Drug Elimination and Clearance

Drug elimination is described in terms of clearance from a well-stirred compartment containing uniform drug distribution. The term clearance describes the process of drug elimination from the body or from a single organ without identifying the individual processes involved. Clearance may be defined as the volume of fluid cleared of drug from the body per unit of time. The units for clearance are milliliters per minute or liters per hour The volume concept is simple and convenient, because all drugs are dissolved and distributed in the fluids of the body.