The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 273 No 7330 p885
18/25 December 2004

Potential to confuse rather than enthuse students

‘Handbook of basic clinical pharmacokinetics including clinical applications’, 6th edition, by Wolfgang A. Ritschel and Gregory L. Kearns. Pp xii+432. Price $54.95. Washington DC: American Pharmaceutical Association; 2004. ISBN 1 58212 054 4

The hardback sixth edition replaces the pocket-sized fifth edition of this popular handbook and covers a wide range of pharmacokinetic topics from the molecular level through dosage regimen design to pharmacogenetics. However, although it contains a wealth of useful information, it is poorly organised and some sections are unnecessarily complex. The impression is that new material has been added without reviewing the overall content, resulting in a disjointed layout.

The initial chapters focus on body composition, cell membranes, drug-receptor interactions and the physicochemical and physiological factors that influence pharmacokinetics. Later chapters introduce compartmental and non-compartmental modelling, dosage regimen design, drug handling in specific patient populations (eg, paediatrics) and more unusual topics, including forensic applications and a new chapter on pharmacogenetics and pharmacogenomics.

The summaries of equations are useful but some of the detail is excessive and confusing. Inappropriate terminology, such as mild renal “failure” instead of “impairment”, typing errors and confusing sections on protein binding are further irritations. The appendix contains a useful list of pharmacokinetic data for a range of drugs.

Overall, the book sacrifices clarity for quantity. It would have benefited from a reorganisation of the material into a more logical order and the removal of obsolete methodologies and drugs. It would be a useful reference for teaching purposes but may not be ideal for students as it has the potential to confuse rather than enthuse.


Alison Thomson

Alison Thomson is area pharmacy specialist in clinical pharmacokinetics, Western Infirmary, Glasgow