Abacavir 5’-carboxylate

Extracted metabolites, abacavir 5 -glucuronide, abacavir 5 -carboxylate... 

A study in 24 EHV-positive patients found that alcohol 0.7 g/kg increased the AUC of a single 600-mg dose of abacavir by 41%. The half-life of abacavir was increased by 26%, from 1.42 to 1.79 hours. The pharmacokinetics of alcohol were not affected by abacavir. Alcohol may inhibit the formation of abacavir carboxylate resulting in a trend towards increased abacavir glucuronide formation and reduced abacavir metabolism. The increase in exposure to abacavir was not considered to be clinically significant, since it is within levels seen in other studies using higher doses, which demonstrated no additional safety concerns at doses of up to three times the recommended daily dose of abacavir. No special precautions therefore appear to be necessary. 

After oral administration, abacavir is rapidly absorbed, and its bioavailability is about 83%. Food does not interfere with its absorption, and it is metabolized by alcohol dehydrogenase to 5 -carboxylic acid derivative and to S -glucuronidc by glucuronidation. Abacavir does not affect the cytochrome P-450 system. In combination with other antiretroviral drugs, abacavir is indicated for the treatment of HIV-1 infection. It is more potent than other nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors in reducing HIV plasma concentration and increasing CD4+ count. 

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