Presentation Information

Our Evolving Knowledge of Drug Metabolism in the Neonate

• Speaker: Jim Thigpen , PharmD, BCPS
• Presentation Type:
• Duration: 60 Mins
• Credits:

Abstract:

While the limit for possible survival for premature neonates has improved over the past few decades, the knowledge of how these special patients handle medications has not kept up. This can lead to possible sub-optimal as well as toxic drug concentrations and subsequent adverse drug effects. Most of the literature does not venture into the premature ( 40 weeks gestation), let alone those that are extremely ( 28 weeks) premature neonates and clinicians are faced wih decisions based on limited information.

Drugs that are affected by the major CYP enzyme systems are poorly studied and mature at different rates, making assumptions on drug therapy common. As only 40% of the most commonly used medicaions have FDA labeling in infants, information on the premature is even less so. The challenges of performing pharmacokinetic studies in this population does not make this a simple solution. We will discuss what is known and what challenges lie ahead.