Pharmacokinetics of temafloxacin in humans after single oral doses

Temafloxacin (A-63004) is a new quinolone antibacterial agent with a broad spectrum of activity against gram-positive and gram-negative aerobes and anaerobes. The pharmacokinetics and metabolism of temafloxacin were determined in healthy volunteers after administration of single oral doses of 100, 200, 400, 600, 800, and 1,000 mg. The corresponding peak concentrations in plasma (mean +/- standard deviation) were 0.98 +/- 0.26, 1.61 +/- 0.57, 2.43 +/- 0.56, 3.87 +/- 0.64, 4.54 +/- 1.03, and 6.67 +/- 0.74 micrograms/ml. The times that elapsed to attain peak levels ranged from 1.25 to 3.5 h. Statistical analyses of parameters related to the extent of absorption and the linearity of the dispositional pharmacokinetics detected no dose-related trends. Study-wide, total clearance (223 ml/min) and renal clearance (125 ml/min) showed low intersubject variability, with coefficients of variation near 20%. The terminal-phase rate constant of 0.090 +/- 0.008 h-1 corresponds to a half-life of 7.7 h. Temafloxacin was excreted mainly in the urine, with 57 +/- 11% of the dose appearing in the urine unchanged. Conjugated temafloxacin, oxidative metabolites, and conjugates thereof were minor components in urine, collectively accounting for 5 to 8% of the dose. Since intravenously dosed dogs eliminated 50% of the dose by nonrenal processes, urinary recoveries approaching two-thirds of the dose in humans were consistent with high, if not quantitative, absorption. Reported adverse events were generally mild, were randomly distributed between temafloxacin- and placebo-treated subjects, and were not dose related.