An implementation of the Expectation-Maximisation (EM) algorithm for population pharmacokinetic–pharmacodynamic modelling in ACSLXTREME

An implementation of the Expectation-Maximisation (EM) algorithm in ACSLXTREME (AEGIS Technologies) for the analyses of population pharmacokinetic–pharmacodynamic (PKPD) data is demonstrated. The parameter estimation results are compared with those from NONMEM (Globomax) using the first order conditional estimate method. The estimates are comparable and it is concluded that the EM algorithm is a useful technique in population pharmacokinetic–pharmacodynamic modelling. The implementation also demonstrates the ease with which parameter estimation algorithms for population data can be implemented in simulation software packages.