Pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic modelling of antibiotic therapy

Despite the advances in pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic modelling, there is still much more to gain from this concept. The use of pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic modelling in vitro, in animal and in human models has confirmed that an index, such as peak concentration divided by the minimum inhibitory concentration (C-max/MIC), the area under the curve divided by the minimum inhibitory concentration (AUC/MIC) and time above the minimum inhibitory concentration (T>(MIC)), may be used as an aid to understanding better the variability between patients who receive similar antibiotic dosage regimens but have dissimilar outcomes. Efforts to find the optimal pharmacokinetic or pharmacodynamic index predictive of response is crucial to identify targets that will ensure efficacy and for the prediction of failure. Curr Opin infect Dis 11:673-680. (C) 1998 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.