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Published on: February 11, 2019
Population pharmacokinetics in geriatric psychiatry
Kristin L Bigos1, Robert R Bies, Bruce G Pollock
1Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, School of Pharmacy, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA. klb110@pitt.edu
Summary
Population pharmacokinetics offers a minimally invasive method to study drug effects in geriatric patients. This approach models drug concentrations in large populations, aiding in safe and effective medication use for the elderly.
Area of Science:
- Pharmacology
- Geriatric Medicine
- Clinical Pharmacy
Background:
- Geriatric patients are primary drug recipients, yet drug development research often excludes them.
- Understanding drug disposition and response in the elderly is crucial for safe and effective therapy.
- Studying the elderly presents challenges, particularly regarding minimally invasive research methods for large populations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review pharmacokinetic modeling methods, focusing on population pharmacokinetics.
- To highlight the application of population pharmacokinetics in geriatric psychiatry.
- To demonstrate how population pharmacokinetics can address challenges in studying drug disposition in older adults.
Main Methods:
- Population pharmacokinetics modeling of drug concentrations from sparsely sampled individuals.
- Characterization of interindividual and intraindividual pharmacokinetic variability.
- Simulation of virtual data for clinical trial design and assessment of drug exposure consistency.
Main Results:
- Population pharmacokinetics enables modeling drug concentrations in large, sparsely sampled elderly populations.
- This method identifies factors contributing to pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic variability in geriatric patients.
- It aids in designing clinical trials and evaluating drug exposure effects on clinical outcomes.
Conclusions:
- Population pharmacokinetics is a valuable tool for studying drug disposition and response in geriatric populations.
- Its application in geriatric psychiatry can improve medication safety and efficacy.
- This approach facilitates minimally invasive research and enhances clinical trial design for the elderly.
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