A pharmacokinetic evaluation of pravastatin in middle-aged and elderly volunteers

The pharmacokinetics of pravastatin, a serum-cholesterol-lowering drug, were studied in 20 middle-aged (46-59 years old, n = 8) and elderly subjects (60-81 years old, n = 12). Pravastatin serum levels were determined by HPLC and solid phase extraction. C-max was 48.9 +/- 7.1 ng/ml (mean +/- SEM, n = 20), and the mean AUC(0-4.5h) was 104.4 ng.h/ml (n = 5) for a 20 mg daily oral dose. A great interindividual variability was found for C-max, which varied from 6.2 ng/ml to 117.8 ng/ml on the 20 mg dose. As could be expected, C-max and AUC(0-4.5h) were dose-related, but T-max and t(1/2) were not. In six cases, the elimination of the drug in serum could be described by a single phase but in four cases with two phases. No significant difference was found in C-max between the middle-aged and the elderly or between males and females.