RESUMO
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Peramivir, an antiviral agent for intravenous administration, is used to treat progressive influenza in patients with serious complications. The present study was designed to determine the pharmacokinetics of single and multiple intravenous infusions of peramivir in healthy Chinese subjects. METHODS: Single (150, 300 and 600 mg) and multiple (600 mg) doses of peramivir were intravenously administered to 12 healthy Chinese subjects. There was a 7-day washout period between dosing periods. Blood samples were collected in heparinized tubes at various times. Plasma peramivir and urine peramivir concentrations were measured using a high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method. RESULTS: Following single doses of peramivir (150, 300 and 600 mg), the maximum concentration (C max) values were 12,416 ± 3078, 23,147 ± 3668 and 44,113 ± 3787 µg/L, respectively, and the area under the plasma concentration-time curve (AUC) from 0 h to infinity post-dose (AUC∞) values were 24.68 ± 6.48, 47.33 ± 9.22 and 92.43 ± 12.72 mg·h/L, respectively. C max, AUC from 0 to 36 h (AUC0-36) and AUC∞ of peramivir increased proportionally with the dose, and no trend towards accumulation after multiple doses was observed. About 65 % of the peramivir was excreted unchanged in the urine within the first 24 h. CONCLUSIONS: Peramivir pharmacokinetics were dose proportional with increasing doses, with no accumulation after multiple dosing. Peramivir was generally well tolerated, and no serious adverse events occurred.