Evaluation of the feasibility and use of a prototype remote drug delivery capsule (RDDC) for non-invasive regional drug absorption studies in the GI tract of man and beagle dog.

PURPOSE: Evaluate a prototype Remote Drug Delivery Capsule (RDDC) for use in beagle dogs and human volunteers for non-invasive drug absorption studies in different regions of the gastrointestinal tract. METHODS: The device was dual radiolabeled and GI transit of the RDDC was monitored by gamma scintigraphy. Beagles were used initially to demonstrate the functional utility of the device where a solution of ranitidine hydrochloride (150 mg) was non-invasively delivered to the stomach, proximal small intestine and distal small intestine. A subsequent first time in human study enrolled twelve healthy male volunteers where the intended site of release was the stomach, early small bowel, distal small bowel or colon. RESULTS: Preliminary studies conducted in beagles indicated that the RDDC operated successfully and the onset of ranitidine serum levels were dependent on the time of capsule activation and site of drug release. Results from the human study showed that all twelve subjects swallowed the device with no discomfort. Mean gastric emptying of the RDDC was 1.50 +/- 1.28 h (range = 0.25 to 4.25 h), and total small intestine transit was 4.79 +/- 1.82 h (range = 2.00 to 8.25 h). The capsule was retrieved from the feces at 30.25 +/- 15.21 h (range = 14.12 to 74.25 h) and there were no reported adverse events. The prototype RDDC operated successfully in nine of the twelve human volunteers and the cause for the three failures was attributed to mechanical failure while the electronics assembly performed favorably. CONCLUSIONS: This prototype remote control capsule was shown to be well tolerated and functional to use in human volunteers as well as beagles. The application of the device coupled with gamma scintigraphy has the potential to be a valuable and rapid method to non-invasively evaluate regional drug absorption in the gastrointestinal tract under conditions that are both pharmaceutically and physiologically meaningful.

Use of the InteliSite capsule to study ranitidine absorption from various sites within the human intestinal tract.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the extent of ranitidine absorption from an externally activated drug-delivery system in two distinct regions of the intestine (jejunum and ileum) in healthy human volunteers. This investigation also was designed to evaluate the utility of the InteliSite capsule for studying regional intestinal drug absorption in humans. METHODS: The intestinal absorption of ranitidine from the jejunum and ileum was compared in eight, healthy volunteers in this open-label, two-way crossover study. In two of the eight volunteers, absorption from the colon also was studied. Subjects swallowed the capsule containing ranitidine solution (121 mg) and 100 microCi of 99mTc-DTPA. The endcap of the capsule contained 20 microCi of (111)In-DTPA. At the desired intestinal site, the capsule was activated by the application of an external RF magnetic signal (6.78 MHz operating frequency) and the ranitidine solution was released. Blood samples were collected from a forearm vein for 12 hours after capsule activation. RESULTS: The capsule released the ranitidine solution when activated in the jejunum, ileum and colon (visualized by the gamma camera). There was no difference in the extent of ranitidine absorption or ranitidine pharmacokinetics when the capsule was activated in the jejunum or ileum. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates the utility of a novel, externally activated drug-delivery system to assess site-specific intestinal drug absorption in humans. Results indicate that use of the InteliSite capsule method to evaluate site-specific intestinal ranitidine absorption in humans yields data similar to that obtained previously by means of oral intubation studies.

125I aqueous waste volume reduction at a pharmaceutical research laboratory.

A wide variety of radioactive waste is generated by pharmaceutical research. One particularly high volume low specific activity waste stream produced by a research and development facility is aqueous 125I waste. This waste is generally held for decay and released to the sanitary sewer when the activity is low enough to ensure that concentrations are well below the appropriate regulatory limits. However, the large volume of this particular waste stream rapidly exhausted available space to store it for decay. This study investigated safe, inexpensive, and efficient methods for removing 125I from the aqueous waste, with the goal of implementing a practical process for concentrating the activity and thus reducing the stored volume. The implemented treatment (volume reduction) process used commercially available low cost activated carbon/particulate filters and inexpensive resin beds manufactured in-house. The much smaller volumes of spent filters and resin beds are then held for decay and eventual incineration. This technique has proven an effective means for managing this high volume waste stream.

Effect of sodium acid pyrophosphate on ranitidine bioavailability and gastrointestinal transit time.

During development of a ranitidine effervescent oral solution dosage form, a marked decrease was observed in the extent of ranitidine absorption relative to the conventional oral tablet. Two studies were conducted in healthy volunteers to confirm the involvement of an excipient, SAPP (sodium acid pyrophosphate), and the mechanism of interaction, altered gastrointestinal transit. The first study (n = 12) involved single-dose crossover comparisons of (A) 150 mg ranitidine with 1132 mg SAPP versus (B) 150 mg ranitidine and (C) 150 mg ranitidine with all the effervescent tablet excipients except SAPP versus (D) a 150-mg ranitidine effervescent tablet, all administered as oral solutions. Serum ranitidine AUC, Cmax, and tmax were compared using two one-sided t test 90% confidence intervals (CI). Comparing treatments A to B and D to C, all 90% CI were below the 80-120% range, indicating significantly less extensive ranitidine absorption (54% based on AUC) from the oral solutions containing SAPP. The second study (n = 12) was a single-dose crossover comparing 50 microCi 111 InCl solutions with and without 1132 mg SAPP. Gastrointestinal transit times, determined by scintigraphic imaging, were compared between treatments. Gastric emptying time was unchanged, but small intestinal transit time was decreased to 56% in the presence of SAPP. More rapid small intestinal transit associated with an excipient of a solution dosage form apparently resulted in a decreased extent of ranitidine absorption. This observation contradicts the conventional wisdom that oral solutions are unlikely to fall short of bioequivalence relative to solid oral formulations.

Dual-isotope imaging of neutron-activated erbium-171 and samarium-153 and the in vivo evaluation of a dual-labeled bilayer tablet by gamma scintigraphy.

The feasibility of dual-label scintigraphic studies which use the neutron-activated isotopes erbium-171 and samarium-153 is described. Experimental details are provided to correct and minimize the compton scatter contribution of 171Er into the lower-energy 153Sm window. The results from this study demonstrate that this dual-label procedure is sensitive enough to monitor simultaneously the behavior of two discrete regions of the same unit dose in the gastrointestinal tract of man.

Gastrointestinal behavior of orally administered radiolabeled erythromycin pellets in man as determined by gamma scintigraphy.

The behavior of single 250-mg doses of a multiparticulate form of erythromycin base (ERYC(R)), each including five pellets radiolabeled with neutron-activated samarium-153, was observed by gamma scintigraphy in seven male subjects under fasting and nonfasting conditions. The residence time and locus of radiolabeled pellets within regions of the gastrointestinal tract were determined and were correlated with plasma concentrations of erythromycin at coincident time points. Administration of food 30 minutes postdosing reduced fasting plasma erythromycin Cmax and area under the plasma erythromycin versus time curve (AUC) values by 43% and 54%, respectively. Mean peak plasma concentration of erythromycin (Cmax) in the fasting state was 1.64 micrograms/mL versus 0.94 micrograms/mL in the nonfasting state. Total oral bioavailability, as determined by mean AUC (0-infinity) of the plasma erythromycin concentration versus time curve, was 7.6 hr/micrograms/mL in the fasted state, versus 3.5 hr/micrograms/mL in the nonfasting state. Mean time to peak plasma erythromycin concentration (tmax) in the fasting state was 3.3 hours, versus 2.3 hours in the nonfasting state. Plasma concentrations of erythromycin in both fasting and nonfasting states were within acceptable therapeutic ranges. Evidence provided by this study: 1) indicates that pellet erosion and absorption of active erythromycin base begins when the enteric-coated pellets reach the highly vascular mucosa of the jejunum and proximal ileum, and is essentially completed within the ileum, with a significant portion absorbed in the medial-to-distal ileum; 2) confirms that acceptable therapeutic plasma levels of erythromycin are attained in nonfasting subjects (Cmax = 0.94 microgram/mL) and that superior plasma erythromycin concentrations (Cmax = 1.64 micrograms/mL) are achieved by administration of the dose on an empty stomach 1 to 2 hours before or after meals; 3) corroborates other comparative studies reporting greater fasting bioavailability with this multiparticulate dosage form of erythromycin base than with reference single tablet or particle-in-tablet formulations; and 4) indicates that neutron activation of stable isotopes incorporated as a normal excipient in industrially-produced formulations provides an effective means for in vivo evaluation of dosage forms through gamma scintigraphy.

Manufacture and properties of erythromycin beads containing neutron-activated erbium-171.

To evaluate the effects of a neutron activation radiolabeling technique on an enteric-coated multiparticulate formulation of erythromycin, test quantities were produced under industrial pilot scale conditions. The pellets contained the stable isotope erbium oxide (Er-170), which was later converted by neutron activation into the short-lived gamma ray-emitting radionuclide, erbium-171. In vitro studies indicated that the dissolution profile, acid resistance, and enteric-coated surface of the pellets were minimally affected by the irradiation procedure. Antimicrobial potency was also unaffected, as determined by microbiological assay. Neutron activation thus appears to simplify the radiolabeling of complex pharmaceutical dosage forms for in vivo study by external gamma scintigraphy.

Correlation of ibuprofen bioavailability with gastrointestinal transit by scintigraphic monitoring of 171Er-labeled sustained-release tablets.

External gamma scintigraphy was used to monitor the gastrointestinal (GI) transit of radiolabeled sustained-release tablets containing 800 mg ibuprofen in eight fasted healthy volunteers. Ibuprofen serum concentrations were determined from blood samples drawn sequentially over a 24-hr period. Serum concentrations and related parameters were correlated to the position of the dosage form in the GI tract from the scintiphotos. The sustained-release tablets were radiolabeled intact utilizing a neutron activation procedure, by incorporating 0.18% of 170Er2O3 (enriched to greater than 96% 170Er) into the bulk formulation. After manufacture of the final dosage forms, the tablets were irradiated in a neutron flux (4.4 x 10(13) n/cm2.sec) for 2 min, converting the stable 170Er to radioactive 171Er (t1/2 = 7.5 hr). Each tablet contained 50 microCi of 171Er at the time of administration. The scintigraphy studies suggested that the greatest proportion of ibuprofen was absorbed from this dosage form while the tablet was in the large bowel. The dosage forms eroded slowly in the small bowel and appeared to lose their integrity in the large bowel. In vitro studies showed only minimal effects of the neutron irradiation procedure on the dosage form performance.