Bioequivalence and Bioavailability

Abstract

Pharmacology and pharmaceutics are integral parts of many allied branches of medical sciences. The development of novel drugs is already known to be a multistep process, one of the most crucial steps of which is checking the bioequivalence and bioavailability of the pharmaceutical formulation prepared. Development and standardization of methods of study of these factors can help in the identification of cost efficient alternatives of the adept methods of treatment, which in turn may help in the increased accessibility of treatment regimens. Hence, researchers across the world are busy experimenting with already standardized and novel pharmaceutical formulations, especially testing their bioequivalence and bioavailability. The Journal of Bioequivalence & Bioavailability aims to disseminate the results of such studies that most often either validate or negate the possibility of clinical implementation of pharmaceutical formulations. The importance of the journal lies in its direct implications in the clinical settings. Some of the most crucial articles published in the current issue of the journal are described in here. Development of drugs that have bioavailability similar to the prevalent ones is essential to ensure that there are sufficient alternative treatment options. The importance of such drugs is especially realized under circumstances where there is acute shortage of the said drug or when a patient is found to be showing side effects against the said drug. Hence, scientists are constantly engaged identifying novel pharmaceutical candidates and then testing their efficacy against analogous pharmaceutical formulations. There are two possible outcomes of such studies; either the new drug may match up or exceed in bioavailability and therapeutic efficacy or it may lack the said functions. If the outcome is positive then it is highly likely that the new drug will be further tested and used in the formulation of substitute medicines. The article published by Dolores et al. presented a study that was intended to check the bioavailability of acetylsalicylic acid formulations (Ecasil-81®, 81 mg coated tablet) to be used as antithrombotic agents. The results indicated that the test formulation was equivalent with that of the reference formulation and may thus be further studied and applied in clinical settings [1].