Pharmacokinetic profile of novel multi-layer stable effervescent tablet: a cross-over study with an established European brand in healthy young male adults

Effervescent formulation helps in faster and better absorption of drugs, especially those that are rapidly soluble in water. However, these tablets require special packaging in order to prevent them from absorbing moisture, hence increasing cost. We compared an effervescent tablet prepared using an in-house developed method (multi-layer tablet with acid and base part separated by an inert layer) to a European effervescent tablet (Efferalgan®) in a single-center, randomized cross-over study among twelve healthy volunteers. Blood samples were collected for 8 h and analyzed for paracetamol concentration using HPLC. Our results showed that both the products have similar pharmacokinetic profiles with no significant difference observed for C_last, T_half, K_elim, and MRT (p-value > 0.05). Moreover, to assess bioequivalence we did not find any significant difference (p-value > 0.05) in AUC (27.12 ± 6.02 vs. 27.29 ± 2.64 µg.h/ml), C_max (7.42 ± 1.06 vs. 7.83 ± 1.19 µg/ml) and t_max (0.85 ± 0.22 vs. 0.83 ± 0.25 h). The TR ratios for AUC, C_max, and t_max were 0.99, 0.95, and 1.02 respectively, and were all within the specified FDA limits i.e., 0.8-1.25. We found our test tablet to be bioequivalent to that of Efferalgan®.