Cumulation

Definition Accumulation refers to the accumulation of an active pharmaceutical ingredient in the organism during regular drug administration. The term comes from the Latin (to accumulate). It occurs when there is an imbalance between the intake and elimination of the active ingredient. If the dosing interval is too short, too much drug is administered. If … Cumulation

Onset of Action

Definition Onset of action is the time at which the effect of a drug becomes observable or measurable. There is a delay between the administration of the drug (application) and the onset of action. We refer to this period of time as the latency period. It is in the range of minutes, hours, days, or … Onset of Action

Dosage Interval

Definition and discussion Dosing interval (symbol: τ, tau) is the time interval between the administration of individual doses of a drug. For example, if 1 tablet is administered at 8 AM and 1 tablet is administered at 8 PM, the dosing interval is 12 hours. The typical dosing interval is several hours or one day. … Dosage Interval

Plasma Concentration

Definition Plasma concentration is the concentration of a pharmaceutical agent in blood plasma at a given time after administration. Plasma is the liquid portion of blood excluding its cellular components. Concentration is typically expressed in µg/ml. Plasma concentration-time curves If plasma levels are measured several times after administration, a plasma concentration-time curve can be constructed … Plasma Concentration