Bioavailability

Dipyridamole (DP) is an antiplatelet agent that shows decreased oral bioavailability with increased gastric pH that occurs with commonly prescribed antacids. An extended-release (ER) formulation of DP that employs tartaric acid to improve bioavailability of DP in the presence of elevated gastric pH was developed as a combination antiplatelet product with immediate-release ASA. This crossover-designed study examined the relative bioavailability of DP from the composite product compared to conventional DP tablets during reduced gastric acidity. Gastric pH was increased (pH > 4.0) in 20 healthy subjects with lansoprazole (30 mg/d for 5 days). Dipyridamole systemic exposure over 12 hours was compared after oral administration of a single composite ER capsule (200 mg DP + 25mg ASA) versus two 100-mg conventional DP tablets given 6 hours apart combined with 81 mg ASA.