British Journal of Rheumatology 1985:24:176-178 PHARMACOKINETIC PROJECTIONS FOR ISOXICAM AND PIROXICAM IN OLD AND YOUNG

A single-dose pharmacokinetic study to determine the effect of age on the disposition of isoxicam and piroxicam was carried out on a group of old and a group of young subjects Although there was no significant difference with either drug in the mean elimination half-time between the group of young and the group of old subjects, there was considerable individual variation. Steady-state levels were calculated to be three times as high in subjects with slow clearance as in those with more rapid clearance. Three weeks would be required with either drug to achieve steady-state drug levels in those subjects with slow drug-clearance KEY WORDS: Pharmacokinetics; Nonsteroidal drugs; Elderly OVER 12 % of people aged 65 years and over take prescribed anti-inflammatory drugs (1). Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) with a long half-life, and thus once-a-day dosage, have considerable appeal and are likely to be widely used. It is therefore important to ensure that elimination of the drug is not so prolonged in elderly subjects that dangerous accumulation occurs. We carried out a single-dose pharmacokinetic study on the effect of age on the disposition of isoxicam and piroxicam. METHOD