Febuxostat (Feburic) Half-Life
Febuxostat has a terminal elimination half-life of approximately 5-9 hours in most patients, though this can extend up to 15 hours depending on the dose and individual patient factors. 1
Pharmacokinetic Profile
The half-life characteristics of febuxostat vary based on dosing and measurement methodology:
- Initial (distribution) half-life: Approximately 2 hours 1
- Terminal elimination half-life: 9.4 ± 4.9 hours (mean) at daily doses of 40 mg or higher 1
- Range across studies: 1.3 to 15.8 hours (harmonic mean), with the longer half-lives observed at higher doses 2
Clinical Implications of Half-Life
Once-daily dosing is appropriate because febuxostat demonstrates:
- Maximum plasma concentrations approximately 100-fold greater than trough concentrations 1
- No significant drug accumulation during multiple dose administration due to this pharmacokinetic profile 1
- Rapid absorption with peak concentrations reached within 0.5-1.3 hours after oral administration 2
Comparison with Other Medications
Febuxostat's half-life is:
- Shorter than allopurinol's active metabolite (oxypurinol), which has a much longer half-life
- Similar to short-acting NSAIDs like ibuprofen (2-6 hours) 3
- Considerably shorter than anticoagulants such as dabigatran (14-17 hours) 4, rivaroxaban (5-13 hours) 4, or apixaban (12 hours) 4
Special Population Considerations
No dosage adjustment is required for renal impairment, as febuxostat is extensively metabolized (approximately 35% by oxidation and up to 40% by acyl glucuronidation), with only 1-6% excreted unchanged in urine 1, 2. This distinguishes febuxostat from allopurinol, which requires dose adjustment in renal dysfunction 5, 6.
Mild to moderate hepatic impairment does not affect pharmacokinetic parameters 1, though severe hepatic impairment has not been adequately studied.