The oral absorption of ampicillin, pivampicillin and amoxycillin in infants and children.

The oral absorption of comparable doses of mixtures of ampicillin, amoxycillin and pivampicillin was studied in 38 children from 6 months to 6 years of age. Plasma concentrations following pivampicillin and amoxycillin were higher than those following the administration of ampicillin. No significant difference was found between amoxycillin and pivampicillin. The oral absorption of pivampicillin mixture was further studied in 12 infants, 0-1 month and 1-5 months of age. The absorption was faster in infants and children more than 6 months of age than in the 1-5 months group. The excretion, indicated by the slope of the plasma concentration curve, was delayed in infants less than one month of age. The oral absorption of amoxycillin and pivampicillin from tablets was also studied in 12 infants and children, 6 months-6 years of age, in the same doses as when mixtures were studied and was more complete with pivampicillin than with amoxycillin. The absorption of pivampicillin was more complete from tablets than from mixture. Also with amoxycillin there was a trend towards more efficient absorption from tablet than from mixture.