JOURNAL ARTICLE
REVIEW
Add like
Add dislike
Add to saved papers

Pharmacokinetic considerations concerning the use of bronchodilators in the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

INTRODUCTION: Bronchodilators are central to the symptomatic treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Their pharmacodynamic aspects have been extensively described, but the pharmacokinetic profile of these drugs is much less well known. There are very few studies that describe the levels of drugs in the lung compartment following inhalation, and still very little is known about the relationships between drug levels in the lung and biological activity of bronchodilators. Areas covered: We review the existing evidence on the pharmacokinetics of bronchodilators, especially when administered to patients with COPD. Expert opinion: COPD does not substantially influence the pharmacokinetics of bronchodilators, although a modest signal, perhaps, exists for theophylline. We must highlight that plasma pharmacokinetics is suitable for establishing a systemic safety profile of inhaled bronchodilators but not their pulmonary efficacy profile because measurement of systemic blood values is neither at the site of action nor representative of transport to the site of action (the airways). However, there are large amounts of information from research in this field and recent advances with microdialysis and matrix-assisted laser desorption-ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry to measure drugs in lung tissues that hopefully will lead to a better understanding of the pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic relationships for inhaled medicines.

Full text links

We have located links that may give you full text access.
Can't access the paper?
Try logging in through your university/institutional subscription. For a smoother one-click institutional access experience, please use our mobile app.

For the best experience, use the Read mobile app

Mobile app image

Get seemless 1-tap access through your institution/university

For the best experience, use the Read mobile app

All material on this website is protected by copyright, Copyright © 1994-2024 by WebMD LLC.
This website also contains material copyrighted by 3rd parties.

By using this service, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy.

Your Privacy Choices Toggle icon

You can now claim free CME credits for this literature searchClaim now

Get seemless 1-tap access through your institution/university

For the best experience, use the Read mobile app