Dosage form index: an objective criterion for evaluation of controlled-release drug delivery systems.

A dimensionless parameter, the dosage form index (DLtau) is proposed for evaluating the performance of drug delivery systems. The index is defined as the ratio of the maximum to minimum concentrations of the drug in plasma within each interdose interval (in hours), tau, during repetitive administration of the dosage form in the quasisteady state. Dosage form indexes can be averaged among subjects or within subjects at successive time periods to arrive at a mean value. As an example, two GI therapeutic systems--the 15- and 20-mg/hr acetazolamide systems that deliver drug at constant rates for 6 and 12 hr and contain 125 and 250 mg, respectively--were compared in normal subjects with a commercial sustained-release product containing 500 mg of acetazolamide. The dosage form index, DI24, was 4.9 for the sustained-release dosage form and 3.2 for the 20-mg/hr system; DI12 was 1.6 for the 15-mg/hr system.