| Abstract: |
Procainamide hydrochloride is an antiarrhythmic agent that is primarily used for the treatment or prevention of ventricular arrhythmias. It is commercially available as an intravenous solution and as immediate-release or sustained-release tablets and capsules. Patients with nasogastric or jejunostomy tubes who receive procainamide therapy must be given the drug in a liquid form. Patients who have difficulty swallowing solid dosage forms and need to take procainamide on a long-term basis may also require a liquid dosage form. Under these circumstances, the intravenous preparation or the immediate-release solid dosage forms are often used to prepare extemporaneous liquid formulations. However, no published data exist on the bioavailability or stability of these formulations. This study was designed to compare the bioavailability of a single oral dose of an extemporaneously prepared procainamide hydrochloride syrup with that of an equivalent dose of immediate-release procainamide hydrochloride capsules. |
