Abstract: AIM: To study thePharmacokinetics and relative bioavailablity of metformin tablets in Chinese healthy male volunteers.METHODS: Eighteen male healthy volunteers received 1000 mg metformin tablet orally according to a crossover design.Drug concentrations inPlasma were determined by highPerformanceliquid chromatography with cation-exchange technique.RESULTS: ThePharmacokineticParameters of tested and reference tablets were as follows:T_1/22.9±0.2 and 3.0±0.5 h,C_max1.8±0.5 and 1.7±0.3 mg·L^-1,T_max1.6±0.7 and 2.4±0.8 h,and AUC_0~128.6±1.9 and 8.6±2.0 mg·h^-1·L^-1.The relative bioavailability of metformin tablets was 102±14%.CONCLUSION: The tested and referencePreparations of metformin show bioequivalence.

Key words: pharmacology, metformin, HPLC, pharmacokinetics, bioequivalence