Pharmacokinetics and Bioavailability of Inhaled Esketamine in Healthy Volunteers.

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Jonkman K, Duma A, Olofsen E, Henthorn T, van Velzen M, Mooren R, Siebers L, van den Beukel J, Aarts L, Niesters M, Dahan A

Pharmacokinetics and Bioavailability of Inhaled Esketamine in Healthy Volunteers.

Anesthesiology. 2017 Oct;127(4):675-683. doi: 10.1097/ALN.0000000000001798.

PubMed ID
28759464 [ View in PubMed
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Abstract

BACKGROUND: Esketamine is traditionally administered via intravenous or intramuscular routes. In this study we developed a pharmacokinetic model of inhalation of nebulized esketamine with special emphasis on pulmonary absorption and bioavailability. METHODS: Three increasing doses of inhaled esketamine (dose escalation from 25 to 100 mg) were applied followed by a single intravenous dose (20 mg) in 19 healthy volunteers using a nebulizer system and arterial concentrations of esketamine and esnorketamine were obtained. A multicompartmental pharmacokinetic model was developed using population nonlinear mixed-effects analyses. RESULTS: The pharmacokinetic model consisted of three esketamine, two esnorketamine disposition and three metabolism compartments. The inhalation data were best described by adding two absorption pathways, an immediate and a slower pathway, with rate constant 0.05 +/- 0.01 min (median +/- SE of the estimate). The amount of esketamine inhaled was reduced due to dose-independent and dose-dependent reduced bioavailability. The former was 70% +/- 5%, and the latter was described by a sigmoid EMAX model characterized by the plasma concentration at which absorption was impaired by 50% (406 +/- 46 ng/ml). Over the concentration range tested, up to 50% of inhaled esketamine is lost due to the reduced dose-independent and dose-dependent bioavailability. CONCLUSIONS: We successfully modeled the inhalation of nebulized esketamine in healthy volunteers. Nebulized esketamine is inhaled with a substantial reduction in bioavailability. Although the reduction in dose-independent bioavailability is best explained by retention of drug and particle exhalation, the reduction in dose-dependent bioavailability is probably due to sedation-related loss of drug into the air.

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