47  Introduction

Help Guide

Authors

Alison J. Boeckmann

Lewis B. Sheiner

Stuart L. Beal

Published

December 1, 2025

This guide is intended to provide experienced users of the NONMEM system with a fast way to locate information on a given reserved word or topic.

There are four sections:

The reserved words and miscellaneous topics appear in the left column of their respective sections, with titles of corresponding and relevant detailed descriptions and examples in the right column. The detailed descriptions provide brief summaries of the subject matter and are not intended to replace the other NONMEM guides, which should be consulted if more information is needed.

Text that reflects changes with NONMEM 7.6.0 from NONMEM 7.5.0 is marked with a bar in the margin in the original PDF.

Descriptions of NM-TRAN control records have a special syntax that is described fully in Guide IV, section III.A. Please note that square brackets are used to surround an option or group of options, none of which need actually appear in the record. If they surround a group of options, a vertical line is used to separate these options in the description, and at most one of the options may be selected to actually appear in the record. If none are selected to appear, then the default option, listed first and indicated in boldface (if there is an option so indicated), is understood to apply.

Some of the examples are drawn from other NONMEM guides and sources, and some are new to this guide.

All sections are arranged in alphabetic order.

The help and html directories of the NONMEM 7.6.0 distribution media contain essentially the same content as this printed guide, enabling the contents of this guide to be searched and displayed on-line.

NotePrinting history

First printing of this edition is dated April 2024, included with release of NONMEM 7.6.0.

Second printing of this edition is dated December 2025, and contains some corrections from the first printing.

1 How to Use This Guide

Suppose one wishes to learn more about (say) nonlinear kinetics with PREDPP. The term “nonlinear” is listed among the miscellaneous topics in the second section:

Topic Related topics
nonlinear_kinetics_model ADVAN10
ADVAN6 ADVAN8
ADVAN9
Michaelis Menten example

One may then look at the detailed descriptions entitled “ADVAN6 ADVAN8”, “ADVAN9”, “ADVAN10” in the third section, or at the Michaelis Menten example in the fourth section.

Some of these titles also happen to be reserved words, and are therefore also listed in the first section.

Reserved word Related topics
ADVAN6, ADVAN8 $DES
ADVAN6 ADVAN8
DES
PRCOMG
SS6 SS9
Control7 example
Michaelis Menten example
PK_PD_simultaneous_2 example
PK_PD_simultaneous_4 example

Again, some of these titles ($DES and DES, for example) are also listed in the first section, and titles of additional detailed descriptions and examples of interest may be found.

The detailed descriptions themselves contain references to other detailed descriptions and examples in this guide, and to other NONMEM guides in which more complete information can be found. At the end of the detailed description for $DES, for example, is:

See also Section 50.11, Section 56.11, Section 56.12.

REFERENCES: Guide IV, section V.C.7 REFERENCES: Guide VI, section VI.C