Use of the domestic pig as a model for oral bioavailability and pharmacokinetic studies

For bioavailability and pharmacokinetic studies, where humans cannot be used for ethical reasons, animals that are either phylogenetically related, such as primates, or are anatomically and physiologically similar, such as dogs, pigs, and rabbits, are the next best choice. We used the domestic pig as a model to study the oral bioavailability and pharmacokinetics of the antimycobacterial drug clofazimine. The details of the disposition of clofazimine in the pig from our study are reported elsewhere. In this communication we describe the methods used to acclimatize, and the procedure for chronic catheterization and administration of oral dose. It is hoped that this will contribute to increasing the awareness of the pig as a suitable experimental animal model for bioavailability and pharmacokinetic studies.