Clinical Pharmacokinetics

Abstract

(First of Two Parts)*THE intensity of the therapeutic and toxic effects of most pharmacologic agents depends on their concentration at the sites of action. The time course of this concentration is determined by the drug dosage schedule and by the metabolic fate of the drug in the body. Pharmacokinetics is the quantitative study of the metabolic processes of drug absorption, distribution, biotransformation and elimination. The use of mathematical models to describe these processes allows predictions about drug concentrations in various parts of the body as a function of dosage, route of administration, and time. In view of the complexity . . .