BackgroundFentanyl buccal tablet (FBT; FENTORA®, Cephalon, Inc., Frazer, PA, USA) is indicated in the US for breakthrough pain in patients with cancer who are already receiving and are tolerant to around-the-clock opioid therapy for underlying persistent cancer pain. For each individual patient, FBT should be titrated to the effective dose.ObjectiveThe primary objective was to characterize the pharmacokinetic parameters of FBT 400 µg administered as a single 400 µg tablet (regimen A) or as two 200 µg tablets given simultaneously (regimen B) and determine whether these are bioequivalent in healthy Japanese volunteers. Regimen C (two 200 µg tablets 30 minutes apart) was also compared as a secondary objective.MethodsHealthy Japanese adults received regimens A, B, and C in a crossover fashion. Naltrexone was given to minimize the opioid effects of fentanyl. Serum fentanyl concentrations were determined in venous blood collected through 36 hours post dose. Regimens were declared bioequivalent with respect to bioavailability (as reflected by AUC0–∞, AUC0–last, and Cmax) if the 90% confidence interval (CI) of the regimens' ratio fell within 0.80–1.25 (80%–125%).ResultsTwenty-nine volunteers (13 men, 16 women) were enrolled; 24 completed the study. Regimens A and B had bioequivalent systemic exposure parameters (B/A [90% CI]: AUC0–∞108.4 [103.4, 113.7], AUC0–last 106.1 [100.7, 111.7], and Cmax 92.3 [83.2, 102.4]). Regimen C was bioequivalent to both A and B for AUCs, but only to B for Cmax. Median time to Cmax was 45 minutes for regimen A and 60 minutes for regimens B and C. The most frequent AEs were dizziness, application-site erythema, headache, somnolence, nausea, and vomiting. All AEs were mild or moderate.ConclusionsBioavailability of fentanyl after FBT 400 µg administered as a single tablet was bioequivalent to that after 2 simultaneously administered 200 µg tablets in healthy Japanese volunteers. AEs were mild or moderate.