Comparison of two software programs to be used for the calculation of population pharmacokinetic parameters

The pharmacokinetic parameters of apomorphine, a potent dopamine agonist, were calculated after subcutaneous and intranasal administration. Two available software packages for TDM were used (USC ∗ PACK and MW/PHARM). The findings for the calculated parameters K el, V slope, K a and bioavailability were compared. Although small, sometimes significant differences were found, the NPEM program from the USC ∗ PACK collection provides most information about the population under investigation. We found a median V slope of 1.7408 ± 0.8461 (S.D.) 1/kg, and a mean K el of 1.5341 ± 0.3748 h −1. The absorption after intranasal administration was extremely rapid: K a = 20.5 ± 1.96 h −1, comparable with that found with subcutaneous absorption: K a = 23.04 ± 2.20 h −1.