Module 2A Flashcards
What are frequency distribution curves
- A graphical representation of the number of patients that respond to a drug at different doses during clinical trials
- Follows normal distributions
It is binary and does not describe the magnitude of the response
- Follows normal distributions
What is binary
- Shows whether a measurable response happened or not
- Either yes or no
What is ED50
- The median effective dose
- The dose needed to produce a specific therapeutic response in 50% of patients
- Also referred to as standard or average dose
- This dose does not apply to everyone as some patients will respond to lower or higher doses then average
What is TD50
- Median toxicity dose
- The dose needed to produce a given toxicity in 50% of a group of patients
- Lethal doses observed in preclinical studies (cells and animals as we don’t test the lethal dose in humans)
- We determine this from adverse effects which are reported in clinical trials as toxicities are monitored closely and will happen before death
What is the dose-response relationship
Looks at an individuals response to a drug
Different phases of the dose-response relationship
a) Phase 1: very few target cells have been affected by the drug
b) Phase 2: Shows the linear relationship between amount of drug given and degree of response obtained
- Not all drugs have a linear relationship but most do
c) Phase 3: plateau
- No further response occurs with a higher dose
- This is as all receptors are occupied so you have already obtained 100% of the indication
- Even though there is no further response there still will be adverse effects and more signs of toxicity
What is a dosage regimen
- The goal is to attain and maintain therapeutic concentrations to treat a condition effectively
How do dosage regimens and the therapeutic range relate
- Most conditions need repeated dosing which allows for the drug plasma concentration to stay within the therapeutic range
How do we find out the dosage regimen to allow it to stay within the therapeutic range
- By using the half life (T1/2)
- We reach plateau in about 5-7 T1/2 if we give equal doses
- We need to give another dose before the minimum effective concentration is reached (steady state)
what is the goal with a dosage regimen within the therapeutic range
- A plateau drug plasma level which is steady state (CSS)
What is the therapeutic window
- The range of drug plasma concentration (Cp) which gives the desired clinical response in a patient
What are the three parts of clinical response
-onset
-intensity
-duration
Onset
the time it takes to reach the effective dose
Intensity
how strong the drug is
Duration
time drug lasts in therapeutic window
What is the therapeutic range
- A parameter which describes the dose needed to achieve the therapeutic window of a papulation
- Based on population as we don’t know the therapeutic window for a specific patient
- There are empirical dosing regimens designed to put the drug Css (steady state) in the therapeutic range
What is the therapeutic index
- The ratio of toxic plasma concentration (Cp) to effective Cp values
- Compares the amount of drug which causes the indication to the amount which causes toxicity
- A ratio and has no units
What are the ways to describe the space between effectiveness and toxicity of a drug
-Therapeutic window
- Therapeutic range
-Therapeutic index
Therapeutic Window (TW)
the range of drug plasma concentration when the drug gives the desired effect with no fear of toxicity
Therapeutic range (TR)
the range of dose where most of the population will get the desired effect with no fear of toxicity
Therapeutic index (TI)
tells us how large or small the room we have to “play” with drug dosing
What is the loading dose
- If we cant wait 5-7 half lives for the drug to reach steady state (Css)
A loading dose (LD) is how we attain the desired therapeutic concentration much faster
What is maintenance dose
- It is how we maintain the desired therapeutic concentration (Cther)
- Keep it within the therapeutic window after the loading dose
How to calculate a loading dose
Vd: volume of the body the dose distrubutes into to give Cther
Cther: therapeutic concentration
S: fraction of drug salt form which is the active drug
F: bioavailability of drug
What is Cther
therapeutic concentration (it is only a kinetic thing and only involves where the drug is going within the body)
How to calculate Css
Steady state
Cls: systemic clearance
what is maintenance dose determined by
Maintenance dose is determined by how quickly the body clears the drug
Steady state
what goes in = what comes out
How do we calculate maintenance dose
Css: Steady state concentration
Cls: systemic clearance
S: Fraction of drug salt form which is active drug
F: bioavailability of drug
Determinants of a dosage regimen
a) Activity toxicity
- Therapeutic window
- Side effects
- Toxicity
- Cp vs response
b) Pharmacokinetics:
- Absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion
c) Clinical factors
- State of patient: age, weight, condition, other disease states
- Management of therapy: multiple drug therapy
- Convenience of regimen
- Compliance
d) Other factors
- Route of administration
- Dosage fomr
- Tolerance- dependence
- Pharmacogenetics
- Drug interactions
- Cost
What is the LADMER system
- Liberation, administration, distribution, metabolism, elimination, response
What is pharmacokinetics
- Drug movement in the body
- Linear PK (pharmacokinetics)= proportional increase in Cp with increased dose
- Non linear PK = disproportional increase of Cp with increased dose (this leads to unpredictable response of a drug
Explain each pharmacokinetic process
a) Absorption: Drug moving from site of administration to systemic circulation
b) Distribution: where it goes in the body
c) Metabolism: changes drug to inactivate and or make it more likely for excretion
d) Excretion: drug leaves the body
Why do we need pharmacokinetics
- It allows us to predict a drugs plasma concertation without starting from scratch
- Can use formulas to predict variables in patients and these variables can be from both the drug and the patient