Background: Children with obesity are more likely to suffer gastroesophageal reflux disease, requiring acid-suppression therapy with proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) and no guidelines regarding dosing.
Objective: To prospectively evaluate lean-body-weight-based (LBW) dosing of the PPI pantoprazole for children with and without obesity.
Methods: Methods: Sixty-two children (6-17 years) received a one-time oral dose of liquid pantoprazole (1.2 mg kg-1 LBW). Plasma pantoprazole concentrations were measured at 10 time points over 8 h and pharmacokinetic (PK) profiles generated using non-compartmental techniques, in order to compare PK parameters of interest between children with and without obesity, while accounting for CYP2C19 genotype.
Results: Adjusted for milligram-per-kilogram total body weight (TBW) pantoprazole received, apparent drug clearance (CL/F) was reduced 50% in children with vs. without obesity (p=0.03). LBW-based dosing compensated for this reduction in CL/F (p = 0.15).
Conclusion: To achieve comparable systemic PPI exposures for children with and without obesity, we recommend using LBW, rather than TBW-based dosing for pantoprazole.
Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01887743.
Keywords: CYP2C19; drug metabolism; pantoprazole; pediatric obesity.
© 2018 World Obesity Federation.