Pharmacokinetic profile of etodolac in special populations.

The pharmacokinetics of etodolac in healthy normal volunteers has been extensively studied and is well described. Etodolac is characterised by a high oral bioavailability, low clearance, a small volume of distribution, and a 7-hour half-life. It is essentially completely metabolised, therefore little is excreted unchanged. Etodolac is highly protein bound. To investigate the effect of disease states or concomitant drug administration on a patient's response to etodolac, additional pharmacokinetic studies were carried out in special populations. Since etodolac has a well-defined pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic relationship, measurement of pharmacokinetic parameters is clinically relevant. Data from studies to date show that disease states, underlying conditions, and concomitantly administered highly protein-bound drugs have essentially no effect on etodolac pharmacokinetics. Therefore, etodolac can generally be given without the need for dosage modifications in special populations such as uncompromised elderly patients, those with moderate renal impairment, and patients with stable hepatic disease.