First-order elimination

Removal of drug from the body (usually by a combination of renal and hepatic clearance) where the rate of drug removal at any point in time is dependent upon the concentration of drug. Loss of drug is faster when the plasma concentration is higher. As a result, a plot of concentration versus time reveals a single exponential decay curve. Further details on first order elimination are provided under the Exponential curve entry.

Click here to watch a short vodcast demonstrating first-order elimination kinetics.