Abstract
Logarithmic transformation of pharmacokinetic parameters is routinely used in bioequivalence studies based on pharmacokinetic and statistical grounds by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), European Committee for Proprietary Medicinal Products (CPMP), and Japanese National Institute of Health and Science (NIHS). Although it has not yet been recommended by the Korea Food and Drug Administration (KFDA), its use is becoming increasingly necessary in order to harmonize with international standards. In the present study, statistical procedures for the analysis of a bioequivalence based on the log transformation and a related SAS procedure were demonstrated in order to aid the understanding and application. The AUC parameters used in this demonstration were taken from the previous bioequivalence study for two aceclofenac tablets, which were performed in a single-dose crossover design. Analysis of variance (ANOVA), statistical power to detect 20% difference between the tablets, minimum detectable difference and confidence intervals were all assessed following log-transformation of the data. Bioequivalence of two aceclofenac tablets was then estimated based on the guideline of FDA. Considering the international effort for harmaonization of guidelines for bioequivalence tests, this approach may require a further evaluation for a future adaptation in the Korea Guidelines of Bioequivalence Tests (KGBT).