
Chapter 3
Numerical methods for PK
parameter estimation
3.1 Introduction
In this chapter we will address how we can numerically compute from ob-
served data the parameters and other quantities, discussed in the previous
chapter. In real life we do not get plasma concentration data as polyexponen-
tial functions. Instead we determine a series of time points (relative to dosing)
at which blood samples are taken and plasma concentrations are measured.
The quality of those data, as estimates of the true plasma concentration pro-
file, depends on our choice of time points. An inappropriate choice may make
us miss the peak concentration or we may not have sampled ...