Development of Novel Stability-Indicating Method for the Determination of Dimethindene Maleate and Its Impurities

A novel and selective stability-indicating liquid chromatographic method has been developed and validated for the analysis of dimethindene maleate, the related substance 2-ethylpyridine, and three degradation products. Dimethindene maleate was subjected to forced degradation study by acid and basic hydrolysis, oxidation, and thermal decomposition. Three degradation products that were formed during the forced degradation study were separated from dimethindene using a Zorbax SB CN column (150 × 4.6 mm; 5 μm); cyanopropyl-bonded stationary phase was applied for the first time for the separation of dimethindene and its impurities. The proposed method was validated and was found suitable for quality control and stability tests of pharmaceuticals containing dimethindene maleate.

     

Stability-Indicating LC Method for the Determination of Olmesartan in Bulk Drug and in Pharmaceutical Dosage Form

A novel stability-indicating LC assay method was developed and validated for quantitative determination of olmesartan in bulk drugs and in pharmaceutical dosage form in the presence of degradation products generated from forced degradation studies. An isocratic, reversed phase LC method was developed to separate the drug from the degradation products, using an Ace5-C18 (250 mm × 4.6 mm, 5 μm) column, and 50 mM ammonium acetate (pH-5.5 by acetic acid) and acetonitrile (70:30 v/v) as a mobile phase. The detection was carried out at the wavelength of 235 nm. The olmesartan was subjected to stress conditions of hydrolysis (acid, base), oxidation, photolysis and thermal degradation. Degradation was observed for olmesartan in acid, base and in 30% H₂O₂ conditions. The drug was found to be stable in the other stress conditions attempted. The degradation products were well resolved from the main peak. The percentage recovery of olmesartan ranged from (99.89 to 100.95%) in pharmaceutical dosage form. The developed method was validated with respect to linearity, accuracy (recovery), precision, specificity and robustness. The forced degradation studies prove the stability-indicating power of the method.

     

Stability-Indicating HPLC Method for the Determination of Cefcapene Pivoxil

The stability-indicating LC assay method was developed and validated for quantitative determination of cefcapene pivoxil in the presence of degradation products formed during forced degradation studies. An isocratic RP-HPLC method was developed with a Lichrospher RP-18 (250 mm × 4.6 mm, 5 μm) column and the mobile phase composed of 45 volumes of acetonitrile and 55 volumes of mixture composed of citric acid 10 mmol L^?1 and potassium chloride 18 mmol L^?1. The flow rate of the mobile phase was 1 mL min^?1. Detection wavelength was 270 nm and temperature was 30 °C. Cefcapene pivoxil, similar to other cephalosporins, was subjected to stress conditions of degradation in aqueous solutions including hydrolysis, oxidation, and thermal degradation. The method was validated with regard to linearity, accuracy, precision, selectivity, and robustness. The method was applied successfully for the determination of cefcapene pivoxil during kinetic studies in aqueous solutions (pH and thermal degradation) and in solid state (oxidative, thermal, and radiolytic degradation).     

Forced Degradation Study on Gliclazide and Application of Validated Stability-Indicating HPLC-UV Method in Stability Testing of Gliclazide Tablets

Forced degradation study on gliclazide was conducted under the conditions of hydrolysis, oxidation, dry heat and photolysis and an isocratic stability-indicating HPLC-UV method was developed and validated. All the seven degradation products (I–VII) formed under different conditions were optimally resolved on a C₁₈ column with mobile phase composed of 40% acetonitrile and 60% ammonium acetate solution (0.025 M, pH 3.5) at a flow rate of 0.25 mL min^?1 using 235 nm as detection wavelength. The method was linear between 5–500 μg mL^?1 drug concentrations. The %RSD of intra- and inter-day precision studies was <1 and <2% respectively. Excellent recoveries (99.81–100.97%) proved the method sufficiently accurate. Each peak resolved always with a resolution of >1.90 indicating the method to be rugged enough. The method was used to study the drug degradation behaviour under the forced conditions. Four degradation products (I–IV) were formed in 0.1 N HCl and water whereas only I and III were formed in 3% H₂O₂. Two new products V and VI in addition to I, III and IV were formed in 0.1 N NaOH. The drug was stable to thermal and photolytic decomposition. The degradation behaviour in water and 0.1 N NaOH was similar under dark and light conditions but a new product VII was formed in 0.01 N HCl in light. In general, the rate of degradation was accelerated by the light. The method was applied successfully in stability testing of gliclazide tablets.     

A Novel Ultra-High Performance Liquid Chromatography Method for the Determination of Erdosteine,Related Impurities and Degradation Products in New Effervescent Tablets

A novel and automated, stability-indicating, reversed phase ultra performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) method was developed and validated for the quantitative determination of erdosteine, its known impurities and two novel degradation products in a new pharmaceutical dosage form (effervescent tablets). The chromatographic separations were performed on a Waters Acquity UPLC HSS T3, 1.8 µm (2.1 mm?×?150 mm, I.D.) stainless steel column. The mobile phase consisted of 0.1% TFA in water and methanol under gradient elution conditions, at a flow rate of 0.29 mL/min, for the assay and impurities analysis. UV detection was set at a wavelength of 238 nm. Erdosteine raw material, placebo and effervescent tablets were subjected to forced degradation. The new degradation products (labeled OX1 and OX2) were found after oxidative treatment and characterized by ultra performance liquid chromatography mass spectrometry. The validation parameters such as linearity, limit of detection (LOD) and quantification (LOQ), accuracy, precision, specificity and robustness were highly satisfactory for all analyzed compounds. LOD (0.020 and 0.011–0.385 µg/mL for erdosteine and impurities, respectively) and LOQ values show the high sensibility of the method. Specificity of the method was confirmed by testing the matrix components. The validated method demonstrated to be suitable for routine quality control purposes and for routine stability studies of erdosteine in effervescent formulations.     

Study of the Degradation Kinetics of Carvedilol by Use of a Validated Stability-Indicating LC Method

The objectives of this investigation were to establish a validated stability-indicating LC method for assay of carvedilol and to study the degradation behaviour of the drug under different ICH-recommended stress conditions. Chromatographic separation was achieved on a C₁₈ column with 55:45 (%, v/v) acetonitrile–0.02 m phosphate buffer, pH 3.5, as mobile phase at a flow rate of 1.0 mL min^?1; detection was by UV absorbance at 242 nm. The method was validated for linearity, precision, accuracy, robustness, specificity, and sensitivity, with the bulk drug. The drug was subjected to forced degradation and peaks of all the degradation products were well resolved from that of the pure drug, with significantly different retention times, which indicates the specificity and stability-indicating properties of the method. First-order degradation kinetics of carvedilol were observed under acidic and alkaline conditions. When the utility of the method was verified by analysis of the drug in marketed tablets and a nano-emulsion formulation, the assay was found to be 98.60–99.61 and 99.52–99.87, respectively. These results indicate the method can be successfully used for routine analysis of carvedilol in the bulk drug and in pharmaceutical dosage forms.     

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.     

Validated LC Method for Simultaneous Analysis of Tramadol Hydrochloride and Aceclofenac in a Commercial Tablet

This paper describes development and validation of a high-performance liquid chromatographic method for simultaneous analysis of tramadol hydrochloride (TR) and aceclofenac (AC) in a tablet formulation. When the combination formulation was subjected to ICH-recommended stress conditions, adequate separation of TR, AC, and the degradation products formed was achieved on a C₁₈ column with 65:35 (v/v) 0.01 M ammonium acetate buffer, pH 6.5—acetonitrile as mobile phase at a flow rate of 1 mL min^?1. UV detection was performed at 270 nm. The method was validated for specificity, linearity, LOD and LOQ, precision, accuracy, and robustness. The method was specific against placebo interference and also during forced degradation. The linearity of the method was investigated in the concentration ranges 15–60 μg mL^?1 (r = 0.9999) for TR and 40–160 μg mL^?1 (r = 0.9999) for AC. Accuracy was between 98.87 and 99.32% for TR and between 98.81 and 99.49% for AC. Because degradation products were well separated from the parent compounds, the method was stability-indicating.     

Validated LC Method for Simultaneous Analysis of Tramadol Hydrochloride and Aceclofenac in a Commercial Tablet

This paper describes development and validation of a high-performance liquid chromatographic method for simultaneous analysis of tramadol hydrochloride (TR) and aceclofenac (AC) in a tablet formulation. When the combination formulation was subjected to ICH-recommended stress conditions, adequate separation of TR, AC, and the degradation products formed was achieved on a C₁₈ column with 65:35 (v/v) 0.01 M ammonium acetate buffer, pH 6.5—acetonitrile as mobile phase at a flow rate of 1 mL min⁻¹. UV detection was performed at 270 nm. The method was validated for specificity, linearity, LOD and LOQ, precision, accuracy, and robustness. The method was specific against placebo interference and also during forced degradation. The linearity of the method was investigated in the concentration ranges 15–60 μg mL⁻¹ (r = 0.9999) for TR and 40–160 μg mL⁻¹ (r = 0.9999) for AC. Accuracy was between 98.87 and 99.32% for TR and between 98.81 and 99.49% for AC. Because degradation products were well separated from the parent compounds, the method was stability-indicating.

     

Validated Stability-Indicating HPLC–DAD Determination of the Antihypertensive Binary Mixture of Carvedilol and Hydrochlorothiazide in Tablet Dosage Forms

A simple and selective HPLC with diode array detection stability-indicating method was developed for the simultaneous determination of the antihypertensive drugs carvedilol (CRV) and hydrochlorothiazide (HCT) in their combined formulations. Effective chromatographic separation was achieved using Zorbax SB-C8 column (4.6 × 250 mm, 5 μm) with gradient elution of the mobile phase composed of 0.025 M phosphoric acid and acetonitrile at a flow rate of 1 mL min^?1. The multiple wavelength detector was set at 242 nm for measurement of CRV and 271 nm for HCT. Quantification was based on measuring the peak areas. The cited drugs were resolved with retention times 4.9 and 6.7 min for HCT and CRV, respectively. Analytical performance of the proposed HPLC procedure was thoroughly validated with respect to system suitability, linearity, ranges, precision, accuracy, specificity, robustness, detection and quantification limits. The linearity ranges were 5–300 and 5–200 μg mL^?1 for CRV and HCT, respectively, with correlation coefficients >0.9996. Both drugs were subjected to stress conditions of acidic and alkaline hydrolysis, oxidation, photolysis and thermal degradation. The proposed method proved to be stability-indicating by resolution of the drugs from their forced degradation products. Moreover, specificity of the method was verified by resolution of both drugs from more than 20 pharmaceutical compounds of various medicinal categories. The validated HPLC method was applied to the analysis of the cited antihypertensive drugs in their combined tablet dosage forms. The proposed method made use of DAD as a tool for peak identity and purity confirmation.     

Stability-Indicating Liquid Chromatography–Spectrophotometric UV Method for the Simultaneous Determination of Marbofloxacin,Dexamethasone and Clotrimazole in a Liquid Pharmaceutical Dosage Form

A novel, simple and reliable reversed-phase liquid chromatography (LC)–spectrophotometric UV stability-indicating method was developed and validated for the simultaneous assay of marbofloxacin, clotrimazole and dexamethasone acetate in the presence of their impurities and degradation products in a pharmaceutical formulation for veterinary use. A C18 (75 × 4.6 mm, 4 µm) column was used with an acetonitrile–ammonium acetate mixture as mobile phase delivered with gradient elution. A diode-array detection was used in the 200–400 nm range and the detection wavelength was set at 260 nm. Validation carried out on the pharmaceutical dosage form, according to Veterinary International Conference on Harmonization guidelines, demonstrated excellent specificity, linearity, precision, accuracy and robustness. Excellent specificity with respect to vehicle and degradation products obtained after forced degradation (i.e., oxidation, acid, alkaline and thermal degradation) was demonstrated. As for linearity, the LC–UV assay method is applicable in the 0.180–0.420 mg mL⁻¹ concentration range for marbofloxacin (r ² = 0.99), 0.060–0.140 mg mL⁻¹ for dexamethasone acetate (r ² = 0.97) and 0.600–1.400 mg mL⁻¹ for clotrimazole (r ² = 0.98). Very good repeatability (RSD < 0.8 %) and inter-day precision (RSD < 2.5 %) were observed for all analytes. Accuracy was in the 93–104 %, 98–111 % and 99–108 % confidence interval (95 %) for marbofloxacin, dexamethasone acetate and clotrimazole, respectively. The variations (±20 %) of mobile phase flow rate and pH, and oven column temperature did not exhibit an impact on the analyte content accuracy, demonstrating the robustness of the method. The LC–UV method here developed and validated may be used routinely for quality control.

     

Identification and structural characterization of major degradation products of tapentadol by using liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry

Tapentadol, a centrally acting analgesic was subjected to hydrolysis (acidic, alkaline, and neutral), oxidation, photolysis, humidity, and thermal stress conditions as per International Conference on Harmonization prescribed guidelines. Tapentadol was found susceptible to oxidative stress that produced two major degradation products DP-I and DP-II. However, it was stable to hydrolysis, photolysis, and thermal stress conditions. A simple, sensitive, and accurate high-performance liquid chromatography stability-indicating assay method (liquid chromatography–mass spectrometer compatible) was developed and validated for identification and characterization of stressed degradation products of Tapentadol. The chromatographic separation of the drug and its degradation products were achieved on Inertsil ODS, C18 (250 × 4.6 mm, i.d., 5 µm) column using a 12.5 mM aqueous ammonium acetate buffer (with 0.2% triethyl amine and final pH of buffer was adjusted to 3.60 with glacial acetic acid): acetonitrile (75:25, v/v) as a mobile phase. The degradation products were characterized by liquid chromatography mass spectrometry and subsequently its fragmentation pathway as well as plausible mechanism for generation of degradation products was also proposed. The stability indicating high-performance liquid chromatographic method was validated with respect to linearity, precision, and accuracy.     

Study of Forced Degradation Behaviour of Brinzolamide Using LC–ESI–Q-TOF and In Silico Toxicity Prediction

Brinzolamide (BZA) is a topical ophthalmic drug which is generally used to lower the intraocular pressure during glaucoma. It was subjected to forced degradation studies under hydrolytic (acidic, basic), oxidative, photolytic and thermal stress conditions; the drug degraded significantly in hydrolytic and oxidative conditions, leading to the formation of seven degradation products in total. It was stable on exposure to light and dry heat in the solid state. An ultra-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) method was developed on a Waters CSH phenyl hexyl column (100 × 2.1 mm, 1.7 µm), using gradient elution of 0.1 % formic acid and methanol as mobile phase. The method was extended to quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (Q-TOF–MS) for the structural characterisation. All degradation products were comprehensively characterised by UHPLC–ESI/MS/MS experiments. The most probable mechanisms for the formation of degradation products were also proposed. In silico toxicity of the drug and its degradation products was determined using TOPKAT toxicity prediction software.

     

An Approach to Transfer Methods from HPLC to UHPLC Techniques in Some Carbapenems

Stability-indicating LC methods were developed and validated for the quantitative determination of doripenem, meropenem and tebipenem in the presence of their degradation products formed during forced degradation studies. Isocratic HPLC and UHPLC separations were performed with a core–shell Kinetex 1.7, 2.6 and 5 µm, all C18, 100A, 100 × 2.1 mm columns and the mobile phase composed of acetonitrile and 12 mmol L⁻¹ ammonium acetate in different ratios. The flow rates of the mobile phase were: 0.5 mL min⁻¹ for 1.7 µm column, and 1.0 mL min⁻¹ for 2.6 and 5 µm ones. Detection wavelength was 298 nm and temperature was set at 30 °C. All analysed drugs were exposed to stress conditions which caused their hydrolysis and thermal degradation. The methods were validated by evaluation of linearity, accuracy, precision, selectivity and robustness. Proposed methods were successfully applied for the determination of investigated antibiotics during kinetic studies in aqueous solutions and in the solid state. The advantages of chromatographic procedures which are based on the use of C18 stationary phases with different particle sizes in the analysis of selected carbapenems were discussed.

     

Validated Stability-Indicating HPLC–DAD Determination of the Antihypertensive Binary Mixture of Carvedilol and Hydrochlorothiazide in Tablet Dosage Forms

A simple and selective HPLC with diode array detection stability-indicating method was developed for the simultaneous determination of the antihypertensive drugs carvedilol (CRV) and hydrochlorothiazide (HCT) in their combined formulations. Effective chromatographic separation was achieved using Zorbax SB-C8 column (4.6 × 250 mm, 5 μm) with gradient elution of the mobile phase composed of 0.025 M phosphoric acid and acetonitrile at a flow rate of 1 mL min⁻¹. The multiple wavelength detector was set at 242 nm for measurement of CRV and 271 nm for HCT. Quantification was based on measuring the peak areas. The cited drugs were resolved with retention times 4.9 and 6.7 min for HCT and CRV, respectively. Analytical performance of the proposed HPLC procedure was thoroughly validated with respect to system suitability, linearity, ranges, precision, accuracy, specificity, robustness, detection and quantification limits. The linearity ranges were 5–300 and 5–200 μg mL⁻¹ for CRV and HCT, respectively, with correlation coefficients >0.9996. Both drugs were subjected to stress conditions of acidic and alkaline hydrolysis, oxidation, photolysis and thermal degradation. The proposed method proved to be stability-indicating by resolution of the drugs from their forced degradation products. Moreover, specificity of the method was verified by resolution of both drugs from more than 20 pharmaceutical compounds of various medicinal categories. The validated HPLC method was applied to the analysis of the cited antihypertensive drugs in their combined tablet dosage forms. The proposed method made use of DAD as a tool for peak identity and purity confirmation.

     

Stress Degradation Studies on Aripiprazole and Development of a Validated Stability Indicating LC Method

The present paper describes the development of a stability indicating reversed phase column liquid chromatographic method for aripiprazole in the presence of its impurities and degradation products generated from forced decomposition studies. The drug substance was subjected to stress conditions of aqueous hydrolysis, oxidative, photolytic and thermal stress degradation. The degradation of aripiprazole was observed under acid hydrolysis and peroxide. The drug was found to be stable to other stress conditions attempted. Successful separation of the drug from the synthetic impurities and degradation products formed under stress conditions was achieved on an Inertsil phenyl column using a mixture of 0.2% trifluoroacetic acid and acetonitrile (55:45, v/v). The developed LC method was validated with respect to linearity, accuracy, precision, specificity and robustness. The assay method was found linear in the range of 25–200 μg mL^?1 with a correlation coefficient of 0.9999 and the linearity of the impurities were established from LOQ to 0.3%. Recoveries of the assay and impurities were found between 97.2 and 104.6%. The developed LC method for the related substances and assay determination of aripiprazole can be used to evaluate the quality of regular production samples. It can also be used to test the stability samples of aripiprazole. To the best of our knowledge, the validated stability indicating LC method which separates all the impurities disclosed in this investigation was not published elsewhere.     

Analysis of Temocillin and Impurities by Reversed Phase Liquid Chromatography: Development and Validation of the Method

A robust, specific, precise and sensitive high-performance liquid chromatographic method has been described for purity control of temocillin. Chromatographic separation was achieved using a Symmetry C₁₈ (150 × 4.6 mm, 5 µm) column kept at 30 °C. The mobile phase consisted of a gradient mixture of mobile phases A (5 g/L solution of Na₂HPO₄·2H₂O, pH 7) and B (ACN-MeOH-H₂O, 50:10:40 v/v/v) pumped at a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min. UV detection was performed at 235 nm. The developed method was validated according to the ICH guidelines for its robustness, selectivity, sensitivity, precision and linearity. An experimental design was applied for the robustness study. Linearity was assessed both at impurity level in the range from LOQ to 10 % and assay level from 25 % to 150 % (0.6 mg/mL = 100 %). It is the first liquid chromatographic method described for the separation of temocillin and its potential impurities. It was possible to identify four degradation products from the forced degradation studies. The degradants do not interfere with the main peak and other known impurities showing that the method is specific and stability-indicating.     

UHPLC Study on the Degradation Profiles of Olopatadine Hydrochloride in Eye Drops Subjected to Heat and Filtration Methods of Sterilisation

A validated ultra-high performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) method has been proposed, validated and used for the determination of olopatadine hydrochloride degradation products in olopatadine 1 mg mL^?1 eye drops solution under the influence of two different sterilisation methods, heating and filtration, with good precision and accuracy. We found that the heat sterilization method yields a higher content of olopatadine hydrochloride degradation products in eye drops compared to unsterilized drug product or drug product sterilized by filtration, except for α-hydroxy olopatadine impurity, which remains stable with time and applied sterilization method. Contents of olopatadine related compound B shows a higher increase (from <0.005 to 0.044 %) when sterilised by heating than when subjected to aging and sterilization by filtration (increase up to 0.011 %). Similarly, total amount of all impurities is also increased from 0.13 to 0.49 % when the drug product is sterilised by heating instead of filtration (up to 0.39 %). Content of olopatadine related compound B and of all impurities is increased by aging, probably through thermal and oxidative degradation. Forced degradation studies were correlated with the sterilisation study and possible degradation pathways were identified. Olopatadine shows strong degradation under oxidative and moderate degradation under photolytic environment, with the olopatadine related compound B as the main degradation product. Sterilization of eye drops solution by filtration is recommended.     

Stability-Indicating Liquid Chromatography–Spectrophotometric UV Method for the Simultaneous Determination of Marbofloxacin,Dexamethasone and Clotrimazole in a Liquid Pharmaceutical Dosage Form

A novel, simple and reliable reversed-phase liquid chromatography (LC)–spectrophotometric UV stability-indicating method was developed and validated for the simultaneous assay of marbofloxacin, clotrimazole and dexamethasone acetate in the presence of their impurities and degradation products in a pharmaceutical formulation for veterinary use. A C18 (75 × 4.6 mm, 4 µm) column was used with an acetonitrile–ammonium acetate mixture as mobile phase delivered with gradient elution. A diode-array detection was used in the 200–400 nm range and the detection wavelength was set at 260 nm. Validation carried out on the pharmaceutical dosage form, according to Veterinary International Conference on Harmonization guidelines, demonstrated excellent specificity, linearity, precision, accuracy and robustness. Excellent specificity with respect to vehicle and degradation products obtained after forced degradation (i.e., oxidation, acid, alkaline and thermal degradation) was demonstrated. As for linearity, the LC–UV assay method is applicable in the 0.180–0.420 mg mL^?1 concentration range for marbofloxacin (r ² = 0.99), 0.060–0.140 mg mL^?1 for dexamethasone acetate (r ² = 0.97) and 0.600–1.400 mg mL^?1 for clotrimazole (r ² = 0.98). Very good repeatability (RSD < 0.8 %) and inter-day precision (RSD < 2.5 %) were observed for all analytes. Accuracy was in the 93–104 %, 98–111 % and 99–108 % confidence interval (95 %) for marbofloxacin, dexamethasone acetate and clotrimazole, respectively. The variations (±20 %) of mobile phase flow rate and pH, and oven column temperature did not exhibit an impact on the analyte content accuracy, demonstrating the robustness of the method. The LC–UV method here developed and validated may be used routinely for quality control.