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British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology logoLink to British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology
. 1984 Sep;18(3):445–448. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2125.1984.tb02487.x

Theophylline-rifampicin interaction: non-selective induction of theophylline metabolic pathways.

R A Robson, J O Miners, L M Wing, D J Birkett
PMCID: PMC1463637  PMID: 6487483

Abstract

The effect of rifampicin pre-treatment (600 mg daily for 6 days) on theophylline disposition at steady state was investigated in six healthy males. Following rifampicin treatment total plasma clearance of theophylline increased by 82%. Theophylline clearance through each metabolic pathway was increased, 1-demethylation by (116 +/- 34%) (mean +/- s.e. mean), 3-demethylation by (91 +/- 16%) and 8-oxidation by (81 +/- 17%). Renal clearance of unchanged drug was not altered. Previous studies have suggested that two forms of cytochrome P-450 are involved in theophylline metabolism, one mediating the N-demethylations and the other 8-oxidation. Thus, unlike the selective inductive effect of rifampicin on antipyrine metabolic pathways, rifampicin does not differentially affect those forms of cytochrome P-450 involved in theophylline metabolism. The extent to which theophylline metabolism is induced by rifampicin is likely to have important clinical consequences.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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