<prompt> Loading of dose of a drug primarily depends on:Volume of distributionClearanceRate of administrationHalf life  <response>: Ans. A. Volume of distributionLoading dose is dependent on volume of distribution; whereas maintenance dose depends on the clearance.Loading doseMaintenance dose It is the initial high dose which is given to achieve the desired plasma concentration after saturating loading the tissue binding sites. Just enough drug is given in each dose to replace the drug eliminated When time to reach steady state is long, as it is for drugs with long half-lives, it is desirable to give a loading dose that promptly raises the concentration of drug in plasma LDVdx Desired plasma concentration mgL MD Clearance x Desired plasma concentration mgL 