Randomised crossover studies of the bioequivalence of two fenofibrate formulations after administration of a single oral dose in healthy volunteers.

Bioequivalence of a newly developed semi-solid formulation (Lidose) of fenofibrate (CAS 49562-28-9), and a reference, micronized formulation of fenofibrate was investigated in two randomised, open-label clinical studies with a crossover design. Both studies involved two distinct groups of 24 healthy volunteers. Doses of 67 mg and 200 mg, respectively, were used in study 1 and study 2. On day 1, a single oral dose was administered to all subjects, using one of the two formulations to be compared. Single oral dosing with the other formulation occurred after a washout period of at least 8 days. Blood samples were taken after each dosing for measurement of plasma fenofibric acid concentrations by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) combined with fluorescence detection, and plasma pharmacokinetic parameters were determined. No statistically significant differences were noted for Cmax, Tmax, AUC0-t and AUC0-variation of between subjects treated with the new formulation and those receiving the reference formulation. Side effects were mild and not significantly different between the two fenofibrate preparations. These two studies based on validated methods demonstrate that the new and the reference fenofibrate formulations are bioequivalent when administered at the two doses studied.