Disposition kinetics of buspirone in patients with renal or hepatic impairment after administration of single and multiple doses

The single dose and steady-state pharmacokinetics of buspirone and its metabolite 1-pyrimidinyl piperazine (1-PP) have been evaluated in normal volunteers and patients with renal or hepatic impairment, using a parallel group design, with assignment of patients to study group on the basis of the degree of renal (mild, moderate, severe) or hepatic (compensated or decompensated) impairment. Each healthy volunteer or patient received a single dose of 10 mg buspirone on Day 1 of the study, and starting 36 h after the first dose, healthy volunteers and patients received 10 mg doses of buspirone every 12 hours for 9 days. On the morning of Day 10 they received the last dose. Serial blood samples were collected on Days 1, 5 and 10 and plasma was analysed for buspirone and 1-PP. The plasma concentrations of buspirone and 1-PP were highly variable regardless of the renal or hepatic function. The peak concentrations (C_max) and area under the curves (AUC) of buspirone and 1-PP on Days D 5 and 10 were higher than on Day D 1. The trough levels (C_min) and AUCs (D 5 and 10) of buspirone and 1-PP indicated, that, regardless of renal or hepatic function, steady state was reached after 3 to 5 days of dosing. At steady-state, patients with renal or hepatic impairment had significantly higher C_max and AUC values of buspirone than in normal volunteers. However, the intensity and frequency of adverse experiences in patients with renal or hepatic impairment were not significantly different from those observed in normal volunteers. There was no correlation between the average plasma concentrations of buspirone () and the degree of renal impairment judged by creatinine clearance. An excellent correlation was observed between of buspirone and serum albumin (r=0.862, and P<0.0001) as well as between and bromsulphalein clearance (r=0.678, P<0.0003).In view of high intra-and inter-subject variability in buspirone concentrations, definitive dosing recommendations for patients with compromised renal or hepatic function could not be made, but such patients should initially be dosed cautiously with buspirone.