Study of the bioavailability of pindolol in malabsorption syndromes.

Abstract

Pindolol kinetics and bioavailability were studied after a single dose (oral 5 mg; intravenous 3 mg) in nine patients with malabsorption (two with villous atrophies, seven with short bowel syndromes) and in six healthy volunteers. After oral administration no significant differences were observed in bioavailability (59.4 +/‐ 6.2% in patients vs 79.5 +/‐ 8.6% in controls) and for most plasma and urinary pharmacokinetic parameters between the experimental and control groups as a whole. However, detailed analysis revealed decreased absorption for pindolol in two out of nine patients. After i.v. administration, apparent distribution volume was smaller (V: 2.10 +/‐ 0.25 l kg‐1 vs 3.05 +/‐ 0.31 l kg‐1) and global elimination constant was larger (ke: 1.43 +/‐ 0.46 h‐1 vs 0.56 +/‐ 0.10 h‐1), in patients with malabsorption than in controls (P less than 0.05). The smaller weight of patients and pharmacokinetic modifications due to the pathology could account for this. 1984 The British Pharmacological Society