British journal of clinical pharmacology
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Br J Clin Pharmacol · Aug 2000
Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical TrialPharmacokinetics of epimeric budesonide and fluticasone propionate after repeat dose inhalation--intersubject variability in systemic absorption from the lung.
Pharmacokinetic variability is likely to be a significant factor contributing to the interindividual differences in dose requirements, anti-inflammatory response and side-effects with inhaled corticosteroids (ICS), but there is limited information about the disposition of ICS during regular dosing with a pressurized metered dose inhaler (pMDI). This study uses a mixed effects modelling approach to quantify and compare the interindividual variability in pharmacokinetics of epimeric budesonide (BUD) and fluticasone propionate (FP) after repeat-dose inhalation. ⋯ This is the first report describing the pharmacokinetics of epimeric BUD and FP after repeat dose inhalation via pMDI. Three observations may be of clinical relevance: (1) there is considerable intersubject variability in the rate of absorption of both drugs from the lung; (2) in some individuals there was a long t(1/2),z for BUD, resulting in higher and more sustained plasma drug levels in the 4-12 h postdose period than would be predicted from single-dose pharmacokinetic data; and (3) there is evidence of diurnal variation in FP pharmacokinetics, with higher-than-expected plasma drug concentrations in the morning compared with the evening.