Pharmacology and Pharmacokinetics deals with what the drug does to the body, and what the body does to the drug.
This page includes information for health professionals about Misoclear's mechanism of action, drug interactions, and other important pharmacokinetic information.
Pharmacology
- Each Misoclear tablet contains 200mcg of misoprostol.
- Misoprostol is a synthetic prostaglandin E1 analogue. In comparison to other prostaglandin analogues, misoprostol is cheap, widely available, stable at room temperature, and has few side effects.
- Its clinical applications include medical abortion, treatment of incomplete abortion and miscarriages, cervical priming prior to surgical procedures, induction of labour, and management of postpartum haemorrhage. As well as its obstetric and gynaecological indications, it is also used in the prevention and treatment of peptic ulcers.
Pharmacokinetics
- The plasma elimination half-life for misoprostol is 20-40 minutes.
- After oral administration, misoprostol is rapidly and almost completely absorbed. First-pass metabolism is significant, plasma concentrations peak at about 30 minutes.
- After vaginal administration, plasma concentration increases more gradually, peaking at 70-80 minutes. Bioavailability is high, however absorption is variable and often incomplete.
- After sublingual administration, misoprostol dissolves and is absorbed rapidly, with peak concentrations occurring at about 30 minutes. Bioavailability is very high.
Drug interactions
- Misoprostol has not been shown to have an effect on hepatic P450 enzyme systems.
- Antacids may decrease the bioavailability of misoprostol, and antacids containing magnesium may aggravate diarrhoea caused by misoprostol.
- Otherwise, no clinically significant drug interactions have been identified with misoprostol.