Disposition and clinical pharmacokinetics of theophylline after administration of a new sustained release tablet

Summary The systemic disposition of theophylline after taking a new, sustained release tablet (Theolair Retard^® 250 mg, Theolair S. R.^®, Riker Laboratories) has been studied in 8 hospitalized patients. Absolute bioavailability was determined from the ratios of the areas under the serum concentration-time curves after intake of the tablet and after intravenous infusion of aminophylline in the same patient. The absolute bioavailability of Theolair Retard^® 250 mg was 110.9±20.8% (mean ± SD). Maximal serum concentrations were reached after 7.3±3.5 h, the large intersubject variation being due to differences in gastric emptying time. The tablets appear to release theophylline slowly in acid conditions, but more rapidly in an alkaline medium. Invasion was found to be either monophasic with a rate constant of about 0.8 h^–1 (intestine), or biphasic with rate constants of 0.2 h^–1 (stomach) and 0.8 h^–1 (intestine). The peak levels accounted for 7.9±2.2 mg · 1^–1. The profiles of the serum concentration-time curves were such that the concentrations remained above 80% of c^max for 6.5±3.3 h. The relevant pharmacokinetic parameters (half-life of elimination, total body clearance and volume of distribution) were determined and were used to calculate the individual dosage regimens required to obtain therapeutic serum concentrations. The optimal dosing interval to obtain an average steady state serum concentration of 12.5 mg · l^–1 was 9.8±3.1 h.     

Pharmacokinetics of haloperidol in psychotic patients

Nine psychotic patients under continuous oral treatment with haloperidol were randomly given a test dose of 1.5–5 mg haloperidol orally and/or intravenously. Serum levels of haloperidol were determined by high performance liquid chromatography and serum concentration data obtained were submitted to pharmacokinetic analysis. The steady state concentration ratio between blood and plasma was determined and found to be 0.79±0.03. The blood clearance was then calculated to be 550±133 ml/min. The mean hepatic extraction ratio was intermediate (0.37). Consequently, for a drug mainly eliminated by hepatic metabolism like haloperidol, the total blood clearance and the extent of oral bioavailability can be affected by changes in hepatic blood flow, hepatic enzyme activities and drug binding. During continuous oral treatment with haloperidol, however, it can be shown that changes in the total metabolic capacity of the liver due to hepatic enzyme induction or inhibition should be important for the therapeutic effects of haloperidol. The volume of distribution at steady state (Vdss) was large (7.9±2.5 l/kg). The terminal half-life was 18.8 h after intravenous and 18.1 h after oral administration. The oral bioavailability (0.60±0.18) were in accordance with previous results in healthy subjects. A mean lag time after oral dose was 1.3±1.1 h and a longer absorption half-life (1.9±1.4 h) was found in the patients compared with healthy volunteers.     

The pharmacokinetics of intravenous and oral sulpiride in healthy human subjects

Summary The pharmacokinetics of sulpiride was studied in 6 healthy volunteers after intravenous and oral (tablets) administration of 100 mg. An open two- and in two subjects a three-compartment model was applied following intravenous administration. The average total distribution volume during the terminal slope was 2.72±0.66 l/kg and total systemic clearance was 415±84 ml/min. The serum half-life of the terminal slope following intravenous administration averaged 5.3 h (range 3.7–7.1 h) according to the two-compartment model. In two subjects the half-lives were 11.0 and 13.9 h when the three-compartment model was applied. Determination of urinary excretion rates of unchanged sulpiride indicated a half-life of 7.15 h. Following intravenous administration, 70±9% of the dose was recovered unchanged in urine within 36 h; the mean renal clearance was 310±91 ml/min. Sulpiride was absorbed slowly, with peak concentrations appearing between 3 and 6 h after oral administration. The recovery of unchanged drug in urine following oral administration was 15±5% of the dose, with a mean renal clearance of 223±47 ml/min. The bioavailability determined from combined plasma and urine data was only 27±9%. The low bioavailability was probably due to incomplete absorption.     

Morphine Inhibition of Theophylline Clearance

The effects of morphine on the single dose pharmacokinetics of theophylline were examined in two groups (6 rats/group) of male Sprague-Dawley rats after the administration of theophylline (6.25 mg/kg) alone and in conjunction with a 5 mg /kg I.V. dose of morphine sulfate. Concomitant morphine administration resulted in a 55 % reduction in theophylline clearance (0.14 ± 0.04 vs. 0.31 ± 0.061 · h^–1 kg^–1; p. < 0.0005). The reduction in theophylline clearance with morphine administration was accompanied by a significant prolongation in theophylline half-life (3.5 ± 1.5 vs. 1.4 ± 0.35 h; p < 0.02). No changes in the volume of distribution of theophylline occurred with co-administration of morphine. The mechanism of this pharmacokinetic interaction may be partially related to competition between theophylline and morphine for enzymes which metabolize these compounds.     

Pharmacokinetic Monitoring in Subcutaneous Tissue Using in Vivo Capillary Ultrafiltration Probes

Capillary ultrafiltration probes were utilized for in vivo sampling of therapeutic drugs in awake rats. Capillary ultrafiltration probes implanted into subcutaneous tissue were able to follow the disposition of acetaminophen and theophylline. Ultrafiltration probes provided samples at a rate of 2–3 µL/min. Ultrafiltrates were analyzed by liquid chromatography with either UV or electrochemical detection. Simultaneous ultrafiltration and microdialysis probes and multiple ultrafiltration probes were used in individual animals to validate the technique. The pharmacokinetics of two well-established drugs, acetaminophen and theophylline, were monitored in awake, freely moving rats to demonstrate the viability of the technique. The half-life for acetaminophen was determined to be 20.9 ± 1.0 min (n = 6) for a 2 mg/kg dosing. The half-life of elimination for theophylline was determined to be 3.0 ± 0.1 hr (n = 4) for a 4 mg/kg dose. The capillary ultrafiltration probes exhibited a constant flow rate of 2.4 ± 0.1 µL/min and removed 50 nL/min/mm of fluid from the extracellular space. Capillary ultrafiltration sampling is shown to be an excellent tool for in vivo monitoring of drug disposition and a suitable method for determining pharmacokinetic parameters in awake animals.     

The effects of erythromycin on the absorption and disposition kinetics of theophylline

Summary The effects of erythromycin on the kinetics of theophylline were investigated in eight female patients with documented asthma in a crossover study. Theophylline pharmacokinetics were determined at steady state before and after one-week treatment with erythromycin stearate 250 mg given four times a day. Multiple serum samples were collected for 12 h after an aminophylline dose in the two drug treatment phases and assayed by high performance liquid chromatography. The resultant serum theophylline concentration-time data were analyzed by weighted, nonlinear regression analysis to obtain various pharmacokinetic parameters. In this study, the elimination half-live increased from 7.8±1.7 h on the control day to 9.5±1.4 h following treatment with the antibiotic (p<0.02). The estimated apparent volume of distribution for theophylline (V/F) was also observed to increase from 0.42±0.09 l/kg before treatment with erythromycin to 0.53±0.15 l/kg after antibiotic treatment (0.05<p<0.10). In this study, no difference was demonstrated in the apparent clearance rate (Cl_app), apparent first-order absorption rate constant (k_a), maximum serum drug concentration (C_max), time of maximum drug concentration (T_max) or absorption lag time (t_lag) for theophylline before and after treatment with erythromycin. With no apparent alteration in theophylline clearance following erythromycin coadministration, the decrease in the first-order elimination rate constant suggested that the apparent volume of distribution of theophylline is increased in the presence of erythromycin. It is concluded that patients maintained on theophylline derivatives should be closely monitored when erythromycin is coadministered.     

Pharmacokinetics and relative bioavailability of oral theophylline capsules

The oral bioavailability of liquid-filled theophylline capsules relative to a nonalcoholic aminophylline solution was determined in normal volunteers. In addition, theophylline absorption and elimination kinetics were reexamined. There were no statistically significant differences between the bioavailability of capsules and liquid as measured by the area under the curve (AUC) from time 0 leads to infinity (p greater than 0.05). The bioavailability parameters of Cmax, tmax, and AUC were determined from actual serum theophylline concentration-time data and from a nonlinear least-squares fit of the serum concentration-time data. Theophylline absorption from the capsules was noticeably faster than from the liquid in most subjects, although the differences in absorption rates were not significantly different (p greater than 0.05). The determined apparent volume of distribution, elimination half-life, and plasma clearance of theophylline were similar to values reported by other investigators. Marked inter- and intraindividual variations in the elimination half-life were noted.     

Comparative pharmacokinetic analysis of a novel sustained-release dosage form of theophylline in humans

Summary The pharmacokinetics and relative bioavailability of theophylline from a new sustained-release formulation (Theotard^®) and from a standard sustained-release formulation (Theo-Dur^®) were compared in 6 healthy, adult, male volunteers. After a single oral dose of 300 mg Theotard, a mean maximal plasma concentration (Cb_max of 3.49±1.05 mg/l was obtained after 8 h (t_max). After an identical dose of Theo-Dur, a peak plasma concentration of 4.68±1.33 mg/l was obtained after 6.33 h. The mean relative bioavailability of theophylline from Theotard was 1.02±0.16 relative to that of Theo-Dur. In 5 of the volunteers the Theotard formulation exhibited a more prolonged and uniform absorption rate and yielded more sustained plasma levels.     

Pharmacokinetics of oral cyclosporin a (Sandimmun) in healthy subjects

Summary Extensive pharmacokinetic (PK) profiles after oral dosing of 300 mg cyclosporin A (CsA) were determined in whole blood by radioimmunoassay (RIA) in 14 healthy male volunteers, using two-compartment models with either first order (M1) or zero order (M0) absorption. According to zero order absorption the mean of the following PK parameters was determined: terminal half-life=12.1±5.0 h, apparent volume of distribution at steady-state=5.6 ±2.1 l · kg^–1, apparent clearance=0.51±0.11 l · h^–1 · kg^–1. The time lag between drug ingestion and first blood level was short, 0.38±0.11 h. Drug absorption lasted for 2.8±1.6 h. The end of absorption was indicated in each individual by a sharp drop in blood levels.The observations support the assumption that CsA is absorbed in the upper part of the small intestine with a clear-cut termination (absorption window). This assumption may explain the high degree of variability in the bioavailability of CsA.This work was presented in abstract form at the British Pharmacological Society Meeting in Bath, UK, 9th–11th April 1986     

Pharmacokinetics of epidural morphine in man

Summary Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and plasma morphine concentrations were determined in 5 patients after epidural administration of 6 mg morphine; plasma samples were collected frequently during the initial 6 h and 6–7 CSF samples were obtained from each patient over a 24 h period. Morphine was analysed using gas chromatography and electron capture detection. Individual morphine concentration-time curves were plotted for plasma and CSF and various pharmacokinetic variables were calculated. Plasma morphine concentrations after epidural injection were similar to those found after intramuscular administration; C_max (66±8 mg/ml: mean±SEM) appeared within 12±3 min, and the terminal elimination half-life in plasma was 213±24 min. In CSF, morphine reached a peak (1575±359 ng/ml) after 135±40 min. The terminal elimination half-life for morphine in CSF was 239±10 min. The CSF bioavailability of morphine after epidural administration was calculated to be 1.9±0.5%.The study showed that epidural administration of morphine resulted in CSF concentrations many times higher than those in plasma, but still only 2% of the dose administered was available to the CSF compartment. Morphine was eliminated with similar speed from CSF and plasma.     

Pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic interaction study of diazepam and metoprolol

Summary Oral administration of meptazinol (200 mg Meptid^®) to male and female geriatric patients (>70 years) resulted in rapid absorption, with peak drug concentrations at 0.5 to 3 h after dosage. Subsequent elimination also proceeded rapidly with a half-life of 3.39 h (±0.26 SEM) after a single dose and 4.97 h (±0.80 SEM) after 13 consecutive 6-h doses. These values were not statistically different. There was no accumulation of meptazinol above that expected from the single-dose kinetics. Plasma protein binding of meptazinol was 33.8% (±0.74 SEM). No sex difference was apparent in any of the pharmacokinetic parameters determined. Comparison of these results with those obtained in an earlier study in young volunteers showed that although the half-life of meptazinol was somewhat longer than the value of 2 h seen in the young, peak plasma concentrations after single and multiple dosing were similar for both age groups, implying that clearance remained largely unaltered. It was concluded that there was no pharmacokinetic basis for recommending a reduction in dosage when treating elderly patients with oral meptazinol.     

A comparison of the pharmacokinetics of theophylline in asthmatic children in the acute episode and in remission

Summary The pharmacokinetics of theophylline following a single intravenous dose of aminophylline were determined in 8 asthmatic patients in each of the acute, the recovery and the remission phases. The overall results for mean plasma theophylline clearance (78.6±33.3 ml/kg/h), plasma theophylline half-life (4.14±1.36 h) and apparent volume of distribution (0.41±0.066 l/kg) are in accordance with previously published values. There was no general statistically significant difference in any of the pharmacokinetic parameters when results from the acute and remission phases were compared. However, certain patients showed reductions in plasma theophylline clearance in the acute phase of the illness such that a dosage regimen standardised during remission may cause toxicity if continued in the acute episode. It is suggested that monitoring the plasma theophylline levels is desirable in all patients in the acute episode.Abbreviations used AV_d apparent volume of distribution - t_1/2 plasma half-life - Cl plasma clearance - P₀ plasma concentration at zero time     

Comparative bioavailability of two sustained-release theophylline formulations in the dog

The kinetics of two sustained-release theophylline formulations, Theo-Dur^®(Recordati, Milano, Italy) and Diffumal^®(Malesci, Firenze, Italy) were studied in eight beagle dogs. In a first part of the study each animal was injected intravenously with aminophylline dihydrate, Aminomal^®(Malesci, Firenze, Italy), in order to determine the absolute bioavailability of the two sustained-release theophylline formulations orally administered to the dogs in the second experimental phase, over a period of 9 days, following a balanced two-period cross-over design. Assays for theophylline were performed by high performance liquid chromatography and the pharmacokinetic analysis was performed using the non-compartmental method. The principle of superposition was then applied to predict multiple dose plasma concentrations from experimental single dose data. No significant differences between the two preparations were found with respect to the main pharmacokinetic parameters, showing that the two preparations are bioequivalent. The fact that the differences between experimental and predicted results were not statistically significant allows us to conclude that multiple dose steady state plasma theophylline concentration in the dog can be predicted from experimental single dose data. Furthermore, after repeated treatment, both Diffumal^®and Theo-Dur^®, given twice daily are able to maintain therapeutic (5–20 mg ml⁻¹) plasma theophylline concentrations in the dog.     

Pharmacokinetics of theophylline in patients following short-term intravenous infusion

Summary Serum theophylline concentrations after intravenous administration of a new short-term infusion (Euphyllin^® Kurzzeitinfusion) were measured in 50 out-patients with chronic obstructive airways disease (COAD). An intravenous infusion of theophylline ethylenediamine 480 mg (corresponding to approximately 350 mg anhydrous theophylline) in 50 ml isotonic solution was given in 20 min. Blood samples were taken beforehand and 25 to 30 min and 1, 3 and 6 h after starting the infusion. 86% of the patients had a one-hour serum level in the therapeutic range of 8–20 mg/l, and 2 h later, this was true of 64% of the patients. The short-term infusion was well tolerated, even in cases with unknown high pre-infusion serum levels. Pertinent pharmacokinetic parameters were determined, such as total body clearance, apparent volume of distribution, and half-life of elimination. Geometric mean and 95%-confidence limits, derived from the log-normal distribution of these parameters, were: Cl=0.044 (0.018–0.109) l/h/kg ideal body weight, V_d=0.451 (0.258–0.789) l/kg ideal body weight, and t_1/2(el)=7.1 (2.6–19.1) h.     

Chronopharmacokinetics of theophylline after sustained release and intravenous administration to adults

Summary The influence of time of drug administration on pharmacokinetics of theophylline was studied both after ingestion of a sustained-release tablet, containing choline theophyllinate (Zy 15061-S. R.; Teovent^®; Sabidal^®; ZYMA S.A.) and after intravenous infusion of aminophylline to eight healthy volunteers. Both drugs were administered in the morning (10 a.m.) and on a separate occasion in the evening (10 p.m.) after a 12 h period of fasting.After oral administration of a dose of 540 mg theophylline, the drug was steadily absorbed, both during day-time and during night-time. In some subjects absorption was slower in the evening. Maximum theophylline plasma concentrations were reached after 3.3±0.4 h (mean±SD) and 3.9±1.4 h respectively (not significantly differentp>0.05).The maximum plasma concentrations were almost identical after administration in the morning and in the evening (12.6±3.3 mg·l^–1 and 13.1±1.4 mg·l^–1 respectively).There was also no significant difference (p>0.05) between the areas under the plasma concentration-time curves after oral and intravenous administration, both at day-time and at night-time. This finding indicates complete bioavailability of the sustained release tablets on both occasions.After administration of the tablets in the morning the plasma concentration 12 h post dosing was significantly lower than after administration in the evening: c ₁₂ ¹ accounted for 6.0±2.0 mg·l^–1 after intake at 10 a.m. and for 7.9±2.1 mg·l^–1 after ingestion at 10 p.m. (p<0.01).A similar observation was done after intravenous administration of the drug: c₁₂ was 6.6±1.6 mg·l^–1 after starting the infusion in the morning and 8.0±1.8 mg·l^–1 after infusing the drug in the evening (p<0.01). This phenomenon could be explained by the finding of a significantly prolonged half-life of theophylline during night-time, provided that the plasma concentrations were in the range of 5 to 15 mg·l^–1 (which coincides approximately with the therapeutic range of the drug). For day-time elimination the half-life of theophylline was found to be 6.2±0.9 h and for night-time elimination 8.0±2.0 h (p<0.01), which means an increase of 29.6±20.9% during the night. The prolonged half-life of theophylline at night-time might be of therapeutic benefit in preventing bronchus obstruction in the morning.     

Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of diprophylline

Diprophylline is used in many countries as a bronchodilator. It is an N-substituted theophylline derivative which does not release theophyllinein vitro orin vivo. It therefore has its own pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties. In a cross-over study in ten healthy volunteers serum concentrations and urinary excretion were studied after administration of diprophylline.Its serum decay after intravenous administration shows two-compartment kinetics with a rapid distribution. The-phase lasted on average 0.75 h and was 0.427±0.118 h^–1, corresponding with a-phase half-life of 1.7±0.4 h. The mean volume of distribution was 0.70±0.20 l/kg, total body clearance 0.29±0.09 l.kg^–1.h^–1. About 84% of the drug is excreted unchanged in the urine. A comparison of the area under the curve suggests that the drug was almost completely absorbed from the gastro-intestinal tract. Its bioavailability is about 90%. Mean renal clearance values are higher than paired creatinine clearance values, which is an indication for active renal transport.Peak levels of diprophylline were 7.4±2.2 mg/l at about 30 min after oral administration. The normal dose advocated is 200–400 mg three times a day. Inin vitro studies and in pharmacological animal studies diprophylline appears to be much less active than theophylline. Consequently estimated effective dosages are irrationally high.In honour of ProfessorHuizinga on the occasion of his retirement.     

Disposition pharmacokinetics of bezafibrate in man

Summary The disposition kinetics of bezafibrate, a newly developed drug of great lipid-lowering potency, were investigated in normal male subjects. Five male volunteers received¹⁴C-labelled bezafibrate orally in solution, and a further 10 were given the same dose (300 mg) of un-labelled drug as tablets. The concentration of bezafibrate in serum and urine from the latter was determined by GC, and in the former total radioactivity in serum, urine and feces was followed for 48 h, and urinary excretion products were analysed by TLC and GC-MS. Rapid absorption from the gastrointestinal tract led to peak serum levels 30 min and 2 h after administration of solution and tablets, respectively. Since approximately 95% of the administered¹⁴C-bezafibrate was excreted in urine within 48 h, and almost all the remainder was detected in feces, absorption can be regarded as complete after administration in solution. The relative optimal bioavailability from the tablets was also complete, since in both cases approximately 50% of the administered dose was detected as unchanged bezafibrate in urine within 24 h by GC in the tablet study, and by TLC in the solution study. Of the decomposition products, more than 20% of the dose was present as glucuronides and the remainder consisted of several more polar compounds, one of which was identified as a hydroxyderivative of bezafibrate. Since the apparent halflife of bezafibrate in serum was 2.1 h, this new drug possesses favourable pharmacokinetic features: rapid and complete absorption, even from tablets, combined with a conveniently short half-life, and clearance which is half renal (56 ml/min) and half metabolic (43 ml/min), giving a total clearance of 99 ml/min.     

The absolute bioavailability of caffeine in man

Summary The absolute bioavailability of orally administered caffeine was investigated in 10 healthy adult male volunteers, aged 18.8 to 30.0 years. The subjects were administered a 5 mg/kg dose of caffeine as either an aqueous oral solution or an intravenous infusion, on separate occasions about 1 week apart, in a randomized crossover fashion. Plasma samples were collected over the 24-h period following each dose and assayed for their caffeine content using a high-performance liquid chromatographic technique. The oral absorption was very rapid, reaching a peak (T_p) plasma concentration after 29.8±8.1 min (mean±SEM). In addition, the variation in the maximum plasma concentration (C_max) was low, 10.0±1.0 µg/ml. The absolute bioavailability was assessed by comparing the areas under the plasma concentration vs. time curves for the intravenous and oral doses of caffeine. The rapid absorption resulted in essentially complete bioavailability of the oral caffeine, F(%)=108.3±3.6%. The caffeine plasma half-lives varied from 2.7 to 9.9 h, indicating substantial inter-subject variability in its elimination.     

Development and preliminary application of a simple assay of S-mephenytoin 4-hydroxylase activity in human liver microsomes

Summary The absolute bioavailability (f) and pharmacokinetics of transnasal butorphanol were evaluated in patients experiencing rhinitis. In an open three-way crossover study, a single 2-mg dose of butorphanol tartrate was administered by intravenous bolus injection (Treatment A), by the transnasal route (Treatment B), or by the transnasal route with pretreatment of the vasoconstrictor, oxymetazoline (Treatment C). Plasma concentrations of butorphanol were determined using a drug specific radioimmunoassay. The pharmacokinetic parameters were derived using the noncompartmental methods.Butorphanol was rapidly absorbed after transnasal administration. The mean maximum concentrations (C_max) for the transnasal treatment with and without pretreatment of oxymetazoline were 1.61 and 3.01 ng·ml^–1, respectively. The corresponding mean absorption times (MAT) were 1.34 and 0.23 h. The mean half-life values were 5.95, 6.28, and 5.77 h, for treatments A, B, and C, respectively. The resulting mean area under the plasma concentration curve (AUC) values were 11.9, 8.6, and 8.07 ng·h·ml^–1 for treatments A, B, and C, respectively.The estimates for absolute bioavailability (f) of transnasal butorphanol were 69% and 72% when administered with and without oxymetazoline, respectively. The mean CL_T and V_ss were 121 l·h^–1 and 791 l, respectively, for the intravenous treatment. The pretreatment of oxymetazoline significantly lowered the C_max and prolonged the absorption time of butorphanol. Although the rate of absorption of transnasal butorphanol was affected by oxymetazoline, the absolute bioavailability in rhinitis patients (72%) was similar to that found with the pretreatment of oxymetazoline (69%) and those reported in healthy volunteers.Dosage regimen of transnasal butorphanol does not need modification in patients experiencing rhinitis even when they are pretreated with oxymetazoline.     

Evaluation of the absorption from 15 commercial theophylline products indicating deficiencies in currently applied bioavailability criteria

The biovailability of theophylline from alcoholic and aqueous oral solutions was compared to that from an intravenous dose in 12 normal adults. The alcoholic elixir surprisingly gave rise to a significantly greater (114 ±14%, mean±sd amount absorbed than did the intravenous dose. The aqueous solution (99±8%) and intravenous dose were statistically indistinguishable in this respect, and, furthermore, the extent of absorption from a 300-mg dose of the aqueous solution was 99±10% of that from a 500-mg dose, and not statistically different. The aqueous solution was thus employed in three subsequent studies as a standard with which to compare 13 different types of theophylline tablets, all marketed in the United States. Of the 13 tablets, eight showed bioavailability statistically distinguishable from that of the standard. Nevertheless, for only two tablets could it be claimed with 95% confidence that the bioavailability was less than 95%. For none can it be stated at this confidence level that the bioavailability is less than 90%. Bioavailability studies should include criteria of clinical significance in addition to criteria of statistical significance. Contrary to the usual rationale behind choice of a bioavailability standard, nine of the 12 uncoated tablets appeared to allow more rapid absorption of theophylline than did the standard oral solution, an aqueous syrup. Increasing the dose of syrup decreased the rate of theophylline absorption. Orally administered drug solutions may have properties more absorption rate limiting than the disintegration of many brands of tablet.This work was supported by FDA Contract No. 223-74-3145. Data management and analysis were achieved largely by the NIH-sponsored PROPHET system (ref.Proc. Natl. Comput. Conf. Exposition 43: 457, 1974). Dr. Guentert was supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation.