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Absorption and disposition of levocetirizine, the eutomer of cetirizine, administered alone or as cetirizine to healthy volunteers

Eugène Baltes, René Coupez, Hilde Giezek, Gudrun Voss, Carsten Meyerhoff, Margherita Strolin Benedetti

Fundamental and Clinical Pharmacology, 2001

12 participants · 78 citations

Abstract

The primary objective of the present study was to compare the absorption and disposition of levocetirizine, the eutomer of cetirizine, when administered alone (10 mg) or in presence of the distomer. An additional objective was also to investigate the configurational stability of levocetirizine in vivo in humans. The study was performed in a randomized, two-way cross-over, single-dose design with a wash-out phase of 7 days between the two periods. A total of 12 healthy male and 12 healthy female volunteers were included in the study. Bioequivalence can be concluded from the analysis of the pharmacokinetic parameters of levocetirizine when administered alone or as the racemate cetirizine. No chiral inversion occurs in humans when levocetirizine is administered, i.e. there is no formation of the distomer. When comparing the pharmacokinetic characteristics of levocetirizine and the distomer, the apparent volume of distribution of the eutomer is significantly smaller than that of the distomer (0.41 and 0.60 L/kg, respectively). For an H1-antagonist a small distribution volume can be considered as a positive aspect, both in terms of efficacy and safety. Moreover the non-renal clearance of levocetirizine is also significantly lower than that of the distomer (9.70 and 28.70 mL/min, respectively), which constitutes an additional positive aspect particularly as far as metabolism-based drug interactions are concerned. The information collected in the present study on the…

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Evidence Hub reads this as a randomized trial, done in people. Its evidence level is 3 of 5 (Moderate · trial / cohort / secondary analysis). Trials without a large randomized design, cohorts and secondary analyses give moderate evidence. Reported size: 12 participants or records.

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