# Development of a Web Application for Simulating Plasma Drug Concentrations in Patients with Zolpidem Intoxication

## TL;DR

This paper describes a web app that simulates zolpidem levels in blood to help doctors manage overdose cases.

## Contribution

A user-friendly web application was developed using a population pharmacokinetic model for zolpidem.

## Key findings

- A one-compartment PK model was developed with parameters like CL (16.9 L/h), Ka (5.41 h−1), and Vd (61.7 L).
- The web app allows simulation and visualization of zolpidem plasma concentrations for clinical use.
- The tool is intended to assist physicians in managing patients with zolpidem intoxication.

## Abstract

Zolpidem is a widely prescribed hypnotic Z-drug used to treat short-term insomnia. However, a growing number of individuals intentionally overdose on these drugs. This study aimed to develop a predictive tool for physicians to assess patients with zolpidem overdose. A population pharmacokinetic (PK) model was established using digitized data obtained from twenty-three healthy volunteers after a single oral administration of zolpidem. Based on the final PK model, a web application was developed using open-source R packages such as rxode2, nonmem2rx, and shiny. The final model was a one-compartment model with first-order absorption and elimination with PK parameters, including clearance (CL, 16.9 L/h), absorption rate constant (Ka, 5.41 h−1), volume of distribution (Vd, 61.7 L), and lag time (ALAG, 0.394 h). Using the established population PK model in the current study, we developed a web application that enables users to simulate plasma zolpidem concentrations and visualize their profiles. This user-friendly web application may provide essential clinical information to physicians, ultimately helping in the management of patients with zolpidem intoxication.