Investigation of the bioequivalence of two lansoprazole formulations in healthy Chinese volunteers after a single oral administration.

The objective of this study was to compare two lansoprazole products (the reference brand enteric-coated capsules and the test generic enteric-coated tablets), and the key pharmacokinetic (PK) parameters for both formulations and their metabolites were assessed. The study used an open-label, randomized two-period crossover design with an 8-day washout period between doses in 24 healthy subjects under fasting conditions. The concentration of lansoprazole and its two metabolites was determined using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method. The in vitro release of lansoprazole from the test and reference formulations was within the acceptable limits. The relationship between concentration and peak area ratio was found to be linear within the range for lansoprazole and metabolites. The point estimates (ratios of geometric mean) of lansoprazole and two main metabolites were between 94.3% and 105.1% for AUC0- t , AUC0-∞ , and Cmax . No statistically significant difference between the two formulations was found. The results of in vitro and in vivo suggested equivalent clinical efficacy of the two brands.