Bioequivalence Trial of Liquid Versus Freeze-Dried Pergoveris® in Pituitary Suppressed Healthy Premenopausal Female Subjects

Some women cannot have children because they cannot produce enough follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinising hormone (LH). When this happens the ovaries fail to produce an egg during the menstrual cycle - a condition known as anovulation. Anovulation can be treated by giving replacement FSH and LH. Pergoveris is a medication that contains both FSH and LH. It is used for the treatment of anovulation in women who do not produce enough FSH and LH. A new, liquid formulation of Pergoveris is being tested in this study. It will be compared with the current freeze-dried marketed formulation to see if the new formulation gets into the blood stream as easily as the current formulation. This study will involve 38 healthy female subjects and 2 treatment periods and will last for approximately 77 days. Each subject will receive a single dose of the new liquid formulation and a single dose of the current marketed formulation separated by an interval of two weeks in a randomised (by chance) order. Blood samples will be taken at regular intervals over 2 weeks after each dose to measure levels of FSH and LH. To participate female subjects must have normal ovaries on internal ultrasound scan, a normal result from a cervical smear test, be taking the combined oral contraceptive (OC) pill. Eligible subjects will have their usual OC pill replaced with another called Marvelon throughout the study. After 14 days subjects will have their levels of FSH and LH checked and if sufficiently reduced will only then proceed to dosing. Subjects will then receive one of the formulations. An ultrasound scan of the ovaries will be performed 7 days later, and another one 7 days later just before the next dose. Subjects whose ovaries show signs of stimulation will not be given the second dose. The ultrasound scan will be repeated 7 days after the second dose.