pharmacokinetics

American  

[fahr-muh-koh-ki-net-iks, -kahy-] / ˌfɑr mə koʊ kɪˈnɛt ɪks, -kaɪ- /

noun

(used with a singular verb)

1. the branch of pharmacology that studies the fate of pharmacological substances in the body, as their absorption, distribution, metabolism, and elimination.

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pharmacokinetics British  

/ ˌfɑːməkəʊkɪˈnɛtɪsɪst, -kaɪ-, ˌfɑːməkəʊkɪˈnɛtɪks /

noun

1. the branch of pharmacology concerned with the way drugs are taken into, move around, and are eliminated from, the body

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Other Word Forms

• pharmacokinetic adjective
• pharmacokinetically adverb
• pharmacokineticist noun

Etymology

Origin of pharmacokinetics

First recorded in 1955–60; pharmaco- + kinetics

Example Sentences

Kevin Garey, Robert L. Boblitt Endowed Professor of Drug Discovery at the UH College of Pharmacy, assessed the pharmacokinetics and gut microbiome effects of oral Omadacycline in comparison to Vancomycin, another possible C diff drug.

From Science Daily • Dec. 19, 2023

She was among 16 advisers who said trial data and pharmacokinetics, a branch of science that studies the movement of drugs in the body, brought them to a clear conclusion about the oral drugs.

From Washington Times • Sep. 12, 2023

Dostmann, whose expertise is in pharmacokinetics, or how a drug works in the body, and Lounsbury, who focuses on the body's physiological and biological response to a drug, will teach some of the course.

From US News • Dec. 9, 2015

Likewise, the pharmacokinetics and pharmacological effects of most medications are determined by multiple gene products, such as drug-metabolizing enzymes, drug-transporting membrane proteins, drug targets and disease-modifying genes.

From Nature • Oct. 13, 2015

In second place, with 7.5 percent, an inquiry into pharmacokinetics: Why does it take 45 minutes for the pharmacy to get your prescription ready—even when no one else is waiting?

From Slate • Jan. 10, 2012