Pharmacokinetics of fexofenadine: evaluation of a microdose and assessment of absolute oral bioavailability

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articlepeer-review

  • Graham Lappin
  • Yoko Shishikura
  • Roeline Jochemsen
  • Richard John Weaver
  • Charlotte Gesson
  • Brian Houston
  • Berend Oosterhuis
  • Bjerrum, Ole Jannik
  • Malcolm Rowland
  • Colin Garner
A human pharmacokinetic study was performed to assess the ability of a microdose to predict the pharmacokinetics of a therapeutic dose of fexofenadine and to determine its absolute oral bioavailability. Fexofenadine was chosen to represent an unmetabolized transporter substrate (P-gP and OATP). Fexofenadine was administered to 6 healthy male volunteers in a three way cross-over design. A microdose (100microg) of (14)C-drug was administered orally (period 1) and intravenously by 30min infusion (period 2). In period 3 an intravenous tracer dose (100microg) of (14)C-drug was administered simultaneously with an oral unlabelled therapeutic dose (120mg). Plasma was collected from all 3 periods and analysed for both total (14)C content and parent drug by accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS). For period 3, plasma samples were also analysed using HPLC-fluorescence to determine total drug concentration. Urine was collected and analysed for total (14)C. Good concordance between the microdose and therapeutic dose pharmacokinetics was observed. Microdose: CL 13L/h, CL(R) 4.1L/h, V(ss) 54L, t(1/2) 16h; therapeutic dose: CL 16L/h, CL(R) 6.2L/h, V(ss) 64L, t(1/2) 12h. The absolute oral bioavailability of fexofenadine was 0.35 (microdose 0.41, therapeutic dose 0.30). Despite a 1200-fold difference in dose of fexofenadine, the microdose predicted well the pharmacokinetic parameters following a therapeutic dose for this transporter dependent compound.
Original languageEnglish
JournalEuropean Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences
Volume40
Issue number2
Pages (from-to)125-31
Number of pages6
ISSN0928-0987
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2010

ID: 20390276