Final answer:
In therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) of an SMR drug, key factors to monitor include the drug's elimination half-life, maintaining drug concentration within the therapeutic window, and monitoring for side effects or adverse reactions.
Step-by-step explanation:
When monitoring a drug that is undergoing therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM), it's essential to keep track of several factors to ensure its efficacy and safety. Specifically, for an SMR (single-reaction monitoring) drug, there are three key things that must be monitored:
- The drug's elimination half-life, which determines how long it takes for the drug's concentration in the bloodstream to reduce by half. This affects dosing intervals and ensures steady-state concentrations are maintained.
- Drug concentration levels in the blood to ensure they remain within the therapeutic window, which is the range in which the drug is effective without being toxic.
- The drug's side effects or adverse reactions, which includes continual assessment of patient responses and possible interactions with other medications or conditions.
Such monitoring is vital as post-marketing surveillance continues after a drug is released to the public, to assess its performance in various patient subgroups, and to manage long-term safety concerns.