Determination of the Optimal Concentration of Valproic Acid in Patients with Epilepsy: A Population Pharmacokinetic-Pharmacodynamic Analysis.

ABSTRACT: Valproic acid (VPA) is one of the most widely prescribed antiepileptic drugs for the treatment of epileptic seizures. Although it is well known that the doses of VPA and its plasma concentrations are highly correlated, the plasma concentrations do not correlate well with the therapeutic effects of the VPA. In this study, we developed a population-based pharmacokinetic (PK)-pharmacodynamic (PD) model to determine the optimal concentration of VPA according to the clinical characteristics of each patient. This retrospective study included 77 VPA-treated Japanese patients with epilepsy. A nonlinear mixed-effects model best represented the relationship between the trough concentrations of VPA at steady-state and an over 50% reduction in seizure frequency. The model was fitted using a logistic r

SUBMITTER: Nakashima H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4617862 | biostudies-literature | 2015

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature