JAC Advance Access originally published online on November 10, 2004
Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy 2004 54(6):1152-1154; doi:10.1093/jac/dkh490
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JAC vol.54 no.6 © The British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy 2004; all rights reserved
Plasma levels of zidovudine twice daily compared with three times daily in six HIV-1-infected children
1 Department of Clinical Pharmacy, University Medical Center, Nijmegen; 2 Nijmegen University Center for Infectious Diseases, Nijmegen; 3 Department of Pediatrics, Erasmus MC/Sophia, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
* Correspondence address. Department of Clinical Pharmacy, University Medical Center, PO Box 9101, 533 KF, 6500 HB Nijmegen, The Netherlands. Tel: +31-24-3616405; Fax: +31-24-3540331; Email: d.burger{at}akf.umcn.nl
Objectives: Zidovudine is often administered every 12 h in HIV-infected children, but so far no pharmacokinetic data are available for the administration of this agent every 12 h. We have evaluated the plasma pharmacokinetics of zidovudine administered every 8 h versus every 12 h in HIV-1-infected children.
Methods: In HIV-1-infected children who switched from zidovudine every 8 h to every 12 h, a pharmacokinetic curve was recorded both before and after the switch. Zidovudine plasma levels were measured by HPLC. Pharmacokinetic parameters were calculated by non-compartmental methods.
Results: Six HIV-1-infected children [median age (range) 7.8 (2.513.4) years] were included. In these patients, geometric mean ratios of AUC024 and Cmax for zidovudine every 12 h versus every 8 h were not significantly different from 1.0.
Conclusions: The plasma pharmacokinetic parameters of zidovudine taken every 8 h and every 12 h were not significantly different and therefore suggest bioequivalence of these two dose frequencies.
Keywords: pharmacokinetics , paediatrics , pharmacology