Timolol and atenolol: relationships between oxidation phenotype, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics.

Article date: March 1985

By: RV Lewis, MS Lennard, PR Jackson, GT Tucker, LE Ramsay, HF Woods, in Volume 19, Issue 3, pages 329-333

The pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of atenolol and timolol were studied in six extensive and four poor metabolisers of debrisoquine. There was a significant correlation between the debrisoquine to 4‐ hydroxydebrisoquine ratio and the area under the plasma concentration time curve (AUC) for timolol (rs = 0.75, P less than 0.02). The mean of the AUC values for timolol was significantly greater in the poor metabolisers than in the extensive metabolisers (P less than 0.05). There was a significant correlation between the debrisoquine to 4‐ hydroxydebrisoquine ratio and beta‐adrenoceptor blockade 24 h after dosing with timolol (rs = 0.66, P less than 0.05). The mean degree of beta‐adrenoceptor blockade was significantly greater in the poor metabolisers than in the extensive metabolisers 24 h after dosing with timolol (P less than 0.01). There was no relation between the debrisoquine to 4‐hydroxydebrisoquine ratio and the pharmacokinetics or pharmacodynamics of atenolol.

DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2125.1985.tb02651.x

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