Pharmacokinetics of ofloxacin after single and multiple intravenous infusions in healthy subjects

Abstract

The pharmacokinetics of ofloxacin were investigated in eight healthy male volunteers. A single infusion (200 mg over 0.5 h) was performed on day 1, followed by a washout period of 2 weeks. Repeated administrations were performed for 4 days (200 mg every 12 h). Pharmacokinetic parameters were determined from the plasma decay curves of the single and the last of the multiple administrations. Ofloxacin kinetics after the single dose were best described by a two-phase curve with a total body clearance of 241.6 +/- 43.3 ml min-1, a volume of distribution of 112 +/- 23.1 liters, and an elimination half-life of 5.4 +/- 0.8 h. The extrapolated area under the curve (AUC0-infinity) was 14 +/- 2.3 mg.h liter-1. The pharmacokinetics were not significantly modified by repeated administration, demonstrated mainly by the AUC0-12 value of the last infusion (13.4 +/- 2.2 mg.h liter-1). We conclude that, with intravenous multiple doses every 12 h, the steady state is reached within 24 to 36 h and no abnormal accumulation or changes in pharmacokinetic parameters occur.