Slide 15 Slide showing plasma penicillin concentration versus time curve after oral administration of various salts (redrawn from Juncher, H. and Raaschou, F. 1957 The solubility of oral preparations of penicillin V, Antibiot. Med. Clin. Therap., 4, 497). The rate at which a drug dissolves is dependent on the solubility of the drug. A common occurrence is that different salts will have quite different solubility characteristics, and again somewhat different to the free acid (or base) form. In the case of penicillin V it appears that only drug which is dissolved quickly can be absorbed.

Copyright 2001 David W.A. Bourne