Summary
Plasma concentrations of pirprofen were measured in 11 elderly arthritic patients and 6 healthy young volunteers at the beginning and end of 8 days treatment with 400 mg doses twice daily. The mean ages of the two groups were 74.5 and 21.8 years, respectively. There were no statistically significant differences in peak concentrations, times to peak, areas under the curve or terminal elimination half-lives between the groups after single dosing. Repeated dosing increased plasma drug concentrations in both groups but the extent was as predicted from the single dose data. Again there were no statistically significant differences between the groups, although pre-dosing plasma concentrations were higher in the elderly compared with the young individuals. The results of this relatively small study suggest that advancing age and arthritic disease appear to have little influence on the pharmacokinetics of pirprofen and no modification in the dosage recommendation in elderly patients without overt renal or hepatic impairment is indicated.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Camus JP (1981) A dose-finding trial with pirprofen in rheumatoid arthritis. In: van der Korst JK (ed) A new antirheumatic-analgesic agent: pirprofen (Rengasil). Int Symp Wiesbaden, FRG, 1979. Huber, Berne Stuttgart Vienna, pp 66–72
Castleden CM, George CF, Marcer D, Hallett C (1977) Increased sensitivity to nitrazepam in old age. Br Med J 1: 10–12
Chart TJ, Maier R (1981) A brief review of the preclinical pharmacology of pirprofen. In: van der Korst JK (ed) A new antirheumatic-analgesic agent: pirprofen (Rengasil). Int Symp Wiesbaden, FRG, 1979. Huber, Berne Stuttgart Vienna, pp 14–22
Crook PR, Willis JV, Kendall MJ, Jack DB, Fowler PD (1982) The pharmacokinetics of diclofenac sodium in patients with active rheumatoid disease. Eur J Clin Pharmacol 21: 331–334
Crooks J (1983) Ageing and drug disposition — pharmacodynamics. J Chron Dis 36: 85–90
Crooks J, O'Malley K, Stevenson IH (1976) Pharmacokinetics in the elderly. Clin Pharmacokinet 1: 280–296
Cusack B, Kelly JG, Lavan J, Noel J, O'Malley K (1980) Theophylline kinetics in relation to age: the importance of smoking. Br J Clin Pharmacol 10: 109–114
Del Favero A (1983) Anti-inflammatory analgesics and drugs used in rheumatoid arthritis and gout. Side-effects of Drugs Annual 7, Exerpta Medica, Amsterdam
Denham MJ (1984) The ethics of research in the elderly. Age Ageing 13: 321–327
Egger H, Bartlett F, Yuan H-P, Karliner J (1982) Metabolism of pirprofen in man, monkey, rat and mouse. Drug Metab Dispos 10: 529–536
Greenblatt DJ, Allen MD, Lochniskar A, Harmatz JS, Shader RI (1979) Lorazepam kinetics in the elderly. Clin Pharmacol Ther 26: 103–113
Gum OB, Luders RC (1981) The pharmacokinetics of pirprofen. Curr Ther Res 30: S118-S122
Halsey JP, Cardoe N (1982) Benoxaprofen: Side-effect profile in 300 patients. Br Med J 284: 1365–1368
Irving RE, Grove J, Toseland PA, Trounce JR (1974) The effect of age on the hydroxylation of amylobarbitone sodium in man. Br J Clin Pharmacol 1: 41–43
Luders RG, Maggio-Cavaliere MB, Egger HP, Gum OB, Resnick O, Bartlett MF, Gaito MJ, Soo A, Li C (1977) Disposition of pirprofen a new anti-inflammatory drug. Clin Pharmacol Ther 21: 721–730
Maggio-Cavaliere MB, Bonus L, Gum OB (1976) A dual approach to the evaluation of the efficacy of a new rheumatoid arthritic agent — pirprofen. J Clin Pharmacol 16: 8–18
Mintz G, Jimenez-Balderas J, Robles E (1981) A short-term double blind trial comparing pirprofen, indomethacin, and placebo in rheumatoid arthritis. In: van der Korst JK (ed) A new antirheumatic-analgesic agent: pirprofen (Rengasil). Int Symp Wiesbaden, FRG, 1979. Huber, Berne Stuttgart Vienna, pp 119–124
Nation RL, Vine J, Triggs EJ, Learoyd B (1977) Plasma level of chlormethiazole and two metabolites after oral administration to young and aged human subjects. Eur J Clin Pharmacol 12: 137–145
O'Malley K, Crooks J, Duke E, Stevenson IH (1971) Effect of age and sex on human drug metabolism. Br Med J 3: 607–609
Quarterman CP, Kendall MJ, Jack DB (1981) The effect of age on the pharmacokinetics of metoprolol and its metabolites. Br J Clin Pharmacol 11: 287–294
Report of the Royal College of Physicians (1984) Medication for the elderly. J Roy Coll Phys (London) 18: 7–17
Schneider RE, Bishop H, Yates RA, Quarterman CP, Kendall MJ (1980) Effects of age on plasma propranolol levels. Br J Clin Pharmacol 10: 169–170
Schneider RE, Bishop H, Kendall MJ, Quarterman CP (1981) Effect of inflammatory disease on plasma concentrations of three β-adrenoceptor blocking drugs. Int J Clin Pharmacol Ther Toxicol 19: 158–162
Upton RA, Williams RL, Kelly J, Jones RM (1984) Naproxen pharmacokinetics in the elderly. Br. J Clin Pharmacol 18: 207–214
Wilkinson GR (1983) Drug disposition and renal excretion in the elderly. J Chronic Dis 36: 91–102
Woolf AD, Rogers HJ, Bradbrook ID, Corless D (1983) Pharmacokinetic observations on piroxicam in young adult, middleaged and elderly patients. Br J Clin Pharmacol 16: 433–437
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Rooney, L., Kendall, M.J., Main, A. et al. Pharmacokinetics of pirprofen in young volunteers and elderly patients. Eur J Clin Pharmacol 29, 73–77 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00547372
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00547372