Rapid and sensitive method for simultaneous determination of citalopram with antihistamines by liquid chromatography.

A highly sensitive liquid chromatographic method with UV detection has been developed for simultaneous determination of citalopram, levocetirizine and loratadine in bulk drug, pharmaceutical formulation and human serum at 230nm employing 80:20 v/v methanol-water as mobile phase with pH3.5, adjusting flow rate of 1.0mL.min-1. Separation was achieved on Shimadzu Shim-pack CLC-ODS (M) 25M column within the linear range of 0.4-12.5, 0.8-25 and 0.8-25µg.mL-1 with R2 >0.998 and detection limit 7.75, 3.35 and 10.26ng.mL-1respectively. ICH guidelines were followed for validation showing 0.22-1.76, 0.06-1.83 and 0.22-2.11% RSD. The recovery of analytes in tablets and serum was found to be in acceptable range. The method was fruitfully employed for the determination of studied analyte in pharmaceutical formulation and human serum.

Simultaneous bioanalysis and pharmacokinetic interaction study of acebrophylline, levocetirizine and pranlukast in Sprague-Dawley rats.

The combination of acebrophylline (ABP), levocetirizine (LCZ) and pranlukast (PRN) is used to treat allergic rhinitis, asthma, hay-fever and other conditions where patients experience difficulty in breathing. This study was carried out with the aim of developing and validating a reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic bioanalytical method to simultaneously quantitate ABP, LCZ and PRN in rat plasma. The objective also includes determination of the pharmacokinetic interaction of these three drugs after administration via the oral route after individual and combination treatment in rat. Optimum resolution between the analytes was observed with a C18 Kinetex column (250 mm × 4.6 mm × 5 µm). The chromatography was performed in a gradient elution mode with a 1 mL/min flow rate. The calibration curves were linear over the concentration range of 100-1600 ng/mL. The intra- and inter-day precision and accuracy were found to be within acceptable limits as specified in US Food and Drug Administration guideline for bioanalytical method validation. The analytes were stable on the bench-top (8 h), after three freeze-thaw cycles, in the autosampler (8 h) and as a dry extract (-80°C for 48 h). The statistical results of the pharmacokinetic study in Sprague-Dawley rats showed a significant change in pharmacokinetic parameters for PRN upon co-administration of the three drugs.

Pharmacokinetics of hydroxyzine and cetirizine following oral administration of hydroxyzine to exercised Thoroughbred horses.

Hydroxyzine is a first-generation antihistamine and cetirizine, a second-generation antihistamine and active metabolite of hydroxyzine. Hydroxyzine is commonly used in performance horses and as such its use in closely regulated; however, there are no published studies suitable for establishing appropriate regulatory recommendations. In the current study, 12 exercised Thoroughbred research horses received a single oral administration of 500 mg of hydroxyzine. Blood and urine samples were collected prior to and up to 96 hr postdrug administration and concentrations of hydroxyzine and cetirizine determined using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. A joint parent/metabolite population 2-compartment pharmacokinetic model with first-order absorption and elimination was utilized to describe the pharmacokinetics of both compounds. Serum hydroxyzine and cetirizine concentrations were above the limit of quantitation (0.1 ng/ml) of the assay at 96 hr (the last time point sampled). The terminal half-life was 7.41 and 7.13 hr for hydroxyzine and cetirizine, respectively. Findings from this study suggest that a prolonged withdrawal time should be observed if this compound is used in performance administered to performance horses and is classified as prohibited substance by the applicable regulatory body.

Comparison of the pharmacokinetics and tolerability of montelukast/levocetirizine administered as a fixed-dose combination and as separate tablets.

OBJECTIVE: A novel fixed-dose combination (FDC) capsule of 10/5 mg of montelukast/levocetirizine may lead to better compliance than two separate tablets taken together. The aim of this study was to evaluate the pharmacokinetics (PK) and tolerability of an FDC of montelukast and levocetirizine compared to separate tablets. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A randomized, open-label, single-dose, two-sequence, two-period, crossover study was conducted with healthy male subjects. In each period, either an FDC or separate tablets were administered orally, and serial blood samples were collected for PK analysis for up to 34 hours after dosing. PK parameters were calculated using noncompartmental methods. The 90% confidence intervals (CIs) of the geometric mean ratios (GMRs) of the maximum plasma concentration (Cmax) and the area under the curve to the last measurable concentration (AUClast) for the two interventions were estimated. Tolerability assessments were performed for all the subjects who received the drug at least once. RESULTS: The PK profiles of the two interventions were comparable. For montelukast, the GMRs and 90% CIs for the Cmax and AUClast were 0.9800 (0.8903 - 1.0787) and 1.0706 (0.9968 - 1.1498), respectively. The corresponding values for levocetirizine were 0.9195 (0.8660 - 0.9763) and 1.0375 (1.0123 - 1.0634), respectively. Both interventions were well tolerated. CONCLUSION: The PK and tolerability profiles of montelukast and levocetirizine after a single oral administration were comparable between the FDC and separate tablets. For patients with allergic rhinitis who require a combination treatment, the FDC of montelukast and levocetirizine will be a convenient therapeutic option.
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Elimination of cetirizine following administration of multiple doses to exercised thoroughbred horses.

Cetirizine is an antihistamine used in performance horses for the treatment of hypersensitivity reactions and as such a withdrawal time is necessary prior to competition. The objective of the current study was to describe the disposition and elimination of cetirizine following oral administration in order to provide additional serum concentration data upon which appropriate regulatory recommendations can be established. Nine exercised thoroughbred horses were administered 0.4 mg/kg of cetirizine orally BID for a total of five doses. Blood samples were collected immediately prior to drug administration and at various times postadministration. Serum cetirizine concentrations were determined and selected pharmacokinetic parameters determined. The serum elimination half-life was 5.83 ± 0.841 h. Average serum cetirizine concentrations were still above the LOQ of the assay (0.05 ng/mL) at 48 h (final sample collected) postadministration of the final dose.

Statistical optimization of controlled release microspheres containing cetirizine hydrochloride as a model for water soluble drugs.

The purpose was to improve the encapsulation efficiency of cetirizine hydrochloride (CTZ) microspheres as a model for water soluble drugs and control its release by applying response surface methodology. A 3(3) Box-Behnken design was used to determine the effect of drug/polymer ratio (X1), surfactant concentration (X2) and stirring speed (X3), on the mean particle size (Y1), percentage encapsulation efficiency (Y2) and cumulative percent drug released for 12 h (Y3). Emulsion solvent evaporation (ESE) technique was applied utilizing Eudragit RS100 as coating polymer and span 80 as surfactant. All formulations were evaluated for micromeritic properties and morphologically characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The relative bioavailability of the optimized microspheres was compared with CTZ marketed product after oral administration on healthy human volunteers using a double blind, randomized, cross-over design. The results revealed that the mean particle sizes of the microspheres ranged from 62 to 348 µm and the efficiency of entrapment ranged from 36.3% to 70.1%. The optimized CTZ microspheres exhibited a slow and controlled release over 12 h. The pharmacokinetic data of optimized CTZ microspheres showed prolonged tmax, decreased Cmax and AUC0-∞ value of 3309 ± 211 ng h/ml indicating improved relative bioavailability by 169.4% compared with marketed tablets.

Enantiomeric separation and simulation studies of pheniramine, oxybutynin, cetirizine, and brinzolamide chiral drugs on amylose-based columns.

Solid phase extraction (SPE)-chiral separation of the important drugs pheniramine, oxybutynin, cetirizine, and brinzolamide was achieved on the C18 cartridge and AmyCoat (150 x 46 mm) and Chiralpak AD (25 cm x 0.46 cm id) chiral columns in human plasma. Pheniramine, oxybutynin, cetirizine, and brinzolamide were resolved using n-hexane-2-PrOH-DEA (85:15:0.1, v/v), n-hexane-2-PrOH-DEA (80:20:0.1, v/v), n-hexane-2-PrOH-DEA (70:30:0.2, v/v), and n-hexane-2-propanol (90:10, v/v) as mobile phases. The separation was carried out at 25 ± 1 ºC temperature with detection at 225 nm for cetirizine and oxybutynin and 220 nm for pheniramine and brinzolamide. The flow rates of the mobile phases were 0.5 mL min(-1). The retention factors of pheniramine, oxybutynin, cetirizine and brinzolamide were 3.25 and 4.34, 4.76 and 5.64, 6.10 and 6.60, and 1.64 and 2.01, respectively. The separation factors of these drugs were 1.33, 1.18, 1.09 and 1.20 while their resolutions factors were 1.09, 1.45, 1.63 and 1.25, and 1.15, respectively. The absolute configurations of the eluted enantiomers of the reported drugs were determined by simulation studies. It was observed that the order of enantiomers elution of the reported drugs was S-pheniramine > R-pheniramine; R-oxybutynin > S-oxybutynin; S-cetirizine > R-cetirizine; and S-brinzolamide > R-brinzolamide. The mechanism of separation was also determined at the supramolecular level by considering interactions and modeling results. The reported SPE-chiral high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) methods are suitable for the enantiomeric analyses of these drugs in any biological sample. In addition, simulation studies may be used to determine the absolute configuration of the first and second eluted enantiomers.

The inhibition by levocetirizine and fexofenadine of the histamine-induced wheal and flare response in healthy Caucasian and Japanese volunteers.

This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover study compared inhibition by one 5 mg dose of levocetirizine with two 60 mg doses of fexofenadine separated by 12 h of histamine-induced wheal and flare responses in 9 Caucasian and 9 Japanese healthy male volunteers. Levocetirizine was more inhibitory than fexofenadine on wheal, flare and pruritus (p < 0.005). Variability, evaluated from the standard deviation of inhibition, ranged from 14% to 23.2% for levocetirizine and 65.4% to 112.4% for fexofenadine. Levocetirizine had a faster onset of action (30-90 min versus 2 h), shorter time to maximum effect (3-4 versus 3-6 h) and longer duration of action (at least 24 h versus ~12 h) than fexofenadine. The plasma levels of levocetirizine rose more quickly, reached higher levels, were more consistent and decreased slower than those of fexofenadine. There were no clinically significant ethnic differences in responsiveness to the drugs.

Simultaneous determination of levocetirizine and pseudoephedrine in dog plasma by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry in the presence of dextrocetirizine.

PURPOSE: This study describes the development of a rapid and sensitive LC-ESI-MS assay for simultaneous enantioselective determination of levocetirizine and pseudoephedrine in dog plasma in the presence of dextrocetirizine. METHODS: Separations were achieved on an Ultron ES-OVM chiral column using the mobile phase consisting of 10 mM aqueous NH4OAc (pH 6.6) and acetonitrile (9:1 v/v). RESULTS: The retention times of pseudoephedrine, dextrocetirizine, levocetirizine and diazepam (internal standard) were 5.2, 8.3, 9.6 and 11.6 min, respectively, and the total run time was less than 15 min. The assay was validated to demonstrate the linearity, accuracy and precision, recovery and stability. The calibration curves were linear over the concentration range from 1 - 200 ng/mL for levocetirizine and from 5 - 1000 ng/mL for pseudoephedrine. CONCLUSIONS: The developed assay was successfully applied to a pharmacokinetic study after oral administration of the racemic cetirizine (0.5 mg/kg, or 0.25 mg/kg as levocetirizine) and pseudoephedrine (12 mg/kg) in the dog. This article is open to POST-PUBLICATION REVIEW. Registered readers (see "For Readers") may comment by clicking on ABSTRACT on the issue's contents page.

Two-step liquid phase microextraction combined with capillary electrophoresis: a new approach to simultaneous determination of basic and zwitterionic compounds.

In this work, two-step hollow fiber-based liquid-phase microextraction procedure was evaluated for extraction of the zwitterionic cetirizine (CTZ) and basic hydroxyzine (HZ) in human plasma. In the first step of extraction, the pH of sample was adjusted at 5.0 in order to promote liquid-phase microextraction of the zwitterionic CTZ. In the second step, the pH of sample was increased up to 11.0 for extraction of basic HZ. In this procedure, the extraction times for the first and the second steps were 30 and 20 min, respectively. Owing to the high ratio between the volumes of donor phase and acceptor phase, CTZ and HZ were enriched by factors of 280 and 355, respectively. The linearity of the analytical method was investigated for both compounds in the range of 10-500 ng mL(-1) (R(2) > 0.999). Limit of quantification (S/N = 10) for CTZ and HZ was 10 ng mL(-1) , while the limit of detection was 3 ng mL(-1) for both compounds at a signal to noise ratio of 3:1. Intraday and interday relative standard deviations (RSDs, n = 6) were in the range of 6.5-16.2%. This procedure enabled CTZ and HZ to be analyzed simultaneously by capillary electrophoresis.

Chiral separation and quantitation of cetirizine and hydroxyzine by maltodextrin-mediated CE in human plasma: effect of zwitterionic property of cetirizine on enantioseparation.

In the present study, a very simple CE method for chiral separation and quantitation of zwitterionic cetirizine (CTZ), as the main metabolite of hydroxyzine (HZ), and HZ has been developed. In addition, the effect of zwitterionic property of CTZ on enantioseparation was investigated. Maltodextrin, a linear polysaccharide, as a chiral selector was used and several parameters affecting the separation such as pH of BGE, concentration of chiral selector and applied voltage were studied. The best BGE conditions for CTZ and HZ enantiomers were optimized as 75 mM sodium phosphate solution at pH of 2.0, containing 5% w/v maltodextrin. Results showed that, compared to HZ, pH of BGE was an effective parameter in enantioseparation of CTZ due to the zwitterionic property of CTZ. The linear range of the method was over 30-1200 ng/mL for all enantiomers of CTZ and HZ. The quantification and detection limits (S/N=3) of all enantiomers were 30 and 10 ng/mL, respectively. The method was used to quantitative enantioseparation of CTZ and HZ in spiked human plasma.

Comparative inhibition by bilastine and cetirizine of histamine-induced wheal and flare responses in humans.

OBJECTIVE AND DESIGN: Comparison of bilastine and cetirizine in inhibiting skin wheal and flare responses over 24 h. SUBJECTS: Twenty-one healthy male volunteers (aged 19-44 years). TREATMENT AND METHODS: Volunteers were randomised to receive single oral doses of 20 or 50 mg bilastine, 10 mg cetirizine or placebo before provocation of wheal and flare responses to 100 mg/ml histamine by skin prick 1.5, 4, 8, 12 and 24 h later. RESULTS: There were no significant differences between overall inhibitions of wheal or flare by 20 mg bilastine and 10 mg cetirizine. Bilastine was faster in onset than cetirizine, inhibitions of wheal and flare at 1.5 h being 89 ± 3 versus 44 ± 14% (P = 0.011) and 85 ± 4 versus 45 ± 14% (P = 0.016), respectively (Student's t test). At 1.5 h, both wheals and flares were inhibited by >70% in 11/12 volunteers taking bilastine and 3/11 taking cetirizine (P = 0.003, Fisher's exact test). There were no significant differences between the drugs at later times. Bilastine 50 mg had a longer duration of action than bilastine 20 mg. CONCLUSIONS: Both 20 mg bilastine and 10 mg cetirizine are effective and of long duration in reducing histamine-induced wheal and flare responses, the major difference between the two drugs being the more rapid onset of action of bilastine.

Hydroxyzine and cetirizine interfere with the PENTINA carbamazepine assay but not with the ADVIA CENTEUR carbamazepine assay.

Because of a published report indicating significant interference of hydroxyzine with the particle-enhanced turbidimetric inhibition immunoassay (PENTINA) carbamazepine assay, we investigated whether such interference can be avoided by using the ADVIA Centaur carbamazepine assay. Both the Dimension Vista analyzer and ADVIA Centaur analyzer are available from Siemens Diagnostics. Aliquots of a drug-free serum pool were supplemented with various concentrations of hydroxyzine or cetirizine (0.05 microg/mL to 20 microg/mL covering therapeutic and toxic levels in serum) followed by analysis using both assays. We observed significant apparent carbamazepine concentrations using the PENTINA assay but no apparent carbamazepine level using the ADVIA Centaur assay. Because crossreactivity should be studied in the presence of the primary analyte, we also prepared a serum carbamazepine pool from patients receiving carbamazepine and then supplemented aliquots of this pool with various amounts of hydroxyzine or cetirizine followed by reanalyzing carbamazepine concentration using both assays. We observed falsely elevated carbamazepine values using the PENTINA assay but no interference was observed using the ADVIA Centaur assay. However, the falsely elevated carbamazepine values using the PENTINA assay were clinically significant at hydroxyzine or cetirizine concentrations expected in patients with severe overdoses with these drugs. We conclude that the ADVIA Centaur carbamazepine assay is free from interference of both hydroxyzine and cetirizine.

Analytical performance evaluation of ADVIA Chemistry Carbamazepine_2 assay: minimal cross-reactivity with carbamazepine 10, 11-epoxide and none with hydroxyzine or cetirizine.

Carbamazepine is an anticonvulsant requiring routine therapeutic drug monitoring. Recently, Siemens Healthcare Diagnostic Division released a new carbamazepine assay: ADVIA Chemistry Carbamazepine_2 (Carbamazepine_2) for application on ADVIA analyzers. We evaluated the analytical performance of this assay as well as its potential cross-reactivities with carbamazepine 10, 11-epoxide, hydroxyzine, and cetirizine. The within-run and between-run precisions of the Carbamzepine-2 assay were <6% and limit of detection was 0.5 microg/ml using ADVIA 1800 analyzer. The assay was linear up to a carbamazepine concentration of 20.0 microg/ml. The new method compared well with a widely used carbamazepine EMIT 2000 assay on the Hitachi 917 analyzer. Using 75 patients' specimens (where carbamazepine concentrations varied from 0.5 to 21.7 microg/ml) and carbamazepine EMIT 2000 as the reference method (x-axis), we observed the following regression equation: y=1.04 x+0.32 (r=0.99). The new carbazepine_2 method was not affected by a hemoglobin concentration of 1,000 mg/dl, conjugated or unconjugated bilirubin concentration of 60 mg/dl, and triglyceride concentration of 1,000 mg/dl. In addition, this assay showed no cross-reactivity with hydroxyzine or cetirizine and demonstrated minimal cross-reactivity with carbamazepine 10, 11-epoxide. We conclude that the ADVIA Chemistry carbamazepine_2 assay has adequate precision and accuracy for routine therapeutic drug monitoring of carbamazepine in clinical laboratories.

Determination of levocetirizine in human plasma by liquid chromatography-electrospray tandem mass spectrometry: application to a bioequivalence study.

We describe a liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometric method (LC-MS/MS) for levocetirizine quantification (I) in human plasma. Sample preparation was made using a fexofenadine (II) addition as internal standard (IS), liquid-liquid extraction using cold dichloromethane, and dissolving the final extract in acetonitrile. I and II (IS) were injected in a C18 column and the mobile phase composed of acetonitrile:water:formic acid (80.00:19.90:0.10, v/v/v) and monitored using positive electrospray source with tandem mass spectrometry analyses. The selected reaction monitoring (SRM) was set using precursor ion and product ion combinations of m/z 389>201 for I and m/z 502>467 for II. The limit of quantification and the dynamic range achieved were 0.5ng/mL and 0.5-500.0ng/mL. Validation results on linearity, specificity, accuracy, precision and stability, as well as its application to the analysis of plasma samples taken up to 48h after oral administration of 5mg of levocetirizine dichloridrate in healthy volunteers demonstrate its applicability to bioavailability studies.

Enantioseparation of cetirizine by sulfated-beta-cyclodextrin-mediated capillary electrophoresis.

A sulfated beta-cyclodextrin (sulfated beta-CD)-mediated capillary electrophoresis method is described for the enantioseparation of cetirizine using achiral cefazolin as an internal standard. The enantioseparation of the drug was performed in a borate buffer (5 mM, pH 8.7) with 1% sulfated beta-CD (w/v) as chiral selector at 10 kV. Several parameters affecting the separation were studied, including the pH and the concentration of borate buffer and chiral selector. Under optimized conditions, a baseline separation of two enantiomers was achieved in less than 7 min. Using cefazolin as an internal standard (IS), the linear range of the method for the determination of levocetirizine was over 1.0 to 50.0 microg/mL; the detection limit (signal-to-noise ratio = 3) of levocetirizine was 0.5 microg/mL. The method allowed the enantioseparation of cetirizine in bulk samples and enantiomeric purity evaluation of levocetirizine (R-enantiomer) in pharmaceutical tablets (Xyzal), and it was also found to be suitable for enantioseparation in human plasma.

Comparative bioavailability of two cetirizine tablet formulations in Indonesian healthy volunteers.

AIM: To compare the bioavailability of two cetirizine tablet (10 mg) formulations (ZyrtecA from UCB Pharma, Spain as a reference formulation and RyvelA from Novell Pharmaceutical Laboratories, Indonesia as a test formulation). MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study was conducted according to an open, randomized, two-period crossover design with a 1-week washout period. Eighteen volunteers participated and all completed the study successfully. Blood samples were obtained prior to dosing and at 0.25, 0.5, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 12, 24 and 30 hours after drug administration. Plasma concentrations of cetirizine were monitored using high-performance liquid chromatography over a period of 30 hours after administration. The pharmacokinetics parameter AUC(0-30h), AUC(0-infinity) and C(max) were tested for bioequivalence after log-transformation of data and ratios of t(max) were evaluated non-parametrically. RESULT: The point estimates and 90% confidence intervals for AUC(0-30h), AUC(0-infinity) and C(max) were 108.23% (101.90 â 114.95%), 108.11% (101.91 â 114.68%) and 99.71% (90.18 â 110.25%), respectively, satisfying the bioequivalence criteria of the European Committee for Proprietary Medicinal Products an the US Food and Drug Administration guidelines. CONCLUSION: These results indicate that two medications of cetirizine are bioequivalent and, thus, may be prescribed interchangeably.

Comparison of hydrophilic interaction and reversed-phase liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometric detection for the determination of three pharmaceuticals in human plasma.

In the present study, hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC) and reversed-phase liquid chromatography (RPLC) combined with tandem mass spectrometric detection (MS/MS) were evaluated and compared for the determination of donepezil, cetirizine and loratadine in human plasma, in terms of sensitivity and sample preparation procedure. A retention study for the above compounds of various polarities was performed, using both C(18) and silica columns, with several aqueous-organic mobile phase ratios, in order to investigate their retention mechanism profile under HILIC and RPLC. Both chromatographic conditions were compared for chromatographic analysis of plasma samples processed with a liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) method for donepezil determination, resulting in significantly higher sensitivity under HILIC. Furthermore, HILIC and RPLC were compared for direct injection, and novel methods including LLE, solid-phase extraction and protein precipitation protocols were developed. Direct injection technique significantly reduced sample preparation time, increasing at the same time method sensitivity. The current study contributes to broadening the range of analyzable compounds by HILIC-MS/MS to molecules of medium polarity.

Cetirizine in horses: pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics following repeated oral administration.

The pharmacokinetics of the histamine H(1)-antagonist cetirizine and its effect on histamine-induced cutaneous wheal formation were studied in six healthy horses following repeated oral administration. After three consecutive administrations of cetirizine (0.2 mg/kg body weight, bw) every 12h, the trough plasma concentration of cetirizine was 16+/-4 ng/mL (mean+/-SD) and the wheal formation was inhibited by 45+/-23%. After four additional administrations of cetirizine (0.4 mg/kg bw) every 12 h, the trough plasma concentration was 48+/-15 ng/mL and the wheal formation was inhibited by 68+/-11%. The terminal half-life was about 5.8 h. A pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic link model showed that the maximal inhibition of wheal formation was about 95% and the EC(50) about 18 ng/mL. It is concluded that cetirizine in doses of 0.2-0.4 mg/kg bw administered at 12 h intervals exhibits favourable pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties without causing visible side effects, and the drug may therefore be a useful antihistamine in equine medicine.

Pharmacokinetics of cetirizine in healthy cats.

OBJECTIVE: To develop a high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) assay for cetirizine in feline plasma and determine the pharmacokinetics of cetirizine in healthy cats after oral administration of a single dose (5 mg) of cetirizine dihydrochloride. ANIMALS: 9 healthy cats. PROCEDURES: Heparinized blood samples were collected prior to and 0.5, 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, and 24 hours after oral administration of 5 mg of cetirizine dihydrochloride to each cat (dosage range, 0.6 to 1.4 mg/kg). Plasma was harvested and analyzed by reverse-phase HPLC. Plasma concentrations of cetirizine were analyzed with a compartmental pharmacokinetic model. Protein binding was measured by ultrafiltration with a microcentrifugation system. RESULTS: No adverse effects were detected after drug administration in the cats. Mean +/- SD terminal half-life was 10.06 +/- 4.05 hours, and mean peak plasma concentration was 3.30 +/- 1.55 microg/mL. Mean volume of distribution and clearance (per fraction absorbed) were 0.24 +/- 0.09 L/kg and 0.30 +/- 0.09 mL/kg/min, respectively. Mean plasma concentrations were approximately 2.0 microg/mL or higher for 10 hours and were maintained at > 0.72 microg/mL for 24 hours. Protein binding was approximately 88%. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: A single dose of cetirizine dihydrochloride (approx 1 mg/kg, which corresponded to approximately 0.87 mg of cetirizine base/kg) was administered orally to cats. It was tolerated well and maintained plasma concentrations higher than those considered effective in humans for 24 hours after dosing. The half-life of cetirizine in cats is compatible with once-daily dosing, and the extent of protein binding is high.