The FDC tablet may have a similar PK profile as that of individual drugs and is generally tolerable when administered with food. These results indicate that the FDC tablet can be administered in the same dosing regimen as each component, especially that of metformin sustained-release.

BackgroundDonepezil is an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor indicated for Alzheimer’s disease. The aim of this randomized, single-blind, placebo-controlled, single-dose, dose-escalation study was to investigate the safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics of the donepezil patch in healthy male subjects.MethodsEach healthy male subject received a single transdermal donepezil patch (72 hours patch-on periods) of 43.75 mg/12.5 cm2, 87.5 mg/25 cm2, or 175 mg/50 cm2. Serial blood samples were collected up to 312 hours after patch application. The plasma concentrations of donepezil were determined by using a validated liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry method. Pharmacokinetic parameters were obtained by noncompartmental analysis. Tolerability of the patches and performance of the patches (adhesion, skin irritation, residual donepezil content in the patch) were assessed throughout the study.ResultsThe study was completed by 36 healthy subjects. After patch application, the maximal plasma donepezil concentration (Cmax) and the area under the curve (AUC) increased in a dose-proportional manner. Median time to Cmax was ~74–76 hours (~2–4 hours after patch removal), and mean t1/2β was ~63.77–93.07 hours. The average donepezil residue in the patch after 72 hours was ~73.9%–86.7% of the loading dose. There were neither serious adverse events nor adverse events that lead to discontinuation. Skin adhesion of the patch was good in 97.2% of the subjects. All skin irritations after patch removal were mild and were resolved during the study period.ConclusionThe donepezil patch appeared to be generally well tolerated and adhesive. Pharmacokinetic analysis of the donepezil patch demonstrated linear kinetics.

PurposeGemigliptin is approved for the treatment of type II diabetes mellitus. Sulfonylureas are commonly used in combination with other antidiabetic drugs to improve glycemic control. The objective of this study was to evaluate the pharmacokinetics, safety, and tolerability of gemigliptin and glimepiride combination therapy compared with those of monotherapies.MethodsA randomized, open-label, crossover study was performed on healthy Korean male volunteers. Each subject received the following treatments (A and B) with a 7-day washout period: treatment A consisted of gemigliptin 50 mg once daily administered orally for 6 days, followed by concomitant oral dosing of glimepiride 4 mg and gemigliptin 50 mg on day 7; treatment B consisted of a single dose of glimepiride 4 mg. Blood samples were collected up to 24-h postdose on day 6 (gemigliptin) and day 7 (gemigliptin and glimepiride) following treatment A, and on day 1 (glimepiride) following treatment B. Concentrations of gemigliptin, glimepiride, and metabolites were determined using validated liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS). Safety assessments were performed throughout the study.ResultsTwenty-three subjects completed the study. The geometric mean ratios (GMRs) of Cmax,ss and AUCτ,ss for gemigliptin were 1.0097 [90 % confidence interval (CI) 0.924–1.103] and 0.9997 (90 % CI 0.976–1.024), respectively. For glimepiride, the GMRs of Cmax and AUClast were 1.031 (90 % CI 0.908–1.172) and 0.995 (90 % CI 0.902–1.097), respectively. Both combination and monotherapy were well tolerated, and no serious adverse events were reported.ConclusionGemigliptin and glimepiride did not alter the pharmacokinetic properties of each other when they were co-administered in healthy volunteers, and were generally tolerated.