Pharmacokinetics of pengitoxin and its therapeutic efficacy in congestive heart failure.

In a therapeutic study, 120 inpatients suffering from congestive heart failure were treated with a daily maintenance dose of 0.3 mg pengitoxin (penta-acetyl-gitoxin) over several weeks or months. The plasma level and the glycoside concentration in urine were measured by radioimmunoassay.

Elimination of 16-acetyl-gitoxin in patients suffering from impaired liver function.

In ten patients suffering from moderate to severe disturbances of liver function (hepatic cirrhosis, carcinomatous metastases of the liver) the elimination of 16-acetyl-gitoxin from plasma was measured after a single oral dose of 1.2 mg pengitoxin. In 9 of 10 patients the mean half-life amounted to 67.