Source: Health Products Regulatory Authority (IE) Revision Year: 2021 Publisher: Sanofi-aventis Ireland Ltd., T/A SANOFI, Citywest Business Campus, Dublin 24
The evidence from many experimental studies suggests that furosemide acts along the entire nephron with the exception of the distal exchange site. The main effect is on the ascending limb of the loop of Henle with a complex effect on renal circulation. Blood-flow is diverted from the juxta-medullary region to the outer cortex. The principle renal action of furosemide is to inhibit active chloride transport in the thick ascending limb.
Re-absorption of sodium chloride from the nephron is reduced and a hypotonic or isotonic urine produced. It has been established that prostaglandin (PG) biosynthesis and the reninangiotensin system are affected by furosemide administration and that furosemide alters the renal permeability of the glomerulus to serum proteins.
Furosemide is a weak carboxylic acid which exists mainly in the dissociated form in the gastrointestinal tract. Furosemide is rapidly but incompletely absorbed (60-70%)on oral administration and its effect is largely over within 4 hours. The optimal absorption site is the upper duodenum at pH 5.0. Regardless of route of administration 69-97% of activity from a radio-labelled dose is excreted in the first 4 hours after the drug is given. Furosemide is bound to plasma albumin and little biotransformation takes place.
Furosemide is mainly eliminated via the kidneys (80-90%); a small fraction of the dose undergoes biliary elimination and 10-15% of the activity can be recovered from the faeces.
Where liver disease is present, biliary elimination is reduced up to 50% Renal impairment has little effect on the elimination rate of Lasix, but less than 20% residual renal function increases the elimination time.
The elimination of furosemide is delayed in the elderly where a certain degree of renal impairment is present.
A sustained diuretic effect is seen in the newborn, possibly due to immature tubular function.
Not Applicable.
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