Plasma concentration of edrophonium in man

The plasma concentration of edrophonium was measured in man after intravenous administration. In 5 patients, the clearance of edrophonium from the circulation during the 1-hr period of sampling was invariably resolved into 2 exponential components. An initial rapid phase of elimination from plasma (T/2 = 0.54 TO 1.92 Min) was followed by a much slower decline (T/2 = 24.23 to 45.00 Min), corresponding to the fall in concentration between 10 and 60 min. In parallel experiments in the rat, the clearance of 14C-edrophonium was resolved into 3 exponential components, although the final component could not be reliably defined until 1 to 3 hr after intravenous injection. It is suggested that the rapid fall in the plasma concentration of edrophonium in both species is not dependent on metabolism or excretion, but is due to the rapid uptake of the drug by the liver and kidneys.