Pharmacokinetics and drug interactions--relevant factors for the choice of a drug.

Pharmacokinetics serve as a useful tool in drug development by identifying the drug's disposition and elimination characteristics, the absorption characteristics of the biopharmaceutical formulation, and the therapeutic dose regimen in various patient populations. Where two or more drugs of a class have a similar efficacy, the choice of the drug may depend upon the reproducibility of the pharmacokinetics and the minimal risk of drug interaction. Pantoprazole, a selective proton pump inhibitor, appears to meet the above criteria. As opposed to other members of the class, pantoprazole exhibits linear, predictable pharmacokinetics and lack of drug interactions.