A comparative study of the pharmacokinetics of ibuprofen arginate versus dexibuprofen in healthy volunteers.

Ibuprofen arginate is a salt formulation of ibuprofen designed to reach target concentrations rapidly. The primary objective of this study was to compare the 12-h pharmacokinetic profile of S(+)-ibuprofen following administration of single doses of ibuprofen arginate (600 mg) and dexibuprofen (400 mg) in healthy volunteers. Twenty-four volunteers were recruited into an open-label, randomised, two-period, single-centre study with crossover design. Both treatments were well tolerated. Ibuprofen arginate and dexibuprofen showed similar bioavailability for S(+)-ibuprofen. Compared with dexibuprofen, ibuprofen arginate demonstrated a 45% higher maximum concentration (Cmax), and a time to peak concentration (Tmax) 2 h sooner. Ibuprofen arginate approaches maximum concentrations of S(+)-ibuprofen faster and higher than dexibuprofen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]