Pharmacokinetic studies of tolmetin in man.

The pharmacokinetics of the new anti-inflammatory agent tolmetin have been studied after its oral administration to normal subjects and to patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Plasma concentration-time data were fitted to a one-compartment open model. Following single oral doses, no basic differences in rates of drug absorption and elimination were found between normal subjects and arthritic patients. For the 12 subjects studied, the overall mean elimination rate constant was 0.839 hr-1, corresponding to a plasma half-life of 0.83 hr. The drug was rapidly absorbed and had a mean apparent volume of distribution of 0.098 l/kg. Plasma levels and pharmacokinetic parameters of tolmetin in arthritic patients after multiple dosing were smaller to those after a single dose.