Relative bioavailability of quinidine gluconate and quinidine sulfate in healthy volunteers

A comparison of the bioavailability of quinidine sulfate to quinidine gluconate tablets in a single-dose randomized cross-over design with 20 healthy volunteers shows that the sulfate salt is more rapidly absorbed and provides significantly greater peak concentrations 1 hour after administration as compared to the peak levels achieved with the gluconate salt at approximately 5 hours after administration. When adjusted for the actual amount of quinidine contained in each tablet, there was no significant difference in the amount of quinidine bioavailable. Since quinidine gluconate absorption is significantly slower than quinidine sulfate, a combination of the two dosage forms may be utilized in providing the loading dose. Based on the computer modeling and the clinical data accumulated by this laboratory (unpublished) over the past four years, quinidine gluconate, in the dosage form utilized in this study, provides more constant blood levels with smaller differences between the Cpmax and Cpmin than the sulfate when administered every 6 or 8 hours. Further controlled clinical studies are needed to confirm these observations in patients.