Implicancias farmacocinéticas asociadas al uso de fármacos como racematos o enantiómeros puros / Pharmacokinetic implications associated to drugs use as racemates or pure enantiomers

This article critically reviews the recent specialized literature concerning the influence of the stereochemical nature of quiral drugs on the pharmacokinetic process and its pharmacological implications. Evidence is presented indicating that as a function of the type of the enantiomer administered, profound differences in the pharmacokinetic profile, e.g. absorption, distribution, biotransformation and elimination can occur. As s consequence of the enentioselective nature of the drug-organism interaction, major differences in the therapeutic responses can be envisaged depending on whether the drug is administered as a pure enantomer or as a racemic mixture