PHARMACOKINETIC PROFILE OF CISAPRIDE 20 MG AFTER ONCE-DAILY AND TWICE-DAILY DOSING

Cisapride is a substituted piperidinyl benzamidel It is chemically rel ated to metoclopramide but lacks the antidopaminergic properties of me toclopramide that affect the central nervous system and cause extrapyr amidal side effects. Cisapride is indicated for the symptomatic treatm ent of patients with nocturnal heartburn due to gastroesophageal reflu x disease. Based on extensive assessment of the drug's pharmacokinetic profile, the currently approved initial oral dosing regimen for cisap ride is 10 mg QID. However, the pharmacokinetics of cisapride after or al administration of 20 mg BID have not been investigated. We present here findings from an open-label trial assessing the pharmacokinetics of cisapride 20-mg tablets after a single dose and at steady state (BI D dosing). The results indicate that 20-mg BID and 10-mg QID regimens produce similar steady-state concentrations.