2008 年 128 巻 4 号 p. 635-640
A study was conducted to clarify differences in the theophylline pharmacokinetics of two orally available products, theophylline alcohol and Apnecut, in premature neonates and infants using population pharmacokinetic analysis. Fifty-two patients with apnea hospitalized at the National Center for Child Health and Development were enrolled (total number of plasma concentration points=90). Population pharmacokinetic analysis under steady-state conditions was performed using NONMEM ver. V. The mean oral clearance was 0.0249 (l/h), and the inter- and intraindividual variation was 30.3% and 28.3%, respectively, in the basic model. The oral clearance was significantly affected by body weight, sex, and age. The final model obtained was expressed by the following equation: oral clearance (l/h)=0.0201×(body weight (g)/1000)1.08×(1−0.282×drug product), where theophylline alcohol is 0 and Apnecut is 1. The inter- and intraindividual variations in the final model were 15.0% and 15.3%, respectively. The oral clearance of the two oral formulations differed significantly, and this difference should be considered when adjusting the theophylline dose.