Vol.60 No.1 January 2012
Breakpoints and pharmacokinetics-pharmacodynamics in pharmacological aspects
Department of Clinical Pharmacotherapy, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Hiroshima University, 1-2-3 Kasumi, Minami-ku, Hiroshima, Japan
Abstract
The breakpoint, a criteria value of the minimum inhibitory concentration(MIC), has been developed based on pharmacokinetic(PK) and pharmacodynamic(PD) theory for antibacterial agents. To establish an agent's regimen, researchers have predicted the probability of attaining a target value for a PK-PD parameter which correlates with the agent's effects. The PK-PD breakpoint values are determined according to the dosing interval and infusion time as well as the single dose, and any variability in individual pharmacokinetics was accounted for by the use of a statistical simulation. When the MIC of a patient's causative pathogen is determined before or after therapy, PK-PD breakpoints can help in the selection of appropriate agents and in the design of their dosing regimens, based on the MIC value. The clinical implications of the PK-PD breakpoint values should be validated.
Key word
PK-PD, breakpoint
Received
November 11, 2011
Accepted
November 29, 2011
Jpn. J. Chemother. 60 (1): 1-6, 2012
