Current pharmaceutical design
-
Although the principles of drug disposition also apply in neonates, their specific characteristics warrant focussed assessment. Children display maturation in drug disposition, but this is most prominent in the first year of life. Besides maturational aspects of drug absorption and distribution, maturation mainly relates to (renal) elimination and (hepatic) metabolic clearance. ⋯ The description of a compound specific pattern is beyond compound specific relevance. The maturational patterns described and the extent of the impact of covariates can subsequently be applied to predict in vivo time-concentration profiles for compounds that undergo similar routes of elimination. Through improved predictability, such maturational models can serve to improve both the clinical care and feasibility and safety of clinical studies in neonates.