A gastroscopic and pharmacological study of the disintegration time and absorption of pivampicillin capsules and tablets.

1 An in vitro investigation showed that pivampicillin tablets disintegrated more rapidly than pivampicillin capsules. This result was demonstrated and confirmed by gastroscopy in a cross-over study in healthy volunteers. 2 There were no differences in serum levels of ampicillin obtained with the two preparations, but compared with non-gastroscoped volunteers, there was delay of 0.5--1.5 h in the appearance of peak serum ampicillin concentrations after gastroscopy. 3 Half of the volunteers receiving pivampicillin capsules developed hyperaemia, interstitial bleeding or erosions of the gastric mucous membrane. No such reactions were seen after pivampicillin tablets. 4 In one volunteer, a pivampicillin capsule was trapped in a not previously noticed hiatus hernia and local changes and pain occurred.