text: Effects of age and sex on the disposition of retigabine.
  BACKGROUND: The novel antiepileptic drug retigabine is the first selective M-current potassium channel opener for KCNQ2/3 and KCNQ3/5 channels. Retigabine undergoes phase II metabolism (N-glucuronidation, acetylation) exclusively and renal excretion. OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to evaluate the effects of age and sex on the pharmacokinetics of retigabine. METHODS: Healthy young (age range, 18-40 years) and elderly (age range, 66-81 years) white subjects (12 men and 12 women in each group) received a single 200-mg oral dose of retigabine. After dosing, blood was collected over a 72-hour period to determine plasma concentrations of retigabine and its acetylated metabolite, AWD21-360. Pharmacokinetics was compared for age group and sex by ANOVA. RESULTS: In young men, retigabine was rapidly absorbed, with the maximum concentration occurring within 2 hours, and was eliminated with an apparent clearance of 0.67 L x h(-1) x kg(-1) and a mean terminal half-life of 8.5 hours. Subjects were similarly exposed to AWD21-360. Compared with young men, young women had higher retigabine maximum concentration (56%) and exposure (20%) but similar clearance (0.68 L x h(-1) x kg(-1)); these differences were related to differences in body weight. Although maximum concentration was similar in elderly subjects, retigabine elimination was slower (30% lower apparent clearance normalized for weight), resulting in higher exposure (42%) and a longer half-life (30%). Because phase II metabolism is scarcely affected by age, these differences may be related to the known decline of renal function with age. CONCLUSIONS: Although there are no substantial sex-related differences in the disposition of retigabine, a relevant decrease in clearance resulting in higher exposure occurs in elderly patients. The results suggest that decline of renal function with age may account for some of the observed changes.
entities.id: T10 T11 T12 T13 T14 T15 T16 T17 T1 T2 T3 T4 T5 T6 T7 T8 T9
entities.type: CHEMICAL CHEMICAL CHEMICAL CHEMICAL CHEMICAL GENE-N GENE-N GENE-N CHEMICAL CHEMICAL CHEMICAL CHEMICAL CHEMICAL CHEMICAL CHEMICAL CHEMICAL CHEMICAL
entities.text: retigabine AWD21-360 retigabine potassium retigabine KCNQ2/3 KCNQ3/5 M-current potassium channel AWD21-360 retigabine retigabine Retigabine retigabine N retigabine retigabine retigabine