Bioequivalence Study of Ezetimibe Tablets After a Single Oral Dose of 10 mg in Healthy Japanese Subjects Under Fasting Conditions.

This study compared the pharmacokinetic and safety profiles between a new generic and a branded reference product of 10-mg ezetimibe (EZE) tablets in 24 healthy Japanese male volunteers under fasting conditions, obtaining sufficient evidence for the marketing approval of the new generic product. The bioequivalence study was conducted with an open-label, 2 × 2, single-dose, crossover design in which the test and reference products were administered to volunteers after fasting for ≥10 hours. Blood samples were collected 24 times before to 72 hours after the administration of the investigational drug. We evaluated the peak drug concentration and the area under the plasma concentration-time curve up to the last measured concentration of EZE, EZEG, and total EZE (EZE + ezetimibe glucuronide [EZEG]). The 90% confidence intervals of the geometric mean ratios for peak drug concentration and area under the plasma concentration-time curve up to the last measured concentration of the test and reference products fell within the bioequivalence limits of 0.80 to 1.25 for EZE, EZEG, and total EZE. The test and reference products were well tolerated, and no adverse events occurred during the study. The test product was bioequivalent to the reference product.

Nephronectin Expression Is Up-Regulated by BMP-2.

Nephronectin (Npnt), known to be a ligand of integrin α8ß1, plays important roles in the development and function of various tissues, including those of the kidneys, liver, bones, and muscles. In previous studies, we showed that the expression of Npnt mRNA was regulated by various cytokines, including transforming growth factor-ß (TGF-ß), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and oncostatin M (OSM), and that over-expression of Npnt enhanced osteoblast differentiation. In this study, we found that bone morphogenic protein-2 (BMP-2), known as an osteogenesis inducing cytokine, strongly up-regulated the expression of Npnt mRNA in a murine skeletal muscle cell line (C2C12) via the BMP-SMAD signaling pathway.