An Update on Pharmacokinetic Models

Abstract

The process and kinetics involved in drug distribution and disposition are complex, and drug events often happen simultaneously. The process is governed by a variety of factors that must be properly defined and quantified for designing optimum drug therapy regimens through pharmacokinetic models. A pharmacokinetic model is a hypothesis using mathematical terms to describe quantitative relationships and is efficient in describing the time course of the drug throughout the body and is helpful in computing and calculating desired pharmacokinetic parameters which are needed for achieving the overall objective of drug therapy. The predictive capability of a model lies in the proper selection and development of mathematical function(s) that parameterize the essential factors governing the kinetic process. Such mathematical models can be devised to simulate the rate processes of drug absorption, distribution and elimination to describe and predict drug concentrations in the body as a function of time. The field is under constant upgradation to match with recent and novel drug delivery systems and therapeutic approaches for achieving the overall objective of the therapeutic regimen.