Edaravone Administered Orally and Via Nasogastric Tube in Healthy Adults: A Comparative Bioavailability Phase 1 Study

Intravenous edaravone is used to treat patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. This randomized, open-label, two-way crossover, single-dose phase 1 study compared the relative bioavailability of a newly developed edaravone oral suspension when administered orally and via a nasogastric tube (NGT) as a model of percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy tube administration in healthy adult subjects. Thirty-six subjects were randomly assigned to one of two groups, with 18 per group. Blood was collected pre- and post-dose for pharmacokinetic assessments; safety was evaluated. Plasma concentration-time profiles of unchanged edaravone were similar between administration routes. Comparative bioavailability analysis revealed that geometric least squares mean ratios (NGT/oral) for maximum plasma concentration and area under the plasma concentration-time curve from time zero to infinity of unchanged edaravone were 1.052 and 0.981, respectively. No serious adverse events or adverse drug reactions were reported. These results suggest that oral edaravone suspension can be administered directly to the stomach without dose adjustment via feeding tubes; both oral and NGT administration are well tolerated.