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Drug testing and analysis2024; doi: 10.1002/dta.3706

Why the racing industry and equestrian disciplines need to implement population pharmacokinetics: To learn, explain, summarize, harmonize, and individualize.

Abstract: Population pharmacokinetics (POP PK) is a powerful pharmacokinetic tool, which measures quantitatively, and explains the variability in drug exposure and drug effect between individuals. POP PK uses an observational (nonexperimental) approach; it is conducted in the target population living in its normal environment (e.g., farm and race-track). The strength of the POP PK approach lies in its greater relevance for the population studied in its different natural environments than experimental studies carried out in more or less biased laboratory conditions. In clinical settings, it is commonly necessary to restrict the number of samples per subject collected for analysis and the derived data cannot be analyzed using traditional individual data analytical methods; rather data are merged and analyzed with an appropriate statistical tool: the nonlinear mixed effect model (NLMEM). POP PK modeling is frequently used with the objective of adjusting drug dosage, and hence drug exposure, not only for the whole population but also for subgroups of animals (e.g., for a given breed, sex, and age). It can also have application at the individual subject level, in the context of precision medicine. For horses, the use of the POP PK/PD model will allow prescribers to estimate an individual Withdrawal Time for a given horse whose treatment they are supervising. Another potential field of application will be meta-analysis of existing data to generate new knowledge on a drug or to collate and synthesize, in an objective and transparent manner, existing data; this will facilitate harmonization of screening limits at an international level.
© 2024 The Author. Drug Testing and Analysis published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
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Publication Date: 2024-04-29 PubMed ID: 38685692DOI: 10.1002/dta.3706Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary

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The study advocates for the wider use of Population Pharmacokinetics (POP PK), a pharmacokinetic tool that accurately measures and explains the varying responses to drug exposure among individuals, in the racing industry and equestrian disciplines. The research positions POP PK as a necessary tool to adjust drug dosage based on individual animals’ characteristics, leading to precision medicine implementations and better withdrawal time estimation for treatment.

Understanding Population Pharmacokinetics

  • Population Pharmacokinetics (POP PK) offers a quantitative method to examine and explain the discrepancies in drug exposure and effect between individuals.
  • POP PK employs an observational approach, using data from target populations in their natural environments, like farms or race tracks, rather than laboratory conditions.
  • The method proves beneficial thanks to its greater relevance for the population studied in different native environments, where it offers more accurate results than lab-experimented studies.

POP PK in Clinical Settings

  • In clinical settings, usually there’s a limitation on the number of samples collected per subject for analysis. Traditional individual data analytical methods are therefore not suitable for evaluating the derived data.
  • Instead, the collected data are combined and analyzed using a special statistical tool known as the nonlinear mixed effect model (NLMEM).
  • The frequent objective of using POP PK modeling is to adjust the drug dosage and hence its exposure, for the entire population and for specific subgroups of animals determined by breed, sex, age, etc.

Applications of POP PK

  • Besides its generalized application, POP PK can be useful at a single subject level, helping to usher in precision medicine contextually.
  • For horses, specifically, using the POP PK/PD model will enable veterinarians to estimate an individual horse’s Withdrawal Time from treatment more accurately.
  • A speculated extension of POP PK is its applicability to meta-analysis of present data. This will not only generate new knowledge on a drug but also objective and transparent synthesis of existing data. On an international level, such an approach can significantly contribute to the harmonization of screening limits.

Cite This Article

APA
Toutain PL. (2024). Why the racing industry and equestrian disciplines need to implement population pharmacokinetics: To learn, explain, summarize, harmonize, and individualize. Drug Test Anal. https://doi.org/10.1002/dta.3706

Publication

Drug testing and analysis
ISSN: 1942-7611
NlmUniqueID: 101483449
Country: England
Language: English

Researcher Affiliations

Toutain, Pierre-Louis
  • INTHERES, Université de Toulouse, INRAE, ENVT, Toulouse, France.
  • The Royal Veterinary College, University of London, London, UK.

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Citations

This article has been cited 5 times.
  1. Jacobs ME, Blea J, Hardy M, McKemie DS, Traynham M, Knych HK. Metformin in the Horse: Pharmacokinetics and Detection Times Using Monte Carlo Simulations. Drug Test Anal 2026 Jan;18(1):139-148.
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  2. Serrano-Rodríguez JM, Miraz R, Saitua A, Díez de Castro E, Ledesma-Escobar C, Ferreiro-Vera C, Priego-Capote F, Sánchez de Medina V, Sánchez de Medina A. Metabolism, pharmacokinetics, and bioavailability of cannabigerol in horses following intravenous and oral administration with micellar and oil formulations. Front Vet Sci 2025;12:1688214.
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  3. Kuroda T, Knych HK, Noble GK, Minamijima Y, Leung GN, Nomura M, Mizobe F, Ishikawa Y, Kusano K, Toutain PL. A Meta-Analysis of International Flunixin Pharmacokinetics in Horses: Toward Regulatory Harmonization and Individualized Detection Times Using Bayesian Paradigm. Drug Test Anal 2026 Jan;18(1):32-50.
    doi: 10.1002/dta.3961pubmed: 41137541google scholar: lookup
  4. Tuo Y, Yu X, Li S, Wang J, Liu M, Song X, Ma J, Wang Y, Liu Z, Sun D. Population Pharmacokinetics and Model-Informed Precision Dosing of Clobazam Based on the Developmental and Genetic Characteristics of Children with Epilepsy. Pharmaceutics 2025 Jun 23;17(7).
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  5. Kuroda T, Minamijima Y, Kinman CK, Takahashi Y, Ebisuda Y, Inoue K, Ishikawa H, Mita H, Tamura N, Nukada T, Toutain PL, Ohta M. Rational quinidine dosage regimen for atrial fibrillation in Thoroughbred racehorses based on population pharmacokinetics. Front Vet Sci 2024;11:1454342.
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