Validated extended multiplexed LC-MS/MS assay for the quantification of adagrasib and sotorasib in human plasma, together with four additional SMIs.

Recently, two small molecular inhibitors (SMIs) -adagrasib and sotorasib- have been introduced for targeting Kirsten rat sarcoma (KRAS) p.G12C mutations in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). In order to support pharmacokinetic research as well as clinical decision making, we developed and validated a simple and accurate liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method for the multiplexed quantification of adagrasib and sotorasib. This assay was co-validated with the quantification for brigatinib, lorlatinib, pralsetinib and selpercatinib. Methanol was used for single-step protein precipitation. Chromatographic separation was performed using an Acquity® HSS C18 UPLC column, with an elution gradient of ammonium formate 0.1 % v/v in water and acetonitrile. In K2-EDTA plasma, adagrasib was found to be stable for at least seven days at room temperature and 4 °C, and at least 3 months at -80 °C. Sotorasib was found to be stable for at least three days at room temperature, seven days at 4 °C and at least 3 months at -80 °C. The method was validated over a linear range of 80-4000 ng/mL for adagrasib and 25-2500 ng/mL for sotorasib. The assay is therefore well-equipped for determining plasma concentrations in clinical practice.

Oral and Intravenous Amoxicillin Dosing Recommendations in Neonates: A Pooled Population Pharmacokinetic Study.

BACKGROUND: There is a lack of evidence on oral amoxicillin pharmacokinetics and exposure in neonates with possible serious bacterial infection (pSBI). We aimed to describe amoxicillin disposition following oral and intravenous administration and to provide dosing recommendations for preterm and term neonates treated for pSBI. METHODS: In this pooled-population pharmacokinetic study, 3 datasets were combined for nonlinear mixed-effects modeling. In order to evaluate amoxicillin exposure following oral and intravenous administration, pharmacokinetic profiles for different dosing regimens were simulated with the developed population pharmacokinetic model. A target of 50% time of the free fraction above the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) with an MICECOFF of 8 mg/L (to cover gram-negative bacteria such as Escherichia coli) was used. RESULTS: The cohort consisted of 261 (79 oral, 182 intravenous) neonates with a median (range) gestational age of 35.8 weeks (range, 24.9-42.4) and bodyweight of 2.6 kg (range, 0.5-5). A 1-compartment model with first-order absorption best described amoxicillin pharmacokinetics. Clearance (L/h/kg) in neonates born after 30 weeks' gestation increased with increasing postnatal age (PNA day 10, 1.25-fold; PNA day 20, 1.43-fold vs PNA day 3). Oral bioavailability was 87%. We found that a twice-daily regimen of 50 mg/kg/day is superior to a 3- or 4-times daily schedule in the first week of life for both oral and intravenous administration. CONCLUSIONS: This pooled population pharmacokinetic description of intravenous and oral amoxicillin in neonates provides age-specific dosing recommendations. We conclude that neonates treated with oral amoxicillin in the first weeks of life reach adequate amoxicillin levels following a twice-daily dosing regimen. Oral amoxicillin therapy could therefore be an adequate, cost-effective, and more patient-friendly alternative for neonates worldwide.

Development and validation of an HPLC-MS/MS method to simultaneously quantify brigatinib, lorlatinib, pralsetinib and selpercatinib in human K2-EDTA plasma.

A liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method was developed and validated to quantify the small-molecule inhibitors (SMIs) brigatinib, lorlatinib, pralsetinib and selpercatinib, which are used in patients with oncogenic-driven non-small cell lung cancer. Chromatographic separation was performed on a HyPURITY® C18 analytical column with a gradient elution using ammonium acetate in water and in methanol, both acidified with formic acid 0,1%. Detection and quantification were performed using a triple quad mass spectrometer with an electrospray ionization interface. The assay was validated over a linear range of 50-2,500 ng/ml for brigatinib, 25-1,000 ng/ml for lorlatinib, 100-10,000 ng/ml for pralsetinib and 50-5,000 ng/ml for selpercatinib. All four SMIs were stable for at least 7 days under cool conditions (2-8°C), and at least 24 h at room temperature (15-25°C) in K2-EDTA plasma. Under freezing conditions (-20°C), all SMIs were stable for at least 30 days, except for the lowest quality control (QCLOW ) of pralsetinib. The QCLOW of pralsetinib was stable for at least 7 days at -20°C. This method provides an efficient and simple way to quantify four SMIs with a single assay in clinical practice.

Development and validation of an HPLC-MS/MS method to simultaneously quantify alectinib, crizotinib, erlotinib, gefitinib and osimertinib in human plasma samples, using one assay run.

A liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method was developed and validated to quantify alectinib, crizotinib, erlotinib and gefitinib. This assay can be combined with our method for osimertinib, allowing quantification of the most used ALK- and EGFR-tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) in non-small cell lung cancer with a single-assay setup. Chromatographic separation was performed on a HyPurity® C18 analytical column using an elution gradient of ammonium acetate in water and in methanol, both acidified with formic acid 0.1%. Detection and quantification were performed using a triple quad mass spectrometer with an electrospray ionization interface. This method led to robust results, as the selectivity, carryover, precision and accuracy met all pre-specified requirements. The assay was validated over a linear range of 100-2,000 ng/ml for alectinib and erlotinib and 50-1,000 ng/ml for crizotinib and gefitinib. Alectinib, crizotinib, erlotinib and gefitinib were all stable for at least 4 h in whole blood (at room temperature and at 4°C) and for at least 1 month in EDTA plasma when stored at -80°C, while osimertinib proved to be unstable at room temperature. Although high-performance liquid chromatography was used, the run time was short and comparable with other methods using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography.

Official International Association for Therapeutic Drug Monitoring and Clinical Toxicology Guideline: Development and Validation of Dried Blood Spot-Based Methods for Therapeutic Drug Monitoring.

Dried blood spot (DBS) analysis has been introduced more and more into clinical practice to facilitate Therapeutic Drug Monitoring (TDM). To assure the quality of bioanalytical methods, the design, development and validation needs to fit the intended use. Current validation requirements, described in guidelines for traditional matrices (blood, plasma, serum), do not cover all necessary aspects of method development, analytical- and clinical validation of DBS assays for TDM. Therefore, this guideline provides parameters required for the validation of quantitative determination of small molecule drugs in DBS using chromatographic methods, and to provide advice on how these can be assessed. In addition, guidance is given on the application of validated methods in a routine context. First, considerations for the method development stage are described covering sample collection procedure, type of filter paper and punch size, sample volume, drying and storage, internal standard incorporation, type of blood used, sample preparation and prevalidation. Second, common parameters regarding analytical validation are described in context of DBS analysis with the addition of DBS-specific parameters, such as volume-, volcano- and hematocrit effects. Third, clinical validation studies are described, including number of clinical samples and patients, comparison of DBS with venous blood, statistical methods and interpretation, spot quality, sampling procedure, duplicates, outliers, automated analysis methods and quality control programs. Lastly, cross-validation is discussed, covering changes made to existing sampling- and analysis methods. This guideline of the International Association of Therapeutic Drug Monitoring and Clinical Toxicology on the development, validation and evaluation of DBS-based methods for the purpose of TDM aims to contribute to high-quality micro sampling methods used in clinical practice.

Development and validation of an analytical method using UPLC-MS/MS to quantify everolimus in dried blood spots in the oncology setting.

While the therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) of everolimus has been routinely performed for over 10 years in solid organ transplantation medicine, in order to optimize the balance between effectiveness and toxicity, it is yet uncommon in the treatment of malignancies. The aim of this study was to develop and validate a bioanalytical method to quantify everolimus in dried blood spots (DBS) to facilitate TDM for the oncology outpatient setting. The hematocrit effect of everolimus was investigated. An 7.5mm disk from the central part of the DBS was punched, followed by the extraction of everolimus from the DBS by methanol/acetonitrile (80/20%) spiked with deuterium-labelled everolimus as internal standard. Subsequently, everolimus was separated and analyzed using ultra performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS). The UPLC-MS/MS method was validated according to the European Medicine Agency (EMA) guideline. Everolimus concentrations could be quantified over the range of 3-75µg/L. The intra- and inter-assay precision and accuracy of the method were shown to be acceptable (coefficient of variation ≤10.7% and relative error ≤4.4%, respectively). The matrix effects appeared to be influenced by the hematocrit effect. The hematocrit effect was tested in a range of 0.20-0.50L/L, at which hematocrit accuracy and precision were satisfactory at values ≥0.25L/L. However, at 0.20L/L hematocrit in combination with high everolimus concentrations of 20 and 40µg/L, the precision was adequate (≤7.4%), but the accuracy was >15% of the nominal concentration. Everolimus was stable in DBS for at least 80days at 2-8°C. Given these results, the everolimus DBS method has been successfully developed and validated. Special attention is necessary for cancer patients with both a 0.20L/L hematocrit in combination with everolimus concentrations ≥20µg/L. A clinical validation for the use of everolimus DBS in cancer patients is currently being undertaken.

Model-based clinical dose optimization for phenobarbital in neonates: An illustration of the importance of data sharing and external validation.

BACKGROUND: Particularly in the pediatric clinical pharmacology field, data-sharing offers the possibility of making the most of all available data. In this study, we utilize previously collected therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) data of term and preterm newborns to develop a population pharmacokinetic model for phenobarbital. We externally validate the model using prospective phenobarbital data from an ongoing pharmacokinetic study in preterm neonates. METHODS: TDM data from 53 neonates (gestational age (GA): 37 (24-42) weeks, bodyweight: 2.7 (0.45-4.5) kg; postnatal age (PNA): 4.5 (0-22) days) contained information on dosage histories, concentration and covariate data (including birth weight, actual weight, post-natal age (PNA), postmenstrual age, GA, sex, liver and kidney function, APGAR-score). Model development was carried out using NONMEM® 7.3. After assessment of model fit, the model was validated using data of 17 neonates included in the DINO (Drug dosage Improvement in NeOnates)-study. RESULTS: Modelling of 229 plasma concentrations, ranging from 3.2 to 75.2mg/L, resulted in a one compartment model for phenobarbital. Clearance (CL) and volume (Vd) for a child with a birthweight of 2.6kg at PNA day 4.5 was 0.0091L/h (9%) and 2.38L (5%), respectively. Birthweight and PNA were the best predictors for CL maturation, increasing CL by 36.7% per kg birthweight and 5.3% per postnatal day of living, respectively. The best predictor for the increase in Vd was actual bodyweight (0.31L/kg). External validation showed that the model can adequately predict the pharmacokinetics in a prospective study. CONCLUSION: Data-sharing can help to successfully develop and validate population pharmacokinetic models in neonates. From the results it seems that both PNA and bodyweight are required to guide dosing of phenobarbital in term and preterm neonates.

Risk of myocardial infarction in patients with atrial fibrillation using vitamin K antagonists, aspirin or direct acting oral anticoagulants.

AIM: Direct-acting oral anticoagulants (DOACs) have become available for the prevention of stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). Conflicting results have been published on the risk of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) with the use of DOACs in comparison with vitamin K antagonists (VKAs). The objective of the present study was to evaluate the risk of AMI in patients with AF who are exposed to either VKAs, DOACs or low-dose (< 325 mg) aspirin. METHODS: We conducted a population-based cohort study using data from the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (2008-2014). The study population (n = 30 146) consisted of all patients ≥18 years with a diagnosis of AF who were new users of VKAs, DOACs (rivaroxaban and dabigatran) or aspirin. Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate the hazard ratio (HR) of AMI for users of DOACs or aspirin vs. VKA. Adjustments were made for age, gender, lifestyle, risk factors, comorbidity and other drugs. RESULTS: The risk of AMI was doubled when we compared current use of DOACs with current use of VKAs [adjusted HR 2.11; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.08, 4.12] and for current users of aspirin vs. current VKA users (adjusted HR 1.91; 95% CI 1.45, 2.51). CONCLUSIONS: There is a twofold increase in the risk of AMI for users of DOACs, in comparison with VKAs, in AF therapy. In addition, the results suggested that in patients with AF, the incidence of AMI is higher during aspirin monotherapy than during the use of VKAs.

Vancomycin dosing in neutropenic patients.

BACKGROUND: To compare vancomycin pharmacokinetic parameters in patients with and without neutropenia. METHODS: Patients ≥18 years admitted on general wards were included. Routinely vancomycin trough and peak plasma concentrations were measured with a fluorescence polarization immunoassay. Pharmacokinetic parameters of individual patients were determined with maximum a posterior Bayesian estimation (MW Pharm 3.60). Neutropenia was defined as neutrophils <0.5×109 cells/L. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: A total of 171 patients were included. Patients with neutropenia (n = 56) had higher clearance of vancomycin (CLva), 67 (±26) mL/min, compared to patients without neutropenia (n = 115), CLva 50 (±22) mL/min (p<0.001). No significant difference was found in serum creatinine and vancomycin volume of distribution. Neutropenia was positively associated with CLva, independently of relevant co-variables (B: 12.122, 95%CI: 1.095 to 23.149, p = 0.031). On average patients with neutropenia needed 33% higher doses of vancomycin to attain adequate exposure, i.e. AUC24≥400 mg×h/L. Furthermore, 15 initially neutropenic patients in our study group received vancomycin for a second administration period. Ten patients received the second administration period during another neutropenic period and 5 patients during a non-neutropenic phase. All 5 patients with vancomycin during both neutropenic and non-neutropenic phase had higher CLva (91 (±26) mL/min) during the neutropenic period and lower CLva (45 (±10) mL/min) during the non-neutropenic phase (p = 0.009). CONCLUSION: This study shows that most patients with neutropenia have augmented CLva. In a small group of patients that received vancomycin during two episodes, the augmented CLva seems to be reversible in the non-neutropenic period. Our data indicate that it is important to increase the daily dose with one third in patients with neutropenia (from 15 mg/kg twice daily to 13 mg/kg three times daily). Frequent performance of therapeutic drug monitoring in patients with neutropenia may prevent both therapy failure due to low AUCs and overcomes toxicity due to high vancomycin trough concentrations during recovery from neutropenia.

Lower variability in 24-hour exposure during once-daily compared to twice-daily tacrolimus formulation in kidney transplantation.

INTRODUCTION: Tacrolimus has originally been registered as a twice-daily formulation (Prograf, Tac BID), although a once-daily formulation (Advagraf, Tac QD) is also available. A reduced intrapatient variability of Tac Cmin, a surrogate marker for 24-hour drug exposure (AUC0-24), has been suggested. The variability of AUC0-24 has never been studied prospectively yet. The purpose of this study was to investigate the change in intrapatient variability of Tac AUC0-24 after converting from Tac BID to Tac QD. METHODS: Forty renal transplant patients on Tac BID were converted on a 1:1 (mg/mg) basis to Tac QD in an investigator-driven comparative pharmacokinetic (PK) study. AUC0-24 was determined five times before and after conversion. Duplicate samples were collected by the patients themselves using the dried blood spot method. The main outcome measure is the change in intrapatient variability of AUC0-24 expressed as coefficient of variation (CV). Moreover, the influence of Cyp3A5 genotype polymorphism on the change in CV was studied. RESULTS: In total, 400 AUC0-24 profiles were available for analysis. Conversion to Tac QD resulted in a significant improvement in intra-patient CV from 14.1% to 10.9% (P=0.012). Patients with the Cyp3A5*1/*3 genotype (n=11) had a numerically larger improvement in CV than patients with the CYP3A5*3/*3 genotype. CONCLUSION: Intrapatient CV of Tac AUC0-24 improved after converting from Tac BID to Tac QD in stable renal transplant patients, especially in patients with the CYP3A5*1/3 genotype. Given the very strict protocol of this PK study, this improvement is most likely due to the different intrinsic PK properties of Tac QD and Tac BID.

Use of biguanides and the risk of colorectal cancer: a register-based cohort study.

Observational studies have shown conflicting results on the potential protecting effect of biguanide use with the risk of colorectal neoplasms. In addition, the cellular mechanism can either support or oppose biguanides influence on colorectal carcinoma. Our objective was to evaluate the association between biguanide use and colorectal carcinoma. A population-based cohort study using healthcare data from the Danish National database (1996-2007), was conducted. Oral antidiabetic drug users (n = 177,281) were matched 1:3 with a population-based reference group. Cox proportional hazard models estimated hazard ratios (HRs) of colorectal carcinoma. Stratification was performed to analyse the risk of colorectal cancer in current biguanide users. Two sub-analyses were performed, to investigate the risk of colorectal cancer associated with discontinuous and prolonged use of biguanides. Instead of a protective effect, we found that current biguanide users had a 1.2-fold increased risk of colorectal cancer (HR = 1.19, 95% CI = 1.08-1.30) as compared with the non-diabetes reference group. Prolonged use was not inversely associated with colorectal cancer either. When studying colorectal risk with biguanides, the underlying T2DM should be taken into account since a 1.3-1.6-fold increased risk was found in oral antidiabetic drug users compared to controls unexposed to diabetic medication. This study could not detect a protective effect of biguanide use with colorectal cancer. Therefore, this study does not support a further investigation of the effectiveness of biguanides to prevent colorectal carcinoma in clinical studies.

Dried blood spot methods in therapeutic drug monitoring: methods, assays, and pitfalls.

This article reviews dried blood spot (DBS) sampling in therapeutic drug monitoring. The DBS method involves applying whole blood obtained via a fingerprick to a sampling paper. After drying and transportation, the blood spot is extracted and analyzed in the laboratory. Assays of many medicines in DBS have already been reported in the literature and are reviewed here. The technique involved in and factors that may influence the accuracy and reproducibility of DBS methods are also discussed. DBS sampling ultimately seems to be a useful technique for therapeutic drug monitoring that could have many advantages in comparison with conventional venous sampling. However, its benefits must be weighed against the degree of potential errors introduced via the sampling method; there is evidently a need for more standardization, quality assurance, basic research, and assay development.

Genotyping with a dried blood spot method: a useful technique for application in pharmacogenetics.

Several commercial DNA isolation kits are available for extracting the genomic DNA from the ethylene diamine tetra-acetic acid (EDTA) whole blood samples. To obtain DNA from whole blood these DNA isolation procedures require quite some hands on time and are rather expensive. An alternative technique could be dried blood spot (DBS) sampling, with which DNA isolation is faster, cheaper and logistics are easier. We have developed a non-commercial DBS method and examined its performance in practice. DNA isolation from EDTA blood samples and made blood spots on filter paper from 106 renal transplant recipients were compared. Additionally, DNA isolation with a column method and two different DBS method was performed for 10 healthy volunteers and compared. Also DNA isolation with only capillary blood using both DBS methods from another 100 healthy volunteers has been investigated. Real-time PCR FRET assays for the CYP3A4 A-392G, CYP3A5 A6986G, ABCB1 C1236T, G2677T/A and C3435T polymorphisms were used and the melting curves of both DNA isolation methods were compared. In all cases DNA extracted with the column method corresponded completely with the results of the DNA isolated with the DBS procedure. Hence, DNA isolation from filter paper appears to be a useful alternative for the commercially available DNA isolation kits.

Evaluation of limited sampling strategies for tacrolimus.

OBJECTIVE: In literature, a great diversity of limited sampling strategies (LSS) have been recommended for tacrolimus monitoring, however proper validation of these strategies to accurately predict the area under the time concentration curve (AUC0-12) is limited. The aim of this study was to determine whether these LSS might be useful for AUC prediction of other patient populations. METHODS: The LSS from literature studied were based on regression equations or on Bayesian fitting using MWPHARM 3.50 (Mediware, Groningen, the Netherlands). The performance was evaluated on 24 of these LSS in our population of 37 renal transplant patients with known AUCs. The results were also compared with the predictability of the regression equation based on the trough concentrations C0 and C12 of these 37 patients. Criterion was an absolute prediction error (APE) that differed less than 15% from the complete AUC0-12 calculated by the trapezoidal rule. RESULTS: Thirteen of the 18 (72%) LSS based on regression analysis were capable of predicting at least 90% of the 37 individual AUC0-12 within an APE of 15%. Additionally, all but three LSS examined gave a better prediction of the complete AUC0-12 in comparison with the trough concentrations C0 or C12 (mean 62%). All six LSS based on Bayesian fitting predicted <90% of the 37 complete AUC0-12 correctly (mean 67%). CONCLUSIONS: The present study indicated that implementation of LSS based on regression analysis could produce satisfactory predictions although careful evaluation is necessary.

Tacrolimus pharmacokinetics and pharmacogenetics: influence of adenosine triphosphate-binding cassette B1 (ABCB1) and cytochrome (CYP) 3A polymorphisms.

Tacrolimus, an immunosuppressant used after organ transplantation, has a narrow therapeutic range and its pharmacokinetic variability complicates its daily dose assessment. P-glycoprotein (P-gp), encoded by the adenosine triphosphate-binding cassette B1 (ABCB1) and the cytochrome (CYP) 3A4 and 3A5 enzymes appears to play a role in the tacrolimus metabolism. In the present study, two different renal transplant recipient groups were used to examine the influence of ABCB1 and CYP3A polymorphisms on the daily tacrolimus dose and several pharmacokinetic parameters. In total 63 Caucasian renal transplant recipients divided into 26 early [median (range) of the days since transplantation - 16 (3-74)] and 37 late [median (range) of the days since transplantation - 1465 (453-4128)] post-transplant recipients were genotyped for ABCB1 and CYP3A polymorphisms. The pharmacokinetic parameters of tacrolimus were determined for all renal transplant recipients and correlated with their corresponding genotypes. A significant difference in allele frequencies of the CYP3A4*1B (P = 0.028) and CYP3A5*1 (P = 0.022) alleles was observed between the early and late post-transplant recipient groups. Significantly higher dose-normalized trough levels (dnC(0)), dose-normalized area under the curve (dnAUC(0-12)), and dose-normalized maximum concentration (dnC(max)) were observed for carriers of the CYP3A5*3 variant allele in both renal transplant patient groups. Except for the daily tacrolimus dose (P = 0.025) no significant differences were observed for carriers of the CYP3A4*1B variant allele. Neither the individual ABCB1 polymorphisms nor the ABCB1 haplotypes were associated with any pharmacokinetic parameter. We noticed that patients carrying a CYP3A5*1 allele require a twofold higher tacrolimus dose compared with homozygous carriers of the CYP3A5*3 variant allele to maintain the target dnAUC(0-12). Therefore, genotyping for the CYP3A5*3 variant allele can contribute to a better and more individualized immunosuppressive therapy in transplant patients.

Protein binding of flucloxacillin in neonates.

The isoxazolyl penicillins, including flucloxacillin, have the highest levels of plasma protein binding among the semisynthetic penicillins. Because only the free fraction of the penicillin is pharmacologically active, it would be useful to measure both protein-bound and free flucloxacillin to determine its protein binding. Until now, flucloxacillin protein binding in newborn infants has been investigated in only two studies with relatively small populations. In the present study, flucloxacillin protein binding was investigated in 56 (preterm) infants aged 3 to 87 days (gestational age, 25-41 weeks). Surplus plasma samples from routine gentamicin assays of each infant were collected and combined to obtain a sufficiently large sample for analysis. Free flucloxacillin was separated from protein-bound flucloxacillin using ultrafiltration. Reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection was used to measure free flucloxacillin concentrations in ultrafiltrate and total flucloxacillin concentrations in pooled plasma. Flucloxacillin protein binding was 74.5% +/- 13.1% (mean +/- standard deviation) with a high variability among the infants (34.3% to 89.7%). High Pearson correlations were found between protein binding and the covariates-plasma albumin concentration (r = 0.804, P < 0.001, n = 18) and plasma creatinine concentration (r = -0.601, P < 0.001, n = 45). Statistically significant but less striking correlations were found between protein binding and gestational age, postconceptional age, body weight, and triglyceride concentration. Because of the high variability of protein binding among infants, it is difficult to devise a flucloxacillin dosage regimen effective for all infants. Individualized dosing, based on free flucloxacillin concentrations, might help to optimize treatment of late-onset neonatal sepsis, but practical obstacles will probably prevent analysis of free flucloxacillin concentrations in newborn infants on a routine basis.

Pharmacokinetics of intravenous rifampicin (rifampin) in neonates.

Few reports have addressed neonatal rifampicin plasma concentrations and data on neonatal rifampicin pharmacokinetics are completely lacking. Therefore, plasma concentrations of rifampicin and its main metabolite 25-O-desacetylrifampicin (DES) were measured in 123 surplus plasma samples from routine vancomycin monitoring in 21 neonates using reversed-phase HPLC. Rifampicin peak and trough plasma concentrations were 4.66 +/- 1.47 mg/L and 0.21 +/- 0.20 mg/L, respectively, after a dose of 8.5 +/- 2.1 (mean +/- SD) mg/kg per day. A significant linear relationship between rifampicin dose and peak plasma concentrations was found, but inter-patient variability was high. Pharmacokinetic parameters of rifampicin were calculated according to a one-compartment open model with iterative two-stage Bayesian fitting (MW\PHARM 3.60, Mediware, The Netherlands). First-order elimination constant, volume of distribution corrected for weight, total body clearance corrected for weight (CL/W), and elimination half-life were 0.16 +/- 0.06 h(-1), 1.84 +/- 0.59 L/kg, 0.28 +/- 0.11 Lkg(-1) h(-1), and 4.9 +/- 1.7 h, respectively. A high Pearson correlation was found between CL/W rifampicin and the covariates plasma creatinine and CL/W gentamicin of a preceding gentamicin treatment course, r = 0.728 (n = 17) and r = 0.837 (n = 12), respectively. DES was detected in each plasma sample. Therefore, rifampicin seems to be eliminated by both renal and metabolic pathways in neonates. In 8 study patients, plasma concentrations of rifampicin and DES were measured again after two weeks of therapy. CL/W rifampicin was significantly higher (67 +/- 50%). The authors suggest maintaining the current dose regimen of 10 mg/kg once a day. Because of the large inter-patient variability in rifampicin plasma concentrations and CL/W increase during therapy, the authors suggest monitoring rifampicin peak and trough plasma concentrations to avoid low plasma concentrations. More research is needed to determine well-founded dosing guidelines.