Unité de Pharmacocinétique Clinique, CHU Purpan, Toulouse, France.
Doxycycline and minocycline are second-generation tetracyclines. They are readily absorbed, distributed throughout the organism as a function of their lipophilicity and eliminated in both the urine and the faeces. The influence of age, renal disease, malnutrition and hyperlipidaemia is reviewed, together with the main pharmacokinetic interactions.