Ibuprofen does not impair antipyrine clearance

The influence of therapeutic doses of ibuprofen on the distribution and clearance of antipyrine in humans was evaluated in a series of healthy volunteers. Subjects received a single intravenous dose of antipyrine on two occasions, once in the drug-free control state and again during coadministration of ibuprofen, 1.6 to 2.4 Gm per day in divided doses. Compliance was verified by measurement of plasma ibuprofen levels, which averaged 22 micrograms/ml. Kinetic variables for antipyrine were determined from multiple plasma antipyrine concentrations measured during 24 hours after each dose. Between drug-free control and ibuprofen coadministration trials, there was no significant difference in antipyrine volume of distribution (0.69 vs. 0.69 liter/kg), elimination half-life (12.2 vs. 12.5 hours), or total metabolic clearance (0.69 vs. 0.70 ml/min/kg). Thus, ibuprofen does not impair the clearance of the marker compound antipyrine, often used as an index of drug oxidizing capacity in humans.