Population pharmacokinetic analysis of vancomycin in neonates. A new proposal of initial dosage guideline
Authors: Marqués‐Miñana María‐Remedios , Saadeddin Anas , Peris José‐Esteban 
Published: June 2010

WHAT IS ALREADY KNOWN ABOUT THIS SUBJECT

• Vancomycin is a glycopeptide antibiotic commonly used to treat resistant gram‐positive infections in neonates. While adult dosing guidelines are generally well established, a lack of consensus for optimal dosing regimens in neonates remains.

• The large variance in pharmacokinetic values in premature neonates compared with full‐term infants is a major barrier to the development of optimal dosing regimens. Pharmacokinetic values have been reported for vancomycin in neonates. However, the studies have included small groups with differing, clinical conditions, serum sampling times and pharmacokinetic models. There are many proposed neonatal dosing guidelines for vancomycin, but few, if any, have been prospectively evaluated. In addition, the complexity of the dose and interval selection has led to errors in use.

WHAT THIS STUDY ADDS

• The purpose of this investigation was to determine population pharmacokinetic parameters of vancomycin in neonatal patients with a wide range of gestational age and birth weight and to study the effect of the co‐administration of amoxicillin‐clavulanic acid and spironolactone on the pharmacokinetics of vancomycin in this cohort of patients. The aim was to find covariates with a relevant influence on the pharmacokinetic parameters of this drug, and to use this information for the design of an initial dosing schedule of vancomycin in neonates. Additionally, the obtained population pharmacokinetic parameters can be used to perform modifications of the initial dosing schedule in neonates with serum concentrations outside of the therapeutic range, by means of a Bayesian approach.

AIM

To determine the population pharmacokinetic parameters of vancomycin in neonatal patients with a wide range of gestational age and birth weight, and subsequently to design an initial dosing schedule for vancomycin in neonates.

METHODS

Using nonlinear mixed‐effects modelling (NONMEM VI), the pharmacokinetics of vancomycin were investigated in 70 neonates with postmenstrual age and body weight ranging 25.1–48.1 weeks and 0.7–3.7 kg, respectively. A one‐compartment linear disposition model with zero order input and first‐order elimination was used to describe the data. Nine demographic characteristics and 21 co‐administered drugs were evaluated as covariates of clearance (CL) and distribution volume (Vd) of vancomycin.

RESULTS

Weight‐normalized clearance of vancomycin was influenced by postmenstrual age (PMA) and co‐administration of amoxicillin‐clavulanic acid. Weight‐normalized volume of distribution was influenced by co‐administration of spironolactone. CL and Vd of the typical individual in this study population (PMA = 34.6 weeks, weight = 1.7 kg) were estimated to be 0.066 l h−1 kg−1 (95% CI 0.059, 0.073 l h−1 kg−1) and 0.572 l kg−1 (95% CI 0.505, 0.639 l kg−1), respectively. This model was used to predict a priori serum vancomycin concentrations in a validation group (n= 41), which were compared with observed concentrations to determine the predictive performance of the model. The 95% confidence interval of mean prediction error included zero for both peak and trough vancomycin concentrations.

CONCLUSIONS

Postmenstrual age, co‐administration of amoxicillin‐clavulanic acid and spironolactone have a significant effect on the weight‐normalized CL and Vd. An initial dosage guideline for vancomycin is proposed for preterm and full‐term neonates, whereas the population pharmacokinetic model can be used for dosage individualization of vancomycin.