Pharmacokinetics of Antimony in Children Treated for Leishmaniasis with Meglumine Antimoniate

Background. In some settings, the response to pentavalent antimonial therapy for leishmaniasis may be lower in children than in adults. We hypothesized that there are age-dependent pharmacokinetic differences of potential clinical relevance. Methods. We compared the pharmacokinetics of antimony (Sb) in adults and 2 groups of children 3–6 years old who had cutaneous leishmaniasis treated with intramuscular meglumine antimoniate. Adults ( ) and the n p 9 first group of children ( ) received 20 mg Sb/kg/day for 20 days; the second group of children ( ) n p 9