Building vancomycin population pharmacokinetic model for Japanese low birth weight infants in comparing it with previously reported pediatric population pharmacokinetic models.

Vancomycin dosing data specific to low birth weight (LBW) infants are scarce despite the drug's importance for treating severe infections in this vulnerable population. This study used 106 plasma samples from 25 Japanese LBW infants to build a one-compartment population pharmacokinetic model with Phoenix NLME, then compared its performance against 12 previously published pediatric models. The new model, incorporating postmenstrual age, body weight, and serum creatinine as covariates for clearance, achieved better prediction accuracy for vancomycin concentrations than existing models. This LBW-specific model addresses a data gap and offers improved guidance for optimizing vancomycin therapy in this population.