Population pharmacokinetics of nortriptyline during monotherapy and during concomitant treatment with drugs that inhibit CYP2D6--an evaluation with the nonparametric maximum likelihood method.
Therapeutic drug monitoring data for nortriptyline (674 analyses from 578 patients) were evaluated with the nonparametric maximum likelihood (NPML) method in order to determine the population kinetic parameters of this drug and their relation to age, body weight and duration of treatment. Clearance of nortriptyline during monotherapy exhibited a large interindividual variability and a skewed distribution. A small, separate fraction with a very high clearance, constituting between 0.5% and 2% of the population, was seen in both men and women. This may be explained by the recent discovery of subjects with multiple copies of the gene encoding the cytochrome-P450-enzyme CYP2D6, which catalyses the hydroxylation of nortriptyline. However, erratic compliance with the prescription may also add to this finding. A separate distribution of low clearance values with a frequency corresponding to that of poor metabolizers of CYP2D6 (circa 7% in Caucasian populations) could not be detected. Concomitant therapy with drugs that inhibit CYP2D6 resulted in a major increase in the plasma nortriptyline concentrations. This was caused by a decrease in nortriptyline clearance, whereas the volume of distribution was unchanged. The demographic factors age and body weight had a minor influence on the clearance of nortriptyline which was also unaffected by the duration of treatment.
Jerling
M
M
Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Karolinska Institute, Huddinge Hospital, Sweden.
Merlé
Y
Y
Mentré
F
F
Mallet
A
A
D000284:Administration, Oral; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000378:metabolism; D001835:Body Weight / Q000502:physiology; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D015331:Cohort Studies; D019389:Cytochrome P-450 CYP2D6; D065607:Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme Inhibitors; D003577:Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme System / Q000235:genetics; D004341:Drug Evaluation; D004357:Drug Synergism; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006900:Hydroxylation; D007275:Injections, Intravenous; D016013:Likelihood Functions; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D006899:Mixed Function Oxygenases / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors* / Q000235:genetics; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D009661:Nortriptyline / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000097:blood / Q000493:pharmacokinetics* / Q000494:pharmacology; D012727:Sex Characteristics
D065607:Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme Inhibitors; D003577:Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme System; D009661:Nortriptyline; D006899:Mixed Function Oxygenases; D019389:Cytochrome P-450 CYP2D6