title: Antimicrobial breakpoint estimation accounting for variability in pharmacokinetics.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) indices are increasingly being used in the microbiological field to assess the efficacy of a dosing regimen. In contrast to methods using MIC, PK/PD-based methods reflect in vivo conditions and are more predictive of efficacy. Unfortunately, they entail the use of one PK-derived value such as AUC or Cmax and may thus lead to biased efficiency information when the variability is large. The aim of the present work was to evaluate the efficacy of a treatment by adjusting classical breakpoint estimation methods to the situation of variable PK profiles.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We propose a logical generalisation of the usual AUC methods by introducing the concept of "efficiency" for a PK profile, which involves the efficacy function as a weight. We formulated these methods for both classes of concentration- and time-dependent antibiotics. Using drug models and in silico approaches, we provide a theoretical basis for characterizing the efficiency of a PK profile under in vivo conditions. We also used the particular case of variable drug intake to assess the effect of the variable PK profiles generated and to analyse the implications for breakpoint estimation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Compared to traditional methods, our weighted AUC approach gives a more powerful PK/PD link and reveals, through examples, interesting issues about the uniqueness of therapeutic outcome indices and antibiotic resistance problems.
authors: Faculté de Pharmacie, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada. gd.gohore.bi@umontreal.ca
authors: Goue Denis Gohore
authors: GD
authors: Bi
authors: Jun
authors: J
authors: Li
authors: Fahima
authors: F
authors: Nekka
mesh_terms: D000821:Animal Feed; D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000493:pharmacokinetics* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D019540:Area Under Curve; D024881:Drug Resistance, Bacterial; D006801:Humans; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008954:Models, Biological; D013552:Swine
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents