Comparative study of piperacillin, ticarcillin, and carbenicillin pharmacokinetics

Piperacillin, ticarcillin, and carbenicillin were administered intravenously to 10 healthy volunteers in a three-way, crossover study. The pharmacokinetics of the three drugs were in general quite similar. The peak serum concentration of piperacillin achieved at the end of a 30-min intravenous infusion was 63.5 +/- 27.6 microgram/ml. During the first 8 h, 67.5% of the dose of piperacillin was excreted in the urine, and the urinary concentration was extremely high. All three penicillins had high volumes of distribution. The serum half-life of the beta elimination phase of carbenicillin was lower than that of either piperacillin or ticarcillin. The volunteers experienced no adverse reactions from the administration of the drugs.