[Pharmacokinetics of apalcillin. Study of linearity]

Apalcillin is a new semi-synthetic penicillin active on the positive Gram bacteria, and on the enterobacteria, with a particular activity on Pseudomonas and Acinetobacter. The linearity study of the pharmacokinetic was carried out on 26 subjects who were given increasing doses (500, 1 000, 2 000, 3 000 mg) of apalcillin by the venous route. The dosages carried out by the HPLC and bacteriological methods, show a good correlation between the two methods. The serum concentrations, 5 mn. after injection, were respectively 72 micrograms/ml (500 mg); 145 micrograms/ml (1 g) ; 221 micrograms/ml (2 g) ; 290 micrograms/ml (3 g). Urinary excretion is around 20 %, and this, regardless of the dose. The dose increase seems to have no effect on the pharmacokinetic parameters, calculated on the basis of a bi- compartmental model. The areas under the time serum concentrations, increase proportionally, to the dose : 61 (500 mg) ; 146 (1 g) ; 285 (2 g) ; 367 (3 g) - micrograms/ml X h. the linear regression between the AUC (y) and the applied doses (X) is : y = 0,12 X + 14,27 ; r = 0,9046 ; n = 69. The correlation between the AUC and the doses is significant (p less than 0,001). The results obtained show that increasing the dosage has no effect on apalcillin pharmacokinetics, which appear linear.