Abstract
Gabapentin, 1-(aminomethyl) cyclohexaneacetic acid, is a amino acid derivative, and is clinically effective in the treatment of neuropathic pain and partial seizures of epilepsy as a complementary therapy. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the bioequivalence of two gabapentin tablets, $Neurontin^{R}$ tablet 800 mg (Pfizer Pharmaceuticals Co., Ltd.) and Gabapenin tablet 800 mg (Hanmi Pharm. Co., Ltd.), according to the guidelines of the Korea Food and Drug Administration (KFDA). The release of gabapentin from the two gabapentin formulations in vitro was tested using KP VIII Apparatus II method with 0.06 M HCI dissolution media. Twenty six healthy male subjects, $23.85{\pm}2.24$ years in age and $69.40{\pm}11.11$ kg in body weight, were divided into two groups and a randomized $2{\times}2$ crossover study was employed. After a single tablet containing 800 mg as gabapentin was orally administered, blood samples were taken at predetermined time intervals and the concentrations of gabapentin in serum were determined using HPLC with fluorescence detector. The dissolution profiles of two formulations were similar in the tested dissolution media. The pharmacokinetic parameters such as $AUC_{t}$, $C_{max}$ and $T_{max}$ were calculated, and ANOVA test was utilized for the statistical analysis of the parameters using logarithmically transformed $AUC_{t}$, $C_{max}$ and untransformed $T_{max}$. The results showed that the differences between two formulations based on the reference drug, $Neurontin^{R}$, were 1.28%, 0.63% and 0.62% for $AUC_{t}$, $C_{max}$ and $T_{max}$, respectively. There were no sequence effects between two formulations in these parameters. The 90% confidence intervals using logarithmically transformed data were within the acceptance range of log 0.8 to log 1.25 (e.g., $log0.9097{\sim}log1.1598$ and $log0.8919{\sim}log1.1262$ for $AUC_{t}$ and $C_{max}$, respectively). Thus, the criteria of the KFDA bioequivalence guideline were satisfied, indicating Gabapenin tablet 800 mg was bioequivalent to $Neurontin^{R}$ tablet 800 mg.
