Drug Disposition in the Late Preterm (“Near-Term”) Newborn

Late preterm newborns often require treatment with potent drugs. Drug disposition is inadequately studied in this population, but when studied it is usually immature compared with that of term newborns. This immaturity reflects biologic immaturity and can be analyzed systematically according to the principal steps in pharmacokinetics: absorption, distribution, metabolism, and elimination. When studied developmentally, drug disposition often does not mature linearly with age, nor necessarily in predictable or generalizable patterns. Instead, more detailed study of specific pathways of drug disposition is needed in the late preterm newborn to support safe and effective drug therapy.