PHARMACOKINETICS OF ORAL KETOROLAC IN THE RAT

The pharmacokinetics of ketorolac, a potent analgesic agent used for r elief of moderate to severe pain, has been studied in rats who receive d oral doses of 1,3.2 or 5.6 mg/kg of ketorolac tromethamine. Blood sa mples were obtained at selected times during 24 h after medication, an d ketorolac concentrations were determined by high performance liquid chromatography. After administration of ketorolac, blood concentration s increased rapidly reaching a dose-dependent maximal concentration in about 20 min. Then, concentrations decayed with a half-life of about 6 h. A linear increase in C-max and AUC as a function of the dose was observed, and no statistically significant difference was observed in AUC/dose or C-max/dose between doses, indicating that pharmacokinetics of ketorolac is linear in the range of doses studied.