[Clinico-pharmacokinetic prediction of the efficacy of treatment: the test dose].

To help individual prediction of the therapy efficacy, the authors elaborated a new method for analyzing the response of the clinical and pharmacokinetic parameters to the pre-treatment administration of the test dose of a psychotropic drug. The above approach was employed in a multicentre clinical-pharmacokinetic study of leponex ( clozapin ) which involved ten research centers from six countries and a total of 136 patients. On the basis of the clinical and pharmacokinetic parameters, a cumulative index was obtained and its prediction potentialities were established. The prognostic assessment of the affectiveness obtained on the basis of this approach was in agreement with the real efficacy of the course therapy in 84% of all cases.