Pharmacokinetics of enprofylline in patients with impaired renal function after a single intravenous dose

Summary Enprofylline, a new bronchodilating drug, was given i.v. at 1.0 mg/kg to 7 healthy subjects and to 14 patients with differing degrees of chronic renal insufficiency. Plasma and urine concentrations of unchanged drug were followed by HPLC. In the patients the plasma half-life was prolonged and the total and renal clearances were reduced in direct proportion to the degree of renal insufficiency as determined by creatinine clearance. The unbound fraction of enprofylline in plasma increased from 55% in the healthy subjects to 66% in the group of patients with the highest degree of renal impairment. The volume of distribution terms, V and V_ss, both tended to decrease with decreasing creatinine clearance. When the volume term calculations were based on the unbound drug level in plasma, this tendency was enhanced. Side-effects were noted in 4 subjects, and to some extent were related to the plasma level of the drug.