Novel fenofibric acid-loaded controlled release pellet bioequivalent to choline fenofibrate-loaded commercial product in beagle dogs

The objective of this study was to develop a novel fenofibric acid-loaded controlled release pellet showing enhanced, or equivalent to, bioavailability compared with two commercially available products containing fenofibrate or choline fenofibrate. The effect of solubilizing agents on drug solubility and the impact of fillers on core properties were investigated. Among them, magnesium carbonate most improved drug solubility, and κ-carrageenan provided the best spherical cores. The fenofibric acid-loaded pellet was prepared with magnesium carbonate and κ-carrageenan employing the extrusion/spheronizing technique followed by coating with ethylcellulose. Furthermore, dissolution and pharmacokinetic study in beagle dogs were performed compared to the fenofibrate-loaded commercial tablet (FCT) and choline fenofibrate-loaded commercial mini-tablet (CFCM). This fenofibric acid-loaded pellet showed controlled release of the drug in phosphate buffer (pH 6.8) and 0.025 M sodium laurylsulfate within 4 h. Furthermore, this pellet and CFCM exhibited similar dissolution profiles. Plasma concentrations greater than 1000 ng/ml were maintained from 30 min to 8 h, suggesting a sustained release pattern. Also, the fenofibric acid-loaded pellet gave significantly higher AUC and C_max values than FCT, indicating that it improved the bioavailability of fenofibrate due to enhanced solubility and sustained release. In addition, this pellet and CFCM were not significantly different in terms of pharmacokinetic parameters including AUC, C_max and T_max. Thus, this pellet was bioequivalent to CFCM in beagle dogs. In conclusion, this fenofibric acid-loaded controlled release pellet would be a potential alternative to the choline fenofibrate-loaded commercial product.