/h) and is mainly excreted and metabolised by the liver. Only 3 to 4% is excreted unchanged in the urine. The clinical effect of apomorphine can be linked directly to its concentration in the cerebrospinal fluid. Consequently, a 2-compartment model can be used to predict the clinical effects of apomorphine. The pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic data reflect the clinical observations of steep dose-effect curves if apomorphine is used in patients with random 'on-off' fluctuations. These dose-effect curves are less steep in stable or 'wearing-off' (end-of-dose deterioration) patients. Intravenous infusions of apomorphine in combination with timed motor assessments can be used clinically to characterise the therapeutic window of a particular patient if dyskinesia persists after single injections of apomorphine. If more population data become available, the population pharmacokinetics-pharmacodynamics of apomorphine could be helpful in predicting the clinical effects of apomorphine in the several subgroups of patients with Parkinson's disease.