Pharmacokinetic comparison of three clindamycin phosphate dosing schedules

In a randomized, three-way crossover study, six male volunteers received clindamycin phosphate 600 mg iv q6h (treatment A), 600 mg iv q8h (treatment B), or 900 mg iv q8h (treatment C). Plasma clindamycin concentrations were determined periodically for eight hours after achieving steady state. The results indicate that treatment C yielded significantly higher peak plasma clindamycin concentrations than treatments A or B. There were no significant differences in minimum plasma clindamycin concentrations (Cmin) or area under the plasma concentration versus time curve (AUC24) between treatments A and C. However, both treatments A and C yielded significantly greater Cmin and AUC24 values than treatment B. There were no significant differences among treatments for clindamycin clearance. It is concluded that clindamycin phosphate 900 mg q8h is a pharmacokinetically acceptable alternative to clindamycin phosphate 600 mg q6h.