Pharmacokinetics of netilmicin in children with and without cystic fibrosis.

The pharmacokinetics of intravenous netilmicin was studied in cystic fibrosis (CF) and non-CF patients who were closely matched according to age. The serum concentrations showed a moderately higher variance within the CF group. The serum half-life in CF patients was 1.37 h compared with 2.29 h in the non-CF subjects (P less than 0.05). The apparent distribution coefficients were 0.306 and 0.356 liters/kg in the CF and non-CF groups, respectively. The mean body clearance was 6.6 liters/h per 1.73 m2 in the CF group compared with 5.3 liters/h per m2 in the non-CF controls, but the difference was not significant. The mean renal clearance in CF patients was 4.7 liters/h per 1.73 m2. From a pharmacokinetic point of view, the dosage of netilmicin required may be the same in CF as in non-CF patients.