Bioequivalence 1-5 Flashcards
What is a generic? (3)
- Copies of brand-name drugs with same active ingredient and for the same intended therapeutic use as innovator product
- Look different from the innovator product
- Cheaper
Prior to 1962, drugs were approved for ______ only
safety
What was developed in 1938 in response to the sulfanilamide tragedy?
Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act
What was the thalidomide tragedy? (3)
- Used to cure morning sickness in the late 1950s
- Withdrawn from the market in 1961 after being found to be a cause of birth defects
- Birth defects such as: phocomelia, deafness, blindness, disfigurement, cleft palate, etc
What were the amendments added in 1962 to the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act? (2)
How did generic companies respond?
- Added a proof-of-efficacy requirement to new drug approval
- Generics had to meet safety, efficacy and BE criteria
- After 1962, generic companies simply would not spend the time and money doing the clinical trials to get to market
What was the 1984 Drug Price Competition and Patent Term Restoration Act? (Hatch-Waxman Act) (3)
Established abbreviated new drug application (ANDA) procedure
- Approval of generics of drugs already safe and effective
- Only have to meet pharmaceutical equivalence and bioequivalence
Why are generics relevant to us?
What are we expected to know (2)?
- Enhancement in availability of generics = decreased costs of healthcare
Pharmacists expected to know:
- What is best for the pt
- What is in the pipeline
Two women sued PLIVA Inc. over the labels for metoclopramide, the generic version of Reglan. Reglan did not have a warning about tardive dyskinesia when they were taking it. In 2011, what did the Supreme Court rule?
Ruled that makers of generic drugs cannot be sued for failing to warn consumers of the possible side effects of their products if they copy the exact warning on the medicines’ brand-name equivalents
Define pharmaceutical equivalent
A new drug that, in comparison with another drug, contains identical amounts of the identical medicinal ingredients, in comparable dosage forms, but that does not necessarily contain the same non-medicinal ingredients
How does Canada TPD (Health Canada) define bioavailability?
Rate and extent of absorption of a drug into the systemic circulation
How does Canada TPD (Health Canada) define bioequivalence?
High degree of similarity in the bioavailabilities of two pharmaceutical products (of the same active ingredient) from the same molar dose, that is unlikely to produce clinically relevant differences in therapeutic effects, or adverse effects, or both
What is the basic assumption of bioequivalence?
When a test product is claimed bioequivalent to the reference product it is assumed that the products are therapeutically equivalent and, hence, interchangeable with the reference product
What are 2 factors related to dosage form in regards to modifying bioavailability?
- Physicochemical properties of drug
- Formulation and manufacturing variables
What are 2 factors related to the patient in regards to modifying bioavailability?
- Physiological factors
- Interactions with other substances
What physicochemical properties of drug can influence bioavailability? (6)
- Particle size
- Crystalline structure
- Polymorphic form
- Degree of hydration
- Salt form
- Ester form
What are formulation and manufacturing variables that can influence bioavailability? (4)
- Amount of disintigrant/lubricant
- Coatings
- Nature of diluent
- Compression force
What are some physiological factors that can influence bioavailability? (10)
- Differences in mucosal permeability in different GIT regions
- Variations in pH
- Gastric emptying rate
- Intestinal motility
- Perfusion of GIT
- First-pass metabolism
- Age/gender/weight
- Disease
- Stress
- Time of administration
What are some potential interactions with other substances that can influence bioavailability? (3)
- Food
- Fluid volume
- Other drugs
What is relative bioavailability?
Extent and rate of bioavailability of drug from two or more different dosage forms given by same route of administration
- Standard used is an approved marketed drug, solution, suspension, or micronized drug
Drug Product—————-AUC——————–F
Innovator (IV bolus)——-100———————1
Innovator (Oral bolus)—-50———————-0.5
Generic (Oral bolus)——-40———————___
How would you calculate Frel?
50/100 = 0.5 which is how we get innovator oral bolus
40/50 = 0.8 which is Frel for generic (oral bolus)
What is rate of bioavailability?
What does it determine?
- In essence, represents the apparent absorption rate constant for a drug from the drug product
- Determines time to and height of peak Cp when kd same and absorption complete
Tmax and Cmax are indicators of rate of bioavailability. What do they tell us?
- Determinants of onset and intensity of effect
- May determine duration of effect
Relative optimal bioavailability (ROB) is defined by “true” and “apparent” rate constant. What are those?
- Absorption rate constant, ka, from solution is “true” rate constant
- Absorption rate constant from drug product is an “apparent” rate constant
- Liberation and dissolution also occurs
On a practical level, bioequivalent studies are required for? (4)
- Any new generic product
- An innovator manufacturer to show product to be marketed is bioequivalent with the formulation used in pivotal clinical trials
- If innovator manufacturer changes the formulation of a drug already on the market or introduces additional dosage strengths
- When considering new route of administration
Waiver of bioequivalence is allowed in certain cases. Such as? (5)
- Solution intended for IV use
- Typically applied for local use
- Oral dosage form not intended to be absorbed
- Administered by inhalation
- Solution, elixir, syrup, tincture, etc. form of an approved product and contains no inactive ingredient known to affect bioavalability
The US-FDA and CAN-TPD has a descending order of preference when it comes to type of bioequivalence studies. What is that order (6)
- Pharmacokinetic study (PK-BE)
- Pharmacodynamic study (PD-BE)
- Comparative Clinical Study
- In vitro study
- Dissolution study
- Biopharmaceutics Classification System Biowaivers
When is an acute pharmacodynamic study used?
What enpoint(s) does it use?
Example?
- Used when PK approach not possible (i.e., locally acting drug product)
- Uses a pharmacological or clinical endpoint
e.g., Forced expiratory volume for inhaled bronchodilators
What are the PD parameters used for an acute pharmacodynamic study? (3)
- AUC of the PD effect vs. time curve
- Peak PD effect
- Time for peak PD effect
What do acute pharmacodynamic studies require? (4)
- Must be validated (accurate, sensitive, reproducible)
- Requires demonstration of a dose-response curve
- Doses should produce a range of response values
- Instrumental measurements should be made under double-blind conditions
Many PD tests are difficult to quantify. Why? (2)
- Placebo effects –> increase sample size
- PD variability is large –> increase sample size
What are the disadvantages of clinical studies (of bioequivalence)? (2)
- Least accurate, least sensitive, least reproductive
- Considered only when analytical and PD not available
When are clinical studies (of bioequivalence) used?
Example?
Used when neither PK nor PD approach possible
e.g., was used to establish bioequivalence for topical antifungal drug products (e.g., ketoconazole)
How are clinical studies (of bioequivalence) done?
Uses a controlled clinical blind or double blind study –> BE established through evaluation of clinical response
How are pharmacokinetic studies done? (What do they use?) (2)
- Uses PK measures to determine rate/extent of drug release from product and absorption into systemic circulation
- Uses “Exposure Concept of Bioequivalence” to reflect clinically important differences in T vs. R
What 3 things make up Exposure Concept of Bioequivalence?
- Total exposure (AUC0–>∞ for single dose; AUC0–>𝜏 for multiple dose)
- Peak exposure (Cmax)
- Early exposure (partial AUC to peak time)
What are the 4 ethics approvals needed for Good Clinical Practice (bioequivalence studies)
- Institutional Human Ethics Review
- Informed consent
- Pre-study physical exam and medical history
- Post-study physical exam
When doing a BE study, subjects should be selected to reduce: (2)
- Risk to study subjects
- Inter- and intra- subject variability
When doing a BE study, normal healthy volunteers (male and/or females) are chosen. What are some of the requirements/what is checked? (6)
- Age (18-55yr)
- BMI within 18.5 and 30
- Medical examination, history, routine tests of liver, kidney, and hematological functions
- Alcohol and drug abuse
- An ECG if the drug is known to affect ECG
- Not pregnant, lactating, or likely to become pregnant
A BE study design considers the 3 fundamental statistical concepts of study design. Which are?
- Randomization
- Replication
- Error control
What is study randomization?
Allot treatments to subjects without selection bias
What is study replication?
Treatment applied to more than one experimental unit
- Number of replicates depends on degree of differences to be detected and inherent variability of the data
What is study error control?
Goal is to reduce sources of experimental error
What is the typical Single Oral Dose (SOD) design? (4)
- 2-product
- 2-period
- 2-sequence
- Crossover
What are the characteristics of crossover study design? (3)
- Crossover diminishes intersubject variation (not product dependent), and allows examination of intrasubject variation (product dependent)
- Replicated cross-over designs - the formulations are tested more than once in the same subjects
- More periods and sequences - more than two formulations, or different study conditions
Parallel group study design does not allow for what?
A within-subject comparison (so need increased N)
Only consider parallel group study design if: (2)
- Drug has very long half-life
- Some depot formulations
The number of subjects with desired power and significance level depends on: (4)
- Mean difference between T and R (typically +/-20%)
- Intra-subject variance
- Power (typically 0.8)
- Type I error rate of 5%
In a study, the minimum number of subjects is __
Accounting for what 2 things?
12
- Accounting for drop-outs
- Accounting for outliers
What is blinding (study design)? (3)
- Study subjects blinded to particular product
- Person checking for adverse reactions blinded
- Person analyzing samples blinded
Food and fluid administration has to be controlled when conducting a study. What are 3 things to make it standardized?
- Fast 8h, water consumed up to 1h before drug administration; dose at same time of day
- Dose taken with standard volume of water (150-250ml) at a standard temperature
- Water and food 1 and 4h after, respectively
Serial blood samples are taken at intervals to define Cp vs. time curve.
How many samples?
How many half-lives?
- Minimum of 12 samples should be collected per subject per dose
- Sample for at least 3 half-lives
Describe the conduct of a study? (SOD type study I guess) (6)
- Each subject takes T or R with 150-250ml water
- Serial blood samples are taken at intervals to define Cp vs time curve
- Plasma collected and frozen
- Allow sufficient washout (>10 half-lives) and then next formulation taken
- Monitor and record adverse effects
- Validated assay determines drug concentration
What are the advantages of multiple-dose administration studies? (5)
- For patients in whom it would be unethical to ds/c treatment
- Do not need to extrapolate to get total AUC
- More closely reflects clinical use of drug
- Allows Cp measured at therapeutic levels
- Can detect nonlinear PK
What are the disadvantages of multiple-dose administration studies? (3)
- More time and more difficult and costly
- Issues with compliance control
- Increased potential for AEs
What are the 3 parameters that characterize rate and extent of bioavailability in a single dose study?
- AUC 0–>∞
- Cmax
- Tmax
What are the 2 parameters that characterize rate and extent of bioavailability in a multiple dose study?
- AUC𝜏n –>𝜏n+1
- % fluctuation
What is the equation for % fluctuation?
% Fluctuation = ((Cssmax - Cssmin)/Cssmin) x 100
What 2 things are are done in PK and Statistical Assessment?
- Cp vs. time curve constructed
- Calculate important PK parameters for both T and R and report summary of the estimates including means and SD
Do T and R products differ within a predefined level of statistical significance? (3)
- Early 70s BE based on mean data
- Mean AUC or Cmax of T had to be within +/-20% of R
- The 20% arbitrary –> physicians ‘felt’ that a 20% change in dose would not result in significant differences in clinical response