Plasma Half Life

This is the period of time required for the

concentration of drug in the plasma to be
reduced by one-half
Usually consider the half life of a drug in
relation to the amount of the drug in plasma
Depends on how quickly the drug is
eliminated from the plasma
• A drug molecule that leaves plasma may
have any of several fates
• Elimination from the body
• Translocated to another body fluid
compartment
• Intracellular fluid
• Clearance:
• Removal of a drug from the plasma
• Volume of distribution:
• Distribution of the drug in the various
body tissues
• Both of these parameters are important
in determining the half life of a drug
• Represent the half-life: t½
Steady-state concentration
•  Time during which the concentration of
the drug in the body stays consistent
• For most drugs, the time to reach steady
state is four to five half-lives
• If drug is given at regular intervals—no
matter the number of doses, the dose
size, or the dosing interval
Biological half-life

• Also known as Elimination half-

life, Pharmacologic half-life of a biological
substance such as Medication
• The time it takes from its maximum
concentration (Cmax) to half maximum
concentration in human body
• Denoted by the abbreviation t1/2
• Used to measure the removal of things such
as 
• Metabolites
• Drugs
• Signaling molecules from the body
• Refers to the body's natural cleansing
through the function of the liver and through
the excretion of through kidneys and
intestines
Presystemic elimination
• Occurs when orally administered drugs are
metabolized during their passage from the
gut lumen to the systemic circulation
• The organs that may be potentially
involved are
• Intestine
• Liver & the lung
• Latter site has received relatively little
attention