Creatinine-Based Renal Function Assessment in Pediatric Drug Development: An Analysis Using Clinical Data for Renally Eliminated Drugs

The estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) equations based on serum creatinine (SCR) have been used for pediatric dose adjustment in drug labeling. This study evaluated the performance of those equations in estimating individual clearance of drugs that are predominantly eliminated by glomerular filtration, using clinical data from the renally eliminated drugs gadobutrol, gadoterate, amikacin, and vancomycin. The eGFR was compared with the observed drug clearance (CL) in 352 pediatric patients from birth to 12 years of age. Multiple eGFR equations overestimated the drug CL on average, including the original and bedside Schwartz equations, which showed an average eGFR/CL ratio between 1 and 3. Further analysis with bedside Schwartz equation showed a higher eGFR/CL ratio in the subjects with a lower SCR or CL. Supraphysiological eGFR as high as 380 mL/min/1.73 m(2)was obtained using the bedside Schwartz equation for some of the subjects, most of whom are children < 2 years of age with SCR < 0.2 mg/dL. Excluding the subjects with supraphysiological eGFR from the analysis did not change the overall trend of overestimation. In conclusion, Schwartz equations led to an overestimation of drug clearance for the drugs evaluated. When greater precision is required in predicting eGFR for pediatric patients, such as in drug dosing, revisedkconstants for the Schwartz equation or new methods of glomerular filtration rate estimation may be necessary.