Pharmacokinetics of gatifloxacin in infants and children.

Abstract

Gatifloxacin is an 8-methoxy fluoroquinolone effective against a broad spectrum of pathogens common in pediatric infections. The safety and pharmacokinetics of a single dose of gatifloxacin were studied in pediatric patients from 6 months to 16 years of age. Seventy-six pediatric patients (average age, 6.7 +/- 5.0 years) were administered a single oral dose of gatifloxacin suspension (5, 10, or 15 mg/kg of body weight; 600-mg maximum) in a dose-escalating manner. Subjects were stratified by age into 4 groups. An additional 12 children, greater than 6 years of age, received gatifloxacin as the tablet formulation at a dose of approximately 10 mg/kg. Gatifloxacin's apparent clearance and half-life were 5.5 +/- 2.1 ml/min/kg and 5.1 +/- 1.4 h. The maximum concentration of drug in plasma and area under the concentration-time curve (AUC) increased in a manner approximately proportional to the dose. At the 10-mg/kg dose, the bioavailability was similar between the suspension and tablet formulation. The apparent oral clearance of gatifloxacin, normalized for body weight, exhibited a small but statistically significant decrease with increasing age. In all subjects receiving gatifloxacin at 10 mg/kg, the AUC exceeded 20 microg . h/ml (estimated free AUC/MIC ratio of > or =34 for MIC of < or =0.5 microg/ml). These data suggest that gatifloxacin at a dose of 10 mg/kg every 24 h will achieve therapeutic concentrations in plasma in infants and children.

• Authors: Edmund V Capparelli, Michael D Reed, John S Bradley, Gregory L Kearns, Richard F Jacobs, Bharat D Damle, Jeffrey L Blumer, Dennis M Grasela
• Journal: Antimicrobial agents and chemotherapy (Antimicrob Agents Chemother) Vol. 49 Issue 3 Pg. 1106-12 (Mar 2005) ISSN: 0066-4804 [Print] United States
• PMID: 15728910 (Publication Type: Clinical Trial, Journal Article, Multicenter Study, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't, Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.)

Chemical References

• Fluoroquinolones
• Gatifloxacin

Topics

• Adolescent
• Area Under Curve
• Child
• Child, Preschool
• Fluoroquinolones (adverse effects, pharmacokinetics, pharmacology)
• Gatifloxacin
• Humans
• Infant
• Microbial Sensitivity Tests