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| Featured Article: Common Misconceptions about Bioequivalence and Bioavailability |
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This CE program focuses on addressing special considerations and misconceptions regarding bioavailability, bioequivalence and interchangeability of generic drugs. As stated in the Annual Report of Retail Pharmacy: Generics, (Chain Drug Review, August 20th), the market for branded and unbranded generics grew by 23% in 2006 and now accounts for at least 63% of all prescriptions dispensed. Although generics typically cost 30% to 80% less than their brand name counterparts and can save consumers billions of dollars annually, as pharmacists we must be fully aware of how dosage forms and patient variables can affect drug stability, dissolution capacity and absorption. As the drug experts, it is our responsibility to distinguish the difference between bioequivalence and bioavailability and be able to recognize problems know and/or purported to arise with bioequivalence and generic substitution. It is also incumbent upon us as health professionals, to understand critical patient and disease factors which can affect bioavailability for optimal product selection.
Some of the most common factors known to affect bioavailability are:
- Idiosyncratic differences in a patient's ability to absorb, metabolize and eliminate specific drug formulations
- PH of the gastro-intestinal tract
- Gastric emptying rate
- Intestinal motility
- GI tract perfusion
- Age, sex and weight
- Disease status and
- Drug-drug and drug-food interactions
In addition to these factors, the bioavailability of such drugs as Phenytoin, H2 antagonists and Tizanidine is known to differ according to the dosage form dispensed. Still other drugs such as warfarin and fluroquinolones can be significantly affected by food-drug interactions leading to the potential for pharmacokinetic variability in bioequivalence and bioavailability. Ultimately, this variability could result in a sub-therapeutic clinical outcomes and/or adverse affects.
To learn more about this and other excellent online CE programs for pharmacists and allied health professionals, please log onto RxSchool.com
 ArcMesa Educators is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education as a provider of continuing pharmacy education.
This home study web activity has been assigned a maximum of 1.0 contact hours (0.10 CEU's) and assigned the ACPE UPN: 200-999-06-022-H01
To receive CE credit for this course, please log onto
URL: www.rxschool.com
Email: info@rxschool.com |
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