Steady-state bioavailability of two clorazepate dipotassium dosage forms.

A specially designed tablet dosage form of the benzodiazepine clorazepate dipotassium (Tranxene) was developed for once-a-day administration. The drug was administered at a dose of 22.5 mg as (1) the tablet, (2) three 7.5 mg capsules, or (3) one 7.5-mg capsule given every 6 hours. Peak serum levels from the tablet were intermediate between those of the single- and divided-dose capsule regimens. The desired decrease in magnitude of peak levels was obtained without affecting the extent of absorption. Pharmacokinetic analysis of the data according to a two-compartment open model with first-order absorption indicated that the serum half-life (t0.5beta) of nordiazepam, the major biotransformation product present in serum, was about 48 hours and served as a basis for the design of a multiple-dose steady-state study. Multiple-dose administration of the tablet and divided-capsule regimen to two groups of subjects for ten days indicated each dosage form yielded similar minimum steady-state serum levels of about 0.6 micrograms/ml which plateaued following seven days of drug administration. The dosage forms were crossed over between the groups on day 11 and administered for an additional four days. The minimum serum levels obtained with the tablet and capsule were not statistically different. Additionally, the peak serum level and area under the curve (pi=24 hours) at steady state were equivalent between the dosage forms. Good agreement was obtained between model-predicted and observed serum levels during multiple-dose administration for both the tablet and capsule regimens. The serum half-life of nordiazepam following 14 days of clorazepate dipotassium administration was similar to that found after a single dose. These results indicate that a single daily dose of drug as the tablet produced serum levels equivalent to a divided-capsule regimen.