When testing a novel drug's bioavailability, researchers inject it intravenously (IV) into a volunteer and track changes in the drug's plasma concentrations. The identical amount of the medication is given orally (PO) to the volunteer after it has entirely left their bloodstream, and this time the researchers evaluate the drug's plasma concentrations over time. The resulting data are presented on the graph below. Which of the following is the best determinant of oral bioavailability of this drug?

Question

When testing a novel drug's bioavailability, researchers inject it intravenously (IV) into a volunteer and track changes in the drug's plasma concentrations. The identical amount of the medication is given orally (PO) to the volunteer after it has entirely left their bloodstream, and this time the researchers evaluate the drug's plasma concentrations over time. The resulting data are presented on the graph below.  Which of the following is the best determinant of oral bioavailability of this drug?

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Eductional Objective: The percentage of a medicine that is delivered that enters the systemic circulation is known as bioavailability. Bioavailability is often less than 100% for drugs taken by any method other than intravenous (IV). By plotting the plasma drug concentrations over time for a certain dosage provided by the IV route and the other route being investigated, it is possible to evaluate bioavailability. By dividing the area under the PO curve by the area under the IV curve, the oral (PO) bioavailability is computed.

When Testing a Novel Drug's Bioavailability, Researchers Inject It Intravenously