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Buprenorphine Pharmacokinetics: Relative Bioavailability of Sublingual Tablet and Liquid Formulations
Author(s) -
Nath Rajneesh P.,
Upton Robert A.,
Everhart E. Thomas,
Cheung Polly,
Shwonek Peter,
Jones Reese T.,
Mendelson John E.
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
the journal of clinical pharmacology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.92
H-Index - 116
eISSN - 1552-4604
pISSN - 0091-2700
DOI - 10.1177/00912709922008236
Subject(s) - bioavailability , buprenorphine , pharmacokinetics , crossover study , bioequivalence , chromatography , pharmacology , dosage form , chemistry , opiate , medicine , opioid , biochemistry , receptor , alternative medicine , pathology , placebo
Buprenorphine is an effective new treatment for opiate dependence. This study compared the bioavailability of buprenorphine from a tablet to that from a reference solution. Six men experienced with, but not dependent on, opiates (DSM‐III‐R) were each administered 7.7 mg of buprenorphine in liquid form and 8 mg in tablet form 1 week apart in a balanced crossover design. Plasma levels were measured by electron capture capillary gas chromatography (GC), and concentration‐time curves were constructed. Pharmacokinetic data were analyzed by analysis of variance. The bioavailability from the tablet was approximately 50% that from the liquid and was not affected by saliva pH. Lower bioavailability from the tablet may be due to slow dissolution.