Pharmacokinetics of bisoprolol during repeated oral administration to healthy volunteers and patients with kidney or liver disease.

The pharmacokinetics of bisoprolol were investigated following oral administration of 10mg once daily for 7 days in 8 healthy subjects, in 14 patients with different degrees of renal impairment and in 18 patients with liver disease. In healthy subjects peak and trough steady-state concentrations of 52 micrograms/L and 11 micrograms/L, respectively, an elimination half-life of 10.0 hours and total body clearance of 14.2 L/h were observed. 5.21 mg/24 hours of unchanged bisoprolol were recovered following urinary excretion during the dosage interval. In 11 patients with renal impairment (mean CLCR = 28 +/- 5 ml/min/1.72m2) half-life was prolonged to 18.5 hours, and peak and trough concentrations were 74 and 32 micrograms/L, respectively. Correspondingly, urinary excretion decreased to 3.35 mg/24 hours and total body clearance to 7.8 L/h. In uraemic patients (CLCR less than 5 ml/min/1.73m2) the total clearance of bisoprolol was 5.0 L/h and the elimination half-life was 24.2 hours. In patients with liver cirrhosis half-life increased to 13.5 hours, steady-state peak and trough concentrations increased to 62 and 22 micrograms/L, respectively, and total body clearance decreased to 10.8 L/h. The present study indicates that in patients with impairment of kidney or liver function accumulation of bisoprolol above a factor of 2 did not occur. However, in the terminal stages of insufficiency of kidney or liver function bisoprolol dosage should not exceed 10mg.