Statistical analysis of polymorphic drug metabolism data using the Rosin Rammler Sperling Weibull distribution.

The Rosin Rammler Sperling Weibull distribution and its use in the analysis of complex data is explained with reference to metoprolol and acebutolol AUC values and isoniazid plasma concentrations. The technique is then applied to sparteine and debrisoquine data to resolve populations into distinct sub-groups. Goodness of fit is measured by applying the chi 2 test to the untransformed data. The method is simple to use and sub-groups can be identified rapidly. Each sub-group can be characterised by a simple exponential equation.