Study of degradation behavior of besifloxacin,characterization of its degradation products by LC–ESI–QTOF–MS and their in silico toxicity prediction

Knowledge and understanding of the stability profile of a drug is important as it affects its safety and efficacy. In the present work, besifloxacin, a new, fourth‐generation fluoroquinolone antibiotic, was subjected to different forced‐degradation conditions as per International Conference on Harmonization (ICH) guidelines such as hydrolysis (acid, base and neutral), oxidation, thermal and photolysis. The drug degraded under acidic, basic, oxidative and photolytic conditions while it was found to be stable under dry heat and neutral hydrolytic conditions. In total, five degradation products (DPs) were formed under different conditions—DP1 and DP2 (photolysis), DP3 (oxidation), DP4 (acidic), DP3 and DP5 (basic). The chromatographic separation of besifloxacin and its degradation products was achieved on a Sunfire C₁₈ (250 mm × 4.6 mm, 5 μm) column with 0.1% aqueous formic acid–acetonitrile as a mobile phase. The gradient RP‐HPLC method was developed and validated as per ICH guidelines. The degradation products were characterized with the help of LC–ESI–QTOF mass spectrometric studies and the most likely degradation pathway of the drug was proposed. In silico toxicity assessment of the drug and its degradation products was carried out, which indicated that DP3 and DP4 carry a mutagenicity alert.     

Separation and Characterization of New Forced Degradation Products of Macitentan: A Dual Endothelin Receptor Antagonist

Macitentan (MCT) is an endothelin receptor antagonist used for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension. In the present study, MCT was subjected to forced degradation as per ICH guidelines. The drug degraded extensively in acidic, basic as well as neutral hydrolytic conditions and seven degradation products (DPs) were formed. All these DPs were selectively separated using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with a stationary phase of Inertsil C₁₈ column (150 × 4.6 mm, 5 μm) and a mobile phase consisting of gradient mixture of 0.02% trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) and acetonitrile (ACN). The developed HPLC method was transferred to LC–ESI–QTOF–MS/MS for identification of DPs. The final mass spectrometric conditions were optimized for better ionization of drug and DPs with optimum mass signal sensitivity. All the formed DPs were new and well separated with sufficient resolution. The developed HPLC method was validated as per ICH-guidelines and can be used in drug testing labs for determination of quality of MCT in bulk and finished formulations.     

Characterization of degradation products of Ivabradine by LC‐HR‐MS/MS: a typical case of exhibition of different degradation behaviour in HCl and H2SO4 acid hydrolysis

A validated stability‐indicating HPLC method was established, and comprehensive stress testing of ivabradine, a cardiotonic drug, was carried out as per ICH guidelines. Ivabradine was subjected to acidic, basic and neutral hydrolysis, oxidation, photolysis and thermal stress conditions, and the resulting degradation products were investigated by LC‐PDA and LC‐HR‐MS/MS. The drug was found to degrade in acid and base hydrolysis. An efficient and selective stability assay method was developed on Phenomenex Luna C18 (250 × 4.6 mm, 5.0 µm) column using ammonium formate (10 mM, pH 3.0) and acetonitrile as mobile phase at 30 °C in gradient elution mode. The flow rate was 0.7 ml/min and detection wavelength was 286 nm. A total of five degradation products (I‐1 to I‐5) were identified and characterized by LC‐HR‐MS/MS in combination with accurate mass measurements. The drug exhibited different degradation behaviour in HCl and H₂SO₄ hydrolysis conditions. It is a unique example where two of the five degradation products in HCl hydrolysis were absent in H₂SO₄ acid hydrolysis. The present study provides guidance to revise the stress test for the determination of inherent stability of drugs containing lactam moiety under hydrolytic conditions. Most probable mechanisms for the formation of degradation products have been proposed on the basis of a comparison of the fragmentation pattern of the drug and its degradation products. In silico toxicity revealed that the degradation products ( I‐2 to I‐5 ) were found to be severe irritants in case of ocular irritancy. The analytical assay method was validated with respect to specificity, linearity, range, precision, accuracy and robustness. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Identification and characterization of stress degradation products of sumatriptan succinate by using LC/Q‐TOF‐ESI‐MS/MS and NMR: Toxicity evaluation of degradation products

Sumatriptan succinate, a selective 5‐HT1B receptor agonist, was subjected to forced degradation studies as per to International Conference on Harmonization‐specified conditions. The drug exclusively showed its degradation under basic, photolytic, and oxidative stress conditions, whereas it was found to be stable under acidic, thermal, and neutral conditions. Eight (DP‐1 to DP‐8) degradation products were identified and characterized by UPLC‐ESI/MS/MS experiments combined with accurate mass measurements. The effective chromatographic separation was achieved on Hibar Purospher STAR, C18 (250 × 4.6 mm, 5 μm) column using mobile phase consisting of 0.1% formic acid and methanol at a flow rate of 0.6 mL/minute in gradient elution method. It is noteworthy that 2 major degradation products DP‐3 and DP‐7 were isolated using preparative HPLC and characterized by advanced NMR experiments. The degradation pathway of the sumatriptan was established, which was duly justified by mechanistic explanation. In vitro cytotoxicity of isolated DPs was tested on normal human cells such as HEK 293 (embryonic kidney cells) and RWPE‐1 (normal prostate epithelial cells). This study revealed that they were nontoxic up to 100 μm concentration. Further, in silico toxicity of the drug and its degradation products was determined using ProTox‐II prediction tool. This study revealed that DP‐4 and DP‐8 are predicted for immune toxicity. Amine oxidase A and prostaglandin G/H synthase 1 are predicted as toxicity targets for DP‐3, DP‐4, and DP‐6 whereas DP‐1 and DP‐2 are predicted for amine oxidase A target.     

Development of stability-indicating method for separation and characterization of benidipine forced degradation products using LC–MS/MS

The present study describes forced degradation of benidipine (BEN) as per  Q1A (R2) and Q1B guidelines of the International Council for Harmonisation of Technical Requirements for Pharmaceuticals for Human Use. BEN degraded under hydrolysis (neutral, acidic, and alkaline), hydrogen peroxide induced oxidation, and UV light mediated photolytic degradation. A total of 14 degradation products (DPs) were found in all degradation studies, comprising 4 hydrolytic DPs, 8 oxidative DPs, and 4 photolytic DPs. A selective stability-indicating method was developed using an XBridge BEH C18 column with gradient elution program consisting of ammonium acetate (10 mM, 4.8 pH, acetic acid) and acetonitrile. The flow rate was maintained at 1 ml min⁻¹. All DPs were separated well using the developed HPLC method and were characterized using LC–MS/MS data. As this method is effective in identifying and separating BEN and its DPs with sufficient resolution, it can be used in laboratories for quality control of drugs in daily routine analysis and stability studies.     

Characterization of stress degradation products of benazepril by using sophisticated hyphenated techniques

Benazepril, an anti-hypertensive drug, was subjected to forced degradation studies. The drug was unstable under hydrolytic conditions, yielding benazeprilat, which is a known major degradation product (DP) and an active metabolite. It also underwent photochemical degradation in acid and neutral pH conditions, resulting in multiple minor DPs. The products were separated on a reversed phase (C18) column in a gradient mode, and subjected to LC–MS and LC–NMR studies. Initially, comprehensive mass fragmentation pathway of the drug was established through support of high resolution mass spectrometric (HR-MS) and multi stage tandem mass spectrometric (MSⁿ) data. The DPs were also subjected to LC–MS/TOF studies to obtain their accurate masses. Along with, on-line H/D exchange data were obtained to ascertain the number of exchangeable hydrogens in each molecule. LC–¹H NMR and LC–2DNMR data were additionally acquired in a fraction loop mode. The whole information was successfully employed for the characterization of all the DPs. A complete degradation pathway of the drug was also established.     

Development of a stability indicating HPTLC method for the estimation of olanzapine in pharmaceutical dosage forms

We report herein an accurate, precise, and economical stability indicating high performance thin layer chromatographic (HPTLC) method developed to assess the safety of olanzapine in pharmaceutical formulations. Olanzapine was subjected to forced degradation studies to assess the effect of environmental conditions on its stability. Stress conditions such as hydrolysis under acidic and alkaline environment, degradation and oxidation by heat, light and air were used to study the stability of olanzapine. Mobile phase comprising of toluene: methanol (5:5 v/v) and aluminum plate pre-coated with silica gel 60 F₂₅₄ as a stationary phase were used for the development of chromatogram by HPTLC technique. Densitometric analysis of olanzapine carried out at 297 ​nm gave sharp symmetrical peak with R_f value of 0.50 and a satisfactory baseline resolution for all components. The drug was found to undergo degradation under acidic, alkaline and oxidative conditions. A single distinct peak in acidic and alkaline media while two peaks obtained as a result of oxidative degradation were well resolved along with the parent drug. The degradation products and parent drug showed significantly different R_f values. The developed HPTLC method gave quick and reproducible results for the olanzapine content in the tablets. The mean recoveries were 100.75% which confirms accuracy of the proposed method. The method was further validated for specificity, ruggedness and robustness. Based on the results, it can be suggested that the developed HPTLC method is quite efficient in separating the olanzapine from its degradation products; hence it can be used by pharmaceutical industries and regulatory bodies for the routine analysis of olanzapine in various pharmaceutical dosage forms.     

Forced degradation studies of norepinephrine and epinephrine from dental anesthetics: Development of stability-indicating HPLC method and in silico toxicity evaluation

Injectable solutions containing epinephrine (EPI) and norepinephrine (NE) are not stable, and their degradation is favored mainly by the oxidation of catechol moiety. As studies of these drugs under forced degradation conditions are scarce, herein, we report the identification of their degradation products (DP) in anesthetic formulations by the development of stability-indicating HPLC method. Finally, the risk assessment of the major degradation products was evaluated using in silico toxicity approach. HPLC method was developed to obtain a higher selectivity allowing adequate elution for both drugs and their DPs. The optimized conditions were developed using a C18 HPLC column, sodium 1-octanesulfonate, and methanol (80:20, v/v) as mobile phase, with a flow rate of 1.5 mL/min, UV detection at 199 nm. The analysis of standard solutions with these modifications resulted in greater retention time for EPI and NE, which allow the separation of these drugs from their respective DPs. Then, five DPs were identified and analyzed by in silico studies. Most of the DPs showed important alerts as hepatotoxicity and mutagenicity. To the best of our acknowledgment, this is the first report of a stability-indicating HPLC method that can be used with formulations containing catecholamines.     

Forced Degradation Study to Develop and Validate Stability-Indicating RP-LC for Quantification of Ropinirole Hydrochloride in Its Modified Release Tablets

A forced degradation study on ropinirole hydrochloride in bulk and in its modified release tablets was conducted under the conditions of hydrolysis, oxidation and photolysis in order to develop an isocratic stability-indicating LC-UV method for quantification of the drug in tablets. An impurity peak in standard solution was found to increase under acidic and neutral hydrolytic conditions while another degradation product was formed under alkaline condition. The drug and its degradation products were optimally resolved on a Hypersil C₁₈ column with mobile phase composed of diammonium hydrogen orthophosphate (0.05 M; pH 7.2), tetrahydrofuran and methanol (80:15:5% v/v) at a flow rate of 1.0 mL min^?1 at 30 °C using 250 nm as detection wavelength. The method was linear in the range of 0.05–50 μg mL^?1 drug concentrations. The %RSD of inter- and intra-day precision studies was <1. The system suitability parameters remained unaffected during quantification of the drug on three different LC systems. Excellent recoveries (101.59–102.28%) proved that the method was sufficiently accurate. The LOD and LOQ were found to be 0.012 and 0.040 μg mL^?1, respectively. Degradation behaviour of the drug in both bulk and tablets was similar. The drug was very unstable to hydrolytic conditions but stable to oxidative and photolytic conditions. The method can be used for rapid and accurate quantification of ropinirole hydrochloride in tablets during stability testing. Based on chemical reactivity of ropinirole in different media, the degradation products were suspected to be different from the known impurities of the drug.     

Development and Validation of a Stability Indicating HPLC Method for Determination of Granisetron

The aim of this study was to study the stress degradation of granisetron and analysis of the drug in the presence of its degradation products. Forced degradation studies were conducted on bulk sample using acidic, alkaline, oxidative, heat and photolytic conditions. Granisetron was relatively unstable under acidic, alkaline and oxidative conditions. Separation of granisetron and degradation products was achieved using a Nova‐Pak C₈ column and acetonitrile‐KH₂PO₄ 25 mM (75:25, v/v) as mobile phase with UV detection at 305 nm. The method was linear over the range of 0.2‐15 μg/mL granisetron (r² > 0.999). The within‐day and between‐day precision values were also in the range of 0.5‐4%. The proposed method was successfully applied for quantitative determination of granisetron in tablets and in vitro dissolution studies.     

Development of the Validated Stability-Indicating Method for the Determination of Vortioxetine in Bulk and Pharmaceutical Formulation by HPLC-DAD,Stress Degradation Kinetics Studies and Detection of Degradation Products by LC-ESI-QTOF-MS

Vortioxetine (VOR) is a new antidepressant drug used to treat major depressive disorder. In this work, a novel, simple, rapid, accurate, precise, selective, stability-indicating, and fully validated high-performance liquid chromatography method with diode array detection (HPLC-DAD) was developed to determine VOR in bulk and pharmaceutical formulations. A Polar-RP column was used, with a mobile phase consisting of acetonitrile (ACN), methanol (MeOH), acetate buffer pH 3.5, and addition of diethylamine (DEA) in the isocratic elution mode. Assessing the stability of the VOR is fundamental to guarantee the efficacy, safety, and quality of drug products. In this study, the VOR active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) and tablets were subjected to a detailed study of forced degradation, using several degrading agents (acid, alkaline, water, heat, light, and oxidation agents). The developed HPLC-DAD method allows the collection of all the essential data to determine degradation kinetics. It was found that the decomposition of vortioxetine is fragile towards oxidative conditions and photolysis, yielding the first-order and second-order kinetic reaction in the above stress conditions, respectively. The degradation products (DPs) were identified by the high-resolution liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization-quadrupole-time of flight-mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-QTOF-MS) method. The HPLC-DAD method was successfully applied for the quantification of VOR in tablets. Additionally, in silico toxicity prediction of the DPs was performed.     

Crystal Engineering of Stable Temozolomide Cocrystals

The antitumor prodrug temozolomide (TMZ) decomposes in aqueous medium of pH≥7 but is relatively stable under acidic conditions. Pure TMZ is obtained as a white powder but turns pink and then brown, which is indicative of chemical degradation. Pharmaceutical cocrystals of TMZ were engineered with safe coformers such as oxalic acid, succinic acid, salicylic acid, d,l ‐malic acid, and d,l ‐tartaric acid, to stabilize the drug as a cocrystal. All cocrystals were characterized by powder X‐ray diffraction (PXRD), single crystal X‐ray diffraction, and FT‐IR as well as FT‐Raman spectroscopy. Temozolomide cocrystals with organic acids (pK_a 2–6) were found to be more stable than the reference drug under physiological conditions. The half‐life (T_1/2) of TMZ–oxalic and TMZ–salicylic acid measured by UV/Vis spectroscopy in pH 7 buffer is two times longer than that of TMZ (3.5 h and 3.6 h vs. 1.7 h); TMZ–succinic acid, TMZ–tartaric acid, and TMZ–malic acid also exhibited a longer half‐life (2.3, 2.5, and 2.8 h, respectively). Stability studies at 40 °C and 75 % relative humidity (ICH conditions) showed that hydrolytic degradation of temozolomide in the solid state started after one week, as determined by PXRD, whereas its cocrystals with succinic acid and oxalic acid were intact at 28 weeks, thus confirming the greater stability of cocrystals compared to the reference drug. The intrinsic dissolution rate (IDR) profile of TMZ–oxalic acid and TMZ–succinic acid cocrystals in buffer of pH 7 is comparable to that of temozolomide. Among the temozolomide cocrystals examined, those with succinic acid and oxalic acid exhibited both an improved stability and a comparable dissolution rate to the reference drug.     

Optimization of mobile phase for the determination of Esomeprazole and related compounds and investigation of stress degradation by LC–MS

In this study, the objective was to investigate the degradation behavior of Esomeprazole under different recommended stress conditions according to International Conference on Harmonization of Technical Requirements for Registration of Pharmaceuticals for Human Use [1] by HPLC. Our research showed that the effect of mobile phase species on separation was significant for the determination of Esomeprazole and its related compounds. Successful separation of the drug from its related impurities and degradation products formed under different stress conditions was achieved using ammonium acetate buffer/ACN by a gradient elution. Compared with phosphate buffer/ACN, ammonium acetate buffer/ACN under same pH and gradient showed a great improvement in resolution due to the change of elution order. The drug was subjected to stress conditions including acidic, alkaline, oxidative, photolytic, and thermal conditions. Extensive degradation occurred in acidic and oxidative conditions, while mild degradation was observed in alkaline and photolytic conditions. Besides, it turned out the drug was extremely stable under thermal condition. The stability‐indicating LC–UV method was validated with respect to linearity, precision, accuracy, specificity, and robustness. The LC–MS method was also adopted for the characterization of degradation products. Based on the m/z values and fragmentation patterns, the degradation pathway of the drug has been proposed.     

A degradation study of cefepime hydrochloride in solutions under various stress conditions by TLC–densitometry

A rapid, accurate and sensitive thin‐layer chromatography (TLC) method with densitometric detection has been developed and validated for the determination of cefepime in pharmaceuticals. Chromatographic separation was achieved on a silica gel TLC F₂₅₄ plates with a mobile phase consisting of ethanol–2‐propanol–glacial acetic acid 99.5%–water (4:4:1:3, v/v). Densitometric detection was carried out at wavelength of 266 nm in reflectance/absorbance mode. The validation of the method was found to be satisfactory with high accuracy (from 99.24 to 101.37%) and precision (RSD from 0.06 to 0.36%). Additionally, the stability of cefepime in solution was investigated, including the effect of pH, temperature and incubation time. Favorable retention parameters (R_f, R_s, α) were obtained under the developed conditions, which guaranteed good separation of the studied components. The degradation process of cefepime hydrochloride was described by kinetic and thermodynamic parameters (k, t_0.1, t_0.5 and E_a). Moreover, the chemical properties of degradation products were characterized by the R_f values, absorption spectra, HPLC‐MS/MS and TLC‐densitometry analysis. As the method could effectively separate the active substance from its main degradation product (1‐methylpyrrolidine), it can be employed as a method to indicate the stability of this drug. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Study of the forced degradation behavior of prasugrel hydrochloride by liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry and liquid chromatography with NMR detection and prediction of the toxicity of the characterized degradation products

Prasugrel was subjected to forced degradation studies under conditions of hydrolysis (acid, base, and neutral), photolysis, oxidation, and thermal stress. The drug showed liability in hydrolytic as well as oxidative conditions, resulting in a total of four degradation products. In order to characterize the latter, initially mass fragmentation pathway of the drug was established with the help of mass spectrometry/time‐of‐flight, multiple stage mass spectrometry and hydrogen/deuterium exchange data. The degradation products were then separated on a C₁₈ column using a stability‐indicating volatile buffer method, which was later extended to liquid chromatography‐mass spectrometry studies. The latter highlighted that three degradation products had the same molecular mass, while one was different. To characterize all, their mass fragmentation pathways were established in the same manner as the drug. Subsequently, liquid chromatography‐nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy data were collected. Proton and correlation liquid chromatography with NMR spectroscopy studies highlighted existence of diastereomeric behavior in one pair of degradation products. Lastly, toxicity prediction by computer‐assisted technology (TOPKAT) and deductive estimation of risk from existing knowledge (DEREK) software were employed to assess in silico toxicity of the characterized degradation products.     

An Application of Quality by Design and Analytical Greenness Assessment Approach for the Development of Erlotinib Stability Indicating Method

Pharmaceutical regulators are worried about medication quality and stability since drug degradation may result in harmful chemicals. Erlotinib (ERL) is a tyrosine kinase inhibitor associated with the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) containing susceptible functional groups such as quinazoline and amine ketone, methoxy, and ethoxy leads to a reduction in pharmaceutical quality. According to the ICH-Q1A (R2) guideline, the goal of ERL stability studies is to establish its susceptibility to degradation under various environmental conditions. A novel isocratic stability–indicating liquid chromatography method has been developed using systemic quality by design (QbD) approach. The QbD strategy includes screening and optimization as phases. Placket Burman was used for primary parameters screening, and critical factors were optimized with response surface design. The prepared degradation samples (acid, base, neutral hydrolysis, oxidative, photolytic, and thermal) were separated using a Shimadzu GIST C18 column (250 mm?×?4.6 mm, 5 µm) with 15 mM ammonium formate: ACN (58:42% v/v) as mobile phase, 0.9 mL/min flow rate, and 246 nm wavelength, which was found to be LC–MS compatible. A total of six degradation products (DPs) were identified with the optimized chromatography method. The drug was sensitive toward acidic and basic hydrolysis, but it remained stable under neutral, oxidative, thermal, and photolytic stress conditions. The optimized method was sensitive, specific, and robust, with linearity ranging from 10 to 35 µg/mL, with a correlation coefficient (R²?=?0.9997). The analytical method greenness score was calculated and observed that the developed method is green.

     

MSn,LC‐MS‐TOF and LC‐PDA studies for identification of new degradation impurities of bupropion

Three new degradation impurities of bupropion were characterized through high performance liquid chromatography coupled to photodiode array detection and to time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry. Bupropion was subjected to the ICH prescribed stress conditions. It degraded to seven impurities (I–VII) in alkaline hydrolytic conditions which were optimally resolved on an XTerra C₁₈ column (250 × 4.6 mm, 5 µm) with a ternary mobile phase comprising ammonium formate (20 mm , pH 4.0), methanol and acetonitrile (75:10:15, v/v). The degradation impurities (III–V and VII) were characterized on the basis of mass fragmentation pattern of drug, accurate mass spectral and photodiode array data of the drug and degradation impurities. Compound V was found to be a known degradation impurity [1‐hydroxy‐1‐(3‐chlorophenyl)propan‐2‐one], whereas III, IV and VII were characterized as 2‐hydroxy‐2‐(3′‐chlorophenyl)‐3,5,5‐trimethylmorpholine, (2,4,4‐trimethyl‐1,3‐oxazolidin‐2‐yl)(3‐chlorophenyl)‐methanone and 2‐(3′‐chlorophenyl)‐3,5,5‐trimethylmorphol‐2‐ene, respectively. Compound III was a known metabolite of the drug. This additional information on the degradation impurities can help in the development of a new stability‐indicating assay method to monitor the stability of the drug product during its shelf‐life as well as in development of a drug product with increased shelf‐life. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Stability and degradation products of imipenem applying high‐resolution mass spectrometry: An analytical study focused on solutions for infusion

Carbapenems show recognized instability in aqueous solutions; therefore some care must be taken in their handling and preparation and their use in the hospital environment. The stability and degradation products of imipenem were investigated from conditions that simulate its clinical use. For this, a simple stability‐indicating method by HPLC‐DAD was validated with a focus on the quantitation of drug concentration remaining from infusion solutions (sodium chloride 0.9% and glucose 5%). The degradation products formed were identified by high‐resolution mass spectrometry (ESI‐Q‐TOF‐MS/MS), with detection of the [M + H]⁺ ions at m/z 318 (DP‐1), m/z 599 (DP‐2) and m/z 658 (DP‐3). The most probable elemental compositions were obtained with a high degree of confidence, where the error between the masses observed and calculated was 1.25 ppm for DP‐1, ?0.33 ppm for DP‐2 and 1.82 ppm for DP‐3. The DP‐1 degradation product resulted from cleavage of the β‐lactam ring; DP‐2 corresponded to the drug dimer; and DP‐3 was generated from the interaction between imipenem and cilastatin. The proposed method provides a safe and reliable alternative for the quantitation of imipenem, and the stability data obtained by ESI‐Q‐TOF help in understanding the drug behavior under the conditions of clinical use.     

Characterization of major degradation products of an adenosine A2A receptor antagonist under stressed conditions by LC‐MS and FT tandem MS analysis

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a very serious neurological disorder, and current methods of treatment fail to achieve long‐term control. SCH 420814 is a potent, selective and orally active adenosine A_2A receptor antagonist discovered by Schering‐Plough. Stability testing provides evidence of the quality of a bulk drug when exposed to the influence of environmental factors. Understanding the drug degradation profiles is critical to the safety and potency assessment of the drug candidate for clinical trials. As a result, identification of degradation products has taken an important role in drug development process. In this study, a rapid and sensitive method was developed for the structural determination of the degradation products of SCH 420814 formed under different forced conditions. The study utilizes a combination of liquid chromatography–tandem‐mass spectrometry (LC‐MS/MS) and Fourier Transform (FT) MS techniques to obtain complementary information for structure elucidation of the unknowns. This combination approach has significant impact on degradation product identification. A total of ten degradation products of SCH 420814 were characterized using the developed method. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.