Pharmacokinetics and Bioavailability of Monomethyl Fumarate Following a Single Oral Dose of Bafiertam™ (Monomethyl Fumarate) or Tecfidera (Dimethyl Fumarate).

Background: Tecfidera (dimethyl fumarate [DMF]) is an approved product for the treatment of relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis. Monomethyl fumarate (MMF) is the only active metabolite of DMF and is responsible for its therapeutic efficacy.

Objective: The objective of this study was to determine whether two Bafiertam™ capsules each containing 95 mg of MMF is bioequivalent to one Tecfidera capsule containing 240 mg of DMF, a prodrug of MMF.

Methods: This was a single-dose, open-label, randomized, two-way crossover study evaluating two treatments over two periods with a washout interval between treatments. Fifty healthy subjects were randomized to receive a single dose of the test drug MMF 190 mg as 2 × 95 mg delayed-release capsules or the reference drug DMF 240 mg as a 1 × 240-mg delayed-release capsule. Blood samples were obtained prior to dosing and at prespecified time points through 24 h post-dose to determine plasma concentrations of MMF. The pharmacokinetic parameters of MMF were calculated including maximum observed concentration, time to reach maximum observed concentration, apparent half-life of the drug in plasma, AUC which is the area under the plasma concentration-time curve (AUC) from time zero (dosing time) to the last time point, t, with measurable analyte concentration, and AUC, which is AUC plus the extrapolated AUC from time t to infinity.

Results: The geometric least-squares mean ratios (90% confidence interval) of the test drug MMF vs the reference drug DMF were 96.80% (92.18-101.64), 96.35% (91.81-101.12), and 104.84% (95.54-115.05) for AUC, AUC, and maximum observed concentration, respectively. Two capsules of Bafiertam™ was safe and generally well tolerated. The most common adverse event for both products was flushing, 60% and 51%, for Bafiertam™ and Tecfidera, respectively.

Conclusions: Based on the statistical analysis results of the pharmacokinetic parameters of MMF, a single oral dose of two Bafiertam™ DR 95 mg capsules is bioequivalent to a single oral dose of one Tecfidera DR 240 mg capsule.

Clinical Trial Registration: This study was retrospectively registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT04570670) on 30 September, 2020.