Bioequivalence and Pharmacokinetics of Bisoprolol-Amlodipine 5 mg/5 mg Combination Tablet versus Bisoprolol 5 mg Tablet and Amlodipine 5mg Tablet: An Open-Label, Randomized, Two-Sequence Crossover Study in Healthy Chinese Subjects

Background The pharmacokinetics of bisoprolol and amlodipine administered as a fixed-dose combination (FDC) tablet have not been sufficiently studied in healthy Chinese subjects to support a medical need for using the FDC in hypertension. Objective This study was conducted to compare the pharmacokinetic profiles of the bisoprolol-amlodipine FDC tablet with the bisoprolol tablet and amlodipine tablet administered concomitantly under both fasting and fed conditions. Methods An open-label, randomized, two-period, two-sequence crossover study was designed under both fasting and fed conditions. The plasma concentrations of bisoprolol and amlodipine were analyzed using a validated liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) assay, and the pharmacokinetic parameters of maximum concentration (C-max) and area under the concentration-time curve (AUC) were used to evaluate bioequivalence. Results The point estimate of geometric mean ratios of C-max and AUC from the time of dosing to the last measurable concentration (AUC(t)) for bisoprolol were 97.85% and 99.46% in the fasting state, and 93.87% and 98.95% in the fed state, respectively. For amlodipine, the geometric mean ratios of C-max and AUC(t) were 100.03% and 96.76% in the fasting state, and 106.56% and 103.07% in the fed state. No cases of treatment-emergent adverse events were reported during the entire study period. Conclusions Bioequivalence was achieved for bisoprolol and amlodipine FDC under both fasting and fed conditions, and all treatments were safe and well tolerated by all study subjects.