Prediction of aztreonam pharmacokinetics in humans based on data from animals.

Interspecies correlations of pharmacokinetic parameters obtained in animals were used to predict human pharmacokinetics in order to design the first clinical study of an investigational drug. The serum pharmacokinetics of aztreonam, a novel monocyclic beta-lactam antibiotic, were described for mice, rats, rabbits, and monkeys, using serum clearance and apparent volume of distribution. A one-compartment pharmacokinetic model yielded predictions for aztreonam clinical pharmacokinetics that were very helpful in choosing doses and serum sampling times for the first kinetic study in healthy male volunteers. Predicted serum aztreonam concentrations agreed well with subsequently measured values in man.