PK-PD modelling of the effect of cefaclor on four different bacterial strains.

The effect of cefaclor against relevant bacterial strains was studied by employing a combined in vivo pharmacokinetic (PK)-in vitro pharmacodynamic (PD) approach. For this purpose selected isolates of Escherichia coli, Moraxella catarrhalis, Haemophilus influenzae and Streptococcus pneumoniae were exposed in vitro to the interstitial cefaclor profile obtained in vivo in the interstitial space fluid of human tissue after administration of commonly used doses of cefaclor and the change in the number of colony forming units per millilitre (CFU/ml) versus time was monitored. Fitting of the data using a modified E(max)-model resulted in a set of mean pharmacodynamic parameters (k0, k(max), EC50) for each bacterial strain.

Comparative target site pharmacokinetics of immediate- and modified-release formulations of cefaclor in humans.

Optimal dosing of beta-lactam antibiotics aims at maximizing the time at which drug levels in the interstitial space fluid (ISF)--the fluid that surrounds the causative microorganisms at the target site--exceed the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC). One potentially attractive strategy to achieve this goal is to administer antibiotics as oral sustained-release formulations. The present study was designed to test the hypothesis that sustained-release formulations could lead to a more suitable pharmacokinetic profile in the ISF at the relevant target site.