Nitroglycerin Concentration in Plasma: Comparison Between Transdermal Therapeutic System and Ointment.

This double-blind cross-over study evaluates in 12 male volunteers the time course of nitroglycerin concentration in plasma with use of the TTS-nitroglycerin, a controlled-release transdermal dosage form for nitroglycerin, and compares the bioavailability of nitroglycerin delivered from the transdermal system with that from three successive applications of 0.5 inch of 2% nitroglycerin ointment placed at 8 hr intervals over 10 cm² of skin. The mean amounts of nitroglycerin available when subjects wore the TTS-nitroglycerin or received successive applications of ointment were 15.8 mg ± 1.8 (SE) and 9.8 mg±0.8, respectively. Mean plasma concentrations for both treatments ranged from 10–18 pg/ml-cm². The normalized areas under the curves — 353 and 410 pg/hr/ml-cm² respectively — did not differ significantly. The ratio of clearance from the two dosage forms was 0.98±0.12. All subjects experienced mild-to-moderate side effects of nitrate therapy with both dosage forms and also decrease in blood pressure and increase in heart rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]