Pharmacokinetics and Bioequivalence of Vardenafil Hydrochloride in Healthy Chinese Volunteers

Abstract Vardenafil hydrochloride tablet is an inhibitor of phosphodiesterase type 5, primarily for the treatment of erectile dysfunction. This postprandial study evaluated the pharmacokinetics and bioequivalence of the test and reference formulations of vardenafil hydrochloride tablets in healthy Chinese volunteers. An open, randomized, single‐center, single‐dose, 2‐period, 2‐sequence bioequivalence test was conducted on 66 healthy subjects under fed conditions. Subjects were randomly assigned to a 20‐mg test or reference formulation with a 7‐day washout period. Venous blood samples (4 mL) were collected from each subject 25 times spanning predose (0 hour) to 24 hours after dosing. The plasma concentration of vardenafil was determined by high‐performance liquid chromatography‐tandem mass spectrometry. Sixty‐two volunteers completed the study. Under fed conditions, the maximum plasma concentration was 29.1 ng/mL, the area under the concentration–time curve (AUC) from time 0 to the time of the last measurable concentration was 85.3 ng•h/mL, and AUC from time 0 to infinity was 87.1 ng•h/mL. The 90% confidence intervals of the geometric mean ratio of AUC time 0 to the time of the last measurable concentration and AUC from time 0 to infinity were within the bioequivalence acceptance range of 0.80‐1.25. The test formulation was a bioequivalent alternative to the reference formulation when taken under fed conditions in healthy Chinese subjects.