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Evidence suggests that stimulation of the immune response may be associated with impairment of hepatic drug metabolism. Antipyrine kinetics has therefore been determined in 12 patients on the fourth day following tetanus vaccination. Under these conditions, antipyrine plasma half-life was found to be 14.8 h. Despite the lack of control over antipyrine kinetics, these preliminary results indicate that tetanus vaccination is likely to impair the antipyrine metabolism.

To test the hypothesis that hepatic drug metabolism affected the pharmacokinetics of antipyrine, 12 persons who had received vaccination against influenza were given antipyrine on the fourth day following. Plasma antipyrine was assayed from venous blood samples taken 5, 11 and 24 h later. The results indicate that the immunization procedure transiently increased the hepatic drug metabolizing enzyme activity against antipyrine.