PHARMACOKINETIC CHARACTERISTICS OF TAXOIDS

Taxanes are members of a new family of anticancer agents. Two taxanes have been or will shortly be approved by the French Drug Registration Agency: Taxol (paclitaxel) and Taxotere (docetaxel). Both are hemisynt hetic derivatives of 10-deacetyl baccatin III. The source of the precu rsor is bark of the American yew Taxus brevifolia for Taxol and thorns of the European yew Taxus baccata for taxotere. The two compounds hav e very similar pharmacokinetic characteristics, including high affinit y for plasma proteins and an elimination half-life of about 15 hours. Both compounds are metabolized in the liver via the cytochrome P450 su bclass 3A oxidative chain.