Pharmacokinetics of cyclosporin: influence of rate of constant intravenous infusion in renal transplant patients.

1 The pharmacokinetics of cyclosporin were studied in 12 renal transplant patients. Five patients received a constant rate (7 mg kg-1 day-1) intravenous infusion over 72 h and the remainder received rates of 7, 4 and 10 mg kg-1 day-1, consecutively each for at least 24 h. 2 Plasma, separated at 37 degrees C, was analysed by h.p.l.c. 3 The data were best described by a biexponential model. 4 Following the 72 h infusion, a plateau was reached by 24 h and clearance was 0.60 l h-1 kg-1. 5 Clearance associated with the 10 mg kg-1 day-1 infusion rate (0.43 l h-1 kg-1) was estimated to be lower than that following the 4 and 7 mg kg-1 day-1 rates (0.52 and 0.54 l h-1 kg-1 respectively) but the difference is unlikely to be of clinical significance.