IVIVC for Fenofibrate Immediate Release Tablets Using Solubility and Permeability as In Vitro Predictors for Pharmacokinetics

The goal of this study was to investigate the in vitro-in vivo correlation (IVIVC) for fenofibrate immediate release (IR) tablet formulations based on MeltDose®-technique. The in vitro determined drug solubility and permeability data were related to the Cmax values observed from two in vivo human studies. Solubility and permeation studies of fenofibrate were conducted in medium simulating the fasted state conditions in the upper jejunum, containing the surfactant compositions of the six formulations at different concentrations. The behavior of all surfactant compositions was characterized by surface tension, dynamic light scattering, and cryo-TEM. The obtained solubility and permeation data were combined and compared with the Cmax values for the fenofibrate formulations, assuming a 50 mL in vivo dissolution volume. A good IVIVC was observed for five fenofibrate formulations (R2 = 0.94). The in vitro studies revealed that the formulation compositions containing sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) interfered with the vesicular drug solubilizing system of the biorelevant medium and antagonized its solubilization capacity. The opposing interaction of surfactants with the emulsifying physiological constituents in intestinal juice should be taken into consideration in order to prevent unsatisfactory in vivo performance of orally administered formulations with low soluble active pharmaceutical ingredients.