Abstract
Purpose. To determine the relative bioavailability of two marketed,immediate-release methylphenidate tablets. The study used a replicatedstudy design to characterize intrasubject variability, and determinebioequivalence using both average and individual bioequivalencecriteria.
Methods. A replicated crossover design was employed using 20subjects. Each subject received a single 20 mg dose of the reference tableton two occasions and two doses of the test tablet on two occasions.Blood samples were obtained for 10 hr after dosing, and plasma wasassayed for methylphenidate by GC/MS.
Results. The test product was more rapidly dissolved in vitro and morerapidly absorbed in vivo than the reference product. The mean Cmaxand AUC(0 − ∞) differed by 11% and 9%, respectively. Using anaverage bioequivalence criterion, the 90% confidence limits for theLn-transformed Cmax and AUC(0 − ∞), comparing the two replicatesof the test to the reference product, fell within the acceptable range of80–125%. Using an individual bioequivalence criterion the test productfailed to demonstrate equivalence in Cmax to the reference product.
Conclusions. The test and reference tablets were bioequivalent usingan average bioequivalence criterion. The intrasubject variability of thegeneric product was greater and the subject-by-formulation interactionvariance was borderline high. For these reasons, the test tablets werenot individually bioequivalent to the reference tablets.
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Meyer, M.C., Straughn, A.B., Jarvi, E.J. et al. Bioequivalence of Methylphenidate Immediate-Release Tablets Using a Replicated Study Design to Characterize Intrasubject Variability. Pharm Res 17, 381–384 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1007560500301
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1007560500301