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Pharmacokinetics in the newborn

Jane Alcorn1, Patrick J McNamara

  • 1College of Pharmacy and Nutrition, University of Saskatchewan, 110 Science Place, SK, S7N 5C9, Saskatoon, Canada. jane.alcorn@usask.ca

Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews
|April 23, 2003
PubMed

Insights

Infant drug safety and efficacy depend on developing pharmacokinetic processes. Understanding these changes in absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion is crucial for safe therapeutic exposures in infants.

Area of Science:

  • Pharmacology
  • Developmental Biology
  • Toxicology

Background:

  • Infants exhibit different drug responses compared to adults, impacting therapeutic efficacy and safety.
  • Immature pharmacokinetic processes in newborns are a primary reason for these variations.
  • Physiological and biochemical factors governing drug absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion (ADME) undergo significant changes during infant development.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review current data on the growth and maturation of physiological and biochemical factors influencing infant pharmacokinetics.
  • To provide insight into how developmental changes alter pharmacokinetic efficiency in infants.
  • To clarify dynamic changes in therapeutic efficacy and toxicant susceptibility throughout infancy.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of existing data on infant pharmacokinetic development.
  • Analysis of physiological and biochemical changes affecting ADME processes.
  • Synthesis of information to explain altered drug responses in infants.

Main Results:

  • Significant maturational changes occur in infant absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion processes.
  • These developmental shifts directly impact the efficiency of pharmacokinetic processes.
  • Variations in pharmacokinetic efficiency explain differences in drug efficacy and susceptibility to toxicants.

Conclusions:

  • Assessing infant drug safety requires understanding maturational impacts on pharmacokinetics.
  • Developmental changes in ADME are key to understanding altered drug responses in infants.
  • This knowledge is vital for optimizing therapeutic strategies and managing exposures in the developing infant population.

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