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A pharmacokinetic evaluation of pravastatin in middle-aged and elderly volunteers

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Summary

The pharmacokinetics of pravastatin, a serum-cholesterol-lowering drug, were studied in 20 middle-aged (46–59 years old,n=8) and elderly subjects (60–81 years old,n=12). Pravastatin serum levels were determined by HPLC and solid phase extraction. Cmax was 48.9±7.1 ng/ml (mean ± SEM,n=20), and the mean AUC0−4.5h was 104.4 ng·h/ml (n=5) for a 20 mg daily oral dose. A great interindividual variability was found for Cmax, which varied from 6.2 ng/ml to 117.8 ng/ml on the 20 mg dose. As could be expected, Cmax and AUC0−4.5h were dose-related, but Tmax and t1/2 were not. In six cases, the elimination of the drug in serum could be described by a single phase but in four cases with two phases. No significant difference was found in Cmax between the middle-aged and the elderly or between males and females.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medicine, Reykjavik City Hospital, Reykjavik, Iceland

    S. Sigurbjörnsson & G. Sigurdsson

  2. Department of Pharmacology, University of Iceland, PO Box 8216, 128, Reykjavik, Iceland

    S. Sigurbjörnsson, T. Kjartansdóttir, M. Jóhannsson & J. Kristinsson

Authors
  1. S. Sigurbjörnsson
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  2. T. Kjartansdóttir
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  3. M. Jóhannsson
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  4. J. Kristinsson
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  5. G. Sigurdsson
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Sigurbjörnsson, S., Kjartansdóttir, T., Jóhannsson, M. et al. A pharmacokinetic evaluation of pravastatin in middle-aged and elderly volunteers. European Journal of Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics 23, 13–18 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03189821

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03189821

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