Morphine and hydromorphone pharmacodynamics in human volunteers: population-based modelling of interindividual response variability and utility
An erratum to this article was published (Br J Anaesth, Jul 2026 ↗)
Authors' conclusion
There was considerable interindividual variability in pharmacodynamic effect parameters for both morphine and hydromorphone, but no major variability differences between the opioids.
Study context
- Population
- Healthy volunteerscrossover
- Participants
- 51 volunteers
- Comparison
- Morphine 0.05 mg kg-1 vs hydromorphone 0.2 mg kg-1, 2-h infusion
- Primary endpoint
- Pharmacodynamic variability: potency, t½ke0 and their interindividual variabilities (analgesia to thermal stimulus, pupil diameter, respiratory rate, end-expired CO2)
Methodological detailsbalanced crossover, population pharmacodynamic modelling
- Balanced crossover
- Population pharmacodynamic modelling
Primary result
As reported in the abstract
Limit temperature modelling: potency and t½ke0
| Group | Value | t½ke0 |
|---|---|---|
| Morphine | 46.9 ng ml-1 | 0.71 h |
| Hydromorphone | 4.4 ng ml-1 | 0.75 h |
Value
Morphine46.9 ng ml-1
Hydromorphone4.4 ng ml-1
t½ke0
Morphine0.71 h
Hydromorphone0.75 h
Original publication
Morphine and hydromorphone pharmacodynamics in human volunteers: population-based modelling of interindividual response variability and utility. Br J Anaesth. Published 7 February 2026. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →