Clarithromycin laurate salt: physicochemical properties and pharmacokinetics after oral administration in humans

Objective: To prepare and characterize the physicochemical and pharmacokinetic properties of clarithromycin laurate (CLM-L), a fatty acid salt of clarithromycin (CLM). Methods: CLM-L was prepared by a simple co-melting process. The formation of CLM-L was confirmed using FTIR, H-1 NMR, and C-13 NMR. Solubility, intrinsic dissolution rate (IDR), and partitioning properties of CLM-L were determined and compared to those of CLM. Bioavailability of CLM from CLM-L tablets was evaluated in healthy volunteers and compared to immediate release CLM tablets. Results: CLM-L showed lower aqueous solubility, higher partitioning coefficient, and slower dissolution rate. Tablets of CLM-L also showed a significantly slower in vitro release in comparison to CLM tablets. C-max, T-max and AUC(0 ->infinity) of CLM-L tablets and immediate release CLM tablets did not show a significant difference. However, the AUC(0 ->infinity) for the CLM-L tablets tended to be higher than that of CLM tablets at all-time points. Conclusion: CLM-L was successfully prepared and its formation was confirmed. CLM-L was more hydrophobic than CLM. It exhibited a slight in vivo absorption enhancement in comparison to CLM. However, its pharmacokinetic behavior was comparable to that of CLM.