Pharmacokinetics of iloprost in patients with hepatic dysfunction.
In the present experiment the pharmacokinetics of iloprost was studied in eight hospitalized patients suffering from liver cirrhosis (mean age: 56 years, 3 females, 5 males, child-classification: A [n = 1], B [n = 5], C [n = 2]/mean 14C-aminopyrine breath test: 3.9% dose/2 h). Iloprost was administered as a 1 h-i.v. infusion with 1 ng/kg/min to all the test subjects. Steady state plasma levels of 93 +/- 31 pg/ml were observed at the end of infusion. The terminal half-life of iloprost was 28 +/- 24 min. From AUC values of 126 +/- 60 pg.h/ml a total clearance of 10 +/- 5 ml/min/kg was calculated. The study demonstrated that iloprost clearance was reduced by a factor of 2 in patients suffering from hepatic dysfunction compared with healthy subjects. Individual dose titration is the recommended dose regimen for iloprost therapy in all patients. Therefore, apart from a reduction of the starting dose (of approximately 50%) for titration, special recommendations are not necessary for patients with impaired liver function.
Hildebrand
M
M
Research Laboratories, Schering AG Berlin/Bergkamen, FRG.
Krause
W
W
Angeli
P
P
Koziol
T
T
Gatta
A
A
Merkel
C
C
Bolognesi
M
M
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001944:Breath Tests; D005260:Female; D006207:Half-Life; D006801:Humans; D016285:Iloprost / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000097:blood / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D007262:Infusions, Intravenous; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D008657:Metabolic Clearance Rate; D008875:Middle Aged; D013997:Time Factors
D016285:Iloprost