Abstract The effect of sustained release on the pharmacokinetic profile of indomethacin was examined by comparing to three reference regimens: an intravenous dose, a single 75 mg dose of conventional capsules, and three 25 mg conventional doses given at 4‐h intervals. Results indicate that the sustained release test formulation exhibited more prolonged and uniform absorption rate, yielded more sustained plasma levels after ingestion, and showed an overall bioavailability of 0.93 (95 per cent C.I. = 0.82, 1.04) relative to three 25 mg doses of the conventional capsules.