Safety, tolerance and pharmacokinetics of 2.0 g cefpirome (HR 810) after single and multiple dosing

After intravenous injection of a single dose of 2.0 g cefpirome (HR 810) and multiple doses of 2.0 g b.i.d. (11 doses) to 10 healthy male volunteers in an open design, concentrations of unchanged drug were measured at various times in serum and urine over 24 and 96 h, respectively. Cefpirome concentrations were determined using high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC). The biological half-life (t1/2, beta) found by fitting a two-compartment open model to the data was 2 h. No accumulation of the serum levels could be detected during the multiple-dose phase. Urinary concentrations of unchanged cefpirome effective against most clinically relevant bacteria were detected for at least 36 h. The drug was safe and well tolerated. No drug-related changes were observed for blood pressure, heart rate, ECG, haematology, clinical chemistry or urinalysis, including beta 2-microglobulin in serum and creatinine clearance.