Application of Physiologically Based Pharmacokinetic Modeling to Predict Acetaminophen Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics in Children

Acetaminophen (APAP) is a widely used analgesic and antipyretic drug that undergoes extensive phase I and II metabolism. To better understand the kinetics of this process and to characterize the dynamic changes in metabolism and pharmacokinetics (PK) between children and adults, we developed a physiologically based PK (PBPK) model for APAP integrating in silico, in vitro, and in vivo PK data into a single model. The model was developed and qualified for adults and subsequently expanded for application in children by accounting for maturational changes from birth. Once developed and qualified, it was able to predict clinical PK data in neonates (0-28 days), infants (29 days to < 2 years), children (2 to < 12 years), and adolescents (12-17 years) following intravenous and orally administered APAP. This approach represents a general strategy for projecting drug exposure in children, in the absence of pediatric PK information, using previous drug-and system-specific information of adults and children through PBPK modeling.