BIOAVAILABILITY STUDY OF MENOREST(R), A NEW ESTROGEN TRANSDERMAL DELIVERY SYSTEM, COMPARED WITH A TRANSDERMAL RESERVOIR SYSTEM

The aim of this study was to compare the bioavailability and plasma profiles of estradiol and estrone after repeated applications of 2 types of estradiol transdermal systems: a new adhesive matrix system (Menorest(R)) compared with a reference membrane/reservoir system (Estraderm(R)) and to evaluate their short term safety. This was an open, randomised, crossover study, with 2 treatment periods of 10.5 days separated by a 10-day washout period and with a 1-week follow-up. Participants were studied at Institut Aster, Paris, and Association de Recherche Therapeutique (ART), Lyon, France, and included 31 healthy post-menopausal women, all volunteers aged between 49 and 67 years (mean 58 years). Each transdermal system was applied for three successive 3.5 day-wear periods (10.5 days) on the lower abdominal skin. Plasma estradiol and estrone concentrations were measured at steady-state, before and after the third application of each transdermal system at regular intervals over 106 hours. Cutaneous tolerance was assessed after each transdermal system removal. Although the extent of availability [area under the plasma concentration-time curve (AUG) and average plasma concentration (C-av)] was similar with both transdermal systems, their pharmacokinetic profiles were different, with Menorest(R) producing less fluctuating and more sustained plasma estradiol levels than the reference system. The mean estradiol to estrone C-av ratio was similar with the 2 transdermal systems and in the physiological range of premenopausal status. The incidence of adverse events was similar for both treatments, but a lower incidence of local erythema was observed with Menorest(R) (8.9%) than with the reference system(18.3%). In conclusion, during the entire wear period, Menorest(R) produced more sustained plasma estradiol levels with less fluctuations (40 to 72 ng/L) than the reservoir/membrane system(18 to 102 ng/L). Menorest(R) gave estradiol plasma levels approximating the concentrations observed during the early to mid-follicular premenopausal stage, with a 2-fold lower incidence of erythema than with the reservoir/membrane system.