title: Pharmacokinetics of moricizine in young patients.
abstract: Moricizine is a novel phenothiazine antiarrhythmic agent that depresses the activity of ectopic foci, has a low incidence of adverse effects relative to other agents, and is useful in treating pediatric atrial ectopic tachycardia. A study was conducted to determine the pharmacokinetics of moricizine in children after oral administration. Moricizine was isolated from frozen serum obtained from four male patients (ages 7, 8, 9, and 18 years) receiving the drug for supraventricular tachycardia and analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection according to an established protocol. Peak serum levels were between 400 and 2000 ng/mL. Elimination of moricizine did not follow simple single-compartment pharmacokinetics. In three patients we observed an increase or slower decline in blood level occurring after 4 hours. Because of the paroxysmal nature of the tachycardias, decreases in patient heart rate could not be correlated with moricizine blood level. These results suggest that the pediatric pharmacokinetics of moricizine excretion are complex and may differ from those seen in adults.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, James H. Quillen College of Medicine, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City 37614-0577, USA.
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Rice
authors.forename: I O
authors.initials: IO
authors.lastname: LeClair
authors.forename: W L
authors.initials: WL
authors.lastname: Stone
authors.forename: A V
authors.initials: AV
authors.lastname: Mehta
mesh_terms: D000284:Administration, Oral; D000293:Adolescent; D000889:Anti-Arrhythmia Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D002648:Child; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008657:Metabolic Clearance Rate; D016293:Moricizine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D013612:Tachycardia, Ectopic Atrial / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy; D013613:Tachycardia, Ectopic Junctional / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy; D013617:Tachycardia, Supraventricular / Q000097:blood* / Q000188:drug therapy
chemical_list: D000889:Anti-Arrhythmia Agents; D016293:Moricizine