13^th Biomedicines Webinar

Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacogenetics in Treating Infections

The new era in systems pharmacology has revolutionized the study of human biology. Its applicability, precise treatment, adequate response, and safety measures are all relevant to medical/clinical practice, particularly in the field of infectious diseases, given the dramatic increase in the prevalence of multi-drug-resistant organisms in the last 10 years.

Given this background, immediate and appropriate anti-infective therapy – defined as the timely commencement of pharmacological treatment with an appropriate strength for the pathogen(s) – is mandatory to improve the clinical outcomes of infected patients and limit/prevent the development of resistance.

Consistent and solid evidence is accumulating showing that the successful treatment of severe infections is based on the selection of the most appropriate anti-infective agents that ensure adequate exposure, whilst taking into consideration both the patient’s pathophysiological changes and the physicochemical properties of the drug administered to reach optimal pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) targets. This is particularly true for antibiotics, since under-dosing may result in treatment failure, increasing the likelihood of the development of antimicrobial resistance. The achievement of optimal anti-infective exposure is difficult in clinical practice because most of these drugs are administered according to standard dosing regimens which do not take into account the pathophysiologic, iatrogenic, and/or genetic factors that are likely to affect both the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of anti-infective agents in different real-life settings.

Accordingly, in this webinar, we will deal mainly with the main clinical, pharmacologic, and pharmacogenetic sources of variability in the exposure and clinical response to anti-infective agents, with a specific focus on the role of therapeutic drug monitoring and pharmacogenetic testing as reliable diagnostic tools in the daily management of in- and out-patient settings.

Finally, the potential role of a fast-track pharmacology at the bedside will be also proposed.

Date: 10 May 2024 at 3.00 p.m. CEST | 9:00 a.m. EDT | 9:00 p.m. CST Asia
Webinar ID: 893 0899 5947
Webinar Secretariat: journal.webinar@mdpi.com