The importance of impurity analysis in pharmaceutical products: an integrated approach

To purify a material and remove the excess impurities one should first recognize that whether they are actually present and what their nature is. In the past, this was not always done. But presently drug analysis and pharmaceutical impurities are the subjects of constant review in the public interest. The International Conference on Harmonisation (ICH) guidelines achieved a great deal in harmonizing the definitions of the impurities in new drug substances. It is necessary to perform all the investigations on appropriate reference standards of drug and impurities to get meaningful specifications. In order to meet the challenges to ensure high degree of purity of drug substances and drug products, a scheme is proposed for profiling drug impurity. Finally, analytical methods based on analytical instrumentation must be employed to quantitate drug substance and its impurities. Important aspects and suggestions related to drug analysis and pharmaceutical impurities are discussed.     

Synthesis,characterization and control of eight process-related and two genotoxic fingolimod impurities by a validated RP-UPLC method

An HPLC method has been described in the European Pharmacopoeia and United States Pharmacopeia for the determination of nine organic impurities (imp A–I) in fingolimod hydrochloride, a synthetic sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor modulator. The manufacturing process of fingolimod hydrochloride consists of multistep chemical synthesis wherein controls of precursors, intermediates and process steps should be performed to assure the final quality of the drug substance. We synthesized and isolated eight process-related impurities (FINI imp A–H) of fingolimod, which were different from the pharmacopoeial impurities. One unknown process-related impurity was found as a key intermediate (FINI) and was identified by LC–MS. Characterization of all of the impurities were done using spectroscopic techniques (¹H and ¹³C NMR, FTIR, MS), and the mechanistic pathways to the formation of these impurities were also discussed. Two of these impurities were evaluated as potential genotoxic impurities owing to their alerting structures and alkylating properties (alkyl sulfonates and alkyl halides, class 3, ICH M7). We also developed and validated an RP-UPLC method in line with ICH Q2 guidelines for control these impurities (FINI imp A–H) and to assure the pharmacopoeial quality drug substance.     

药物中磺酸酯类基因毒性杂质研究进展

该文概述了近10年来有关药物中基因毒性杂质监管指南的完善历程与相关检测方法的研究进展。介绍了基因毒性杂质从早期的完全避免到目前的阶段化毒理学关注阈值（TTC）的风险控制理念以及各主流监管机构的具体要求。作为一类重要的基因毒性杂质,磺酸酯主要来源于磺酸及衍生物与低级醇（如甲醇、乙醇、异丙醇等）之间发生的副反应,具有化学结构类型多样化的特点。该文较为详尽地介绍了磺酸酯的形成机理和文献所采用的液相色谱法和气相色谱法,并对色谱方法的选择、预处理方式、衍生化方法及相应痕量水平的灵敏度和回收率等进行了评述。由此期望为合理控制药物中磺酸酯类基因毒性杂质,为保证药物的质量安全性提供有益的指导意见。     

Analysis of candidate anticancer drugs by thermospray high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry and by high-resolution mass spectrometry

Thermospray high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (TSP-HPLC-MS) and direct probe high-resolution MS was used to analyze four candidate anticancer drugs. The techniques were used to confirm the identity of the bulk drug and to identify impurities. Analysis by TSP-HPLC-MS resulted in molecular weight information from the separated components using as little as 50 ng of each drug. The high-resolution direct probe MS analysis provided additional structural information and possible empirical formulas for the parent drugs and their impurities. The use of both of these complimentary techniques proved to be very specific for the detection of the anticancer drugs and for postulating the identity of impurities.     

Development and validation of a stability-indicating reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography method for NPC 1161C, a novel 8-aminoquinoline anti-malarial drug

NPC 1161C (+/-8-[(4-amino-1-methylbutyl)amino-5-(3,4-dichlorophenoxy)-6-methoxy-4-methylquinoline succinate]) is a novel investigational antimalarial drug of interest for its in vivo oral potency, activity against blood and tissue stage parasites, favorable toxicity profile, long duration of action, and utility in both prophylaxis and treatment models. The pharmaceutical development of NPC 1161C warranted the availability of an assay for the detection and quantification of the drug and its separation from the impurities and degradation products. A simple and rapid stability-indicating reversed-phase HPLC method was developed and validated according to ICH guidelines. The method was found to be linear, precise and accurate. It also proved to be selective in the presence of impurities and degradation products during forced degradation studies. The method was found to be robust by factorial experimental design and was well within the recommended parameters of system suitability testing. Degradants of the drug during stress studies were also identified using high resolution mass spectrometry.     

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.     

The estimation and use of measurement uncertainty for a drug substance test procedure validated according to USP <1225>

The vision for metrology at the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) is for international recognition, harmonization, and official acceptance of all USP reference standards that are based on sound, scientific, metrological principles, such as measurement uncertainty (MU). Pharmaceutical testing laboratories will need to estimate the MU for their test procedures. This paper demonstrates how to estimate MU for a test procedure validated following the requirements in USP General Chapter <1225>, Validation of Compendial Procedures. The test procedure determines the assay and impurities for a pharmaceutical drug substance. Pharmaceutical manufacturing companies are required to test the drug substance used in their drug products. In this example, a new test procedure was developed and validated following the requirements in USP <1225>. The MU was estimated using the data from the test procedure validation. The MU estimate determined that the test procedure was fit for use with one determination, avoiding the expense of duplicate determinations. The MU estimate was used to set up decision rules for comparing test data to the assay and impurity specifications. The information from the MU estimate was used to monitor the routine use of the test procedure using control charts that assess accuracy and precision of each run based upon actual test procedure performance capability.     

A Stability-Indicating LC Method for Rimonabant

A simple, inexpensive and rapid isocratic LC method has been developed for the quantative determination of Rimonabant, an anti-obesity drug. The method can also be employed for the determination of Rimonabant and its impurities in the bulk drug. Degradation studies were performed on the bulk drug by heating to 60 °C, exposure to UV light at 254 nm, acid (0.5 N hydrochloric acid), base (0.5 N sodium hydroxide) and aqueous hydrolysis and oxidation with 3.0% v/v hydrogen peroxide. Considerable degradation was observed under oxidation conditions. Good resolution between the peaks corresponding to impurities produced during synthesis, degradation products and the analyte was achieved on a Phenomenex Gemini C18 LC column using a mobile phase consisting of a mixture of aqueous potassium dihydrogen phosphate (pH 3.0) and acetonitrile. The degradation samples were assayed against the reference standard of Rimonabant and the mass balance in each case was close to 99.5%. Validation of the method was carried out as per ICH requirements.     

High-Performance Liquid Chromatographic Study of Topiramate and Its Impurities

A new patented route for the synthesis and analysis of Topiramate has been developed. In order to determine the impurities in the active pharmaceutical ingredient, three HPLC methods: an isocratic elution method with RI detection, a gradient elution method with diode-array detection, an ion-chromatographic method with inverse UV and/or RI detection and an HPLC-MS method were applied. Inverse RI proved to be a very powerful and sensitive technique. It is demonstrated that MS detection can replace both RI and UV detection, only one method being required for non ionic impurities. The methods were validated according to the ICH Q2A and Q2B guidelines. The full set of validation criteria laid out by the international guidelines were satisfied. With these new validated methods, the pharmaceutical analysis requirements were met; the methods can be successfully applied for product evaluation and stability testing.

     

The analytical and chemometric procedures used to profile illicit drug seizures

Over the last 20 years there has been an increasing interest in the development of robust systems, both analytical and statistical, to enable the linkage of seizures of illicit drug to each other. Much of this work has concentrated on the analysis of synthetic drugs, such as amphetamine and its analogues. In recent years, the analysis of both organic and elemental impurities as well as isotope ratios has advanced the usefulness of the techniques available. The application of specific chemometric methods to the derived analytical data has begun to provide the possibility of robust methods by which the resultant information can be interrogated.     

Development and Validation of a New Analytical Method for the Determination of Related Components in Tolterodine Tartarate Using LC

A novel liquid chromatographic method has been developed, and validated for the determination of tolterodine tartarate, for its potential three impurities in drug substances and drug products. Efficient chromatographic separation was achieved on a C8 stationary phase (150 × 4.6 mm, 3.5 μm particles) with a simple mobile phase combination delivered in an isocratic mode at a flow rate of 0.8 mL min^?1 and quantitation was carried out using ultraviolet detection. Microwave assisted degradation procedure was employed for stress testing studies in addition to the conventional way of a refluxing method. The results of both studies were compared. In the developed LC method, the resolution between tolterodine and its three potential impurities was found to be greater than 2.0. Regression analysis shows an r value (correlation coefficient) greater than 0.999 for tolterodine and for its three impurities. This method was capable to detect all three impurities of tolterodine at a level below 0.0038% with respect to a test concentration of 0.5 mg mL^?1 for a 10 μL injection volume. The inter- and intra-day precisions for all three impurities and for tolterodine were found to be within 1.1% RSD at its specification level. The method has shown good, consistent recoveries for tolterodine (98.9–101.6%) and for its three impurities (94.5–103.0%). The test solution was found to be stable in the diluent for 48 h. The drug was subjected to stress conditions of hydrolysis, oxidation, photolysis and thermal degradation, as prescribed by ICH. Degradation was found to occur in alkaline stress condition, while the drug was stable to water hydrolysis, acid hydrolysis, oxidative stress, photolytic and thermal stress. The assay of stressed samples was calculated against a qualified reference standard and the mass balance was found close to 99.5%. Microwave degradations were very fast and comparable to the conventional way of the refluxing method. Robustness studies were carried out and suggested that system suitability parameters were unaffected by small changes in critical factors. The validated method was successfully applied for the determination of tolterodine tartarate in drug substances and drug products.     

Developing strategies for isolation of minor impurities with mass spectrometry-directed fractionation

Efficient and automated purification of new chemical entities/potential drug substances and isolation of minor impurities are important aspects of early drug discovery and development strategies, especially when combinatorial synthesis is applied. LC–MS controlled preparative LC and automated fraction collection have been developed for this purpose. The success of such an approach is greatly determined by the quality of the software controlling the application, the coordination between software and hardware, and the reliability of the hardware. The performance of a commercially-available LC–MS controlled autopurification system was evaluated by fractionating four impurities of buspirone as a model compound, eluting closely to the major component under both acidic and basic mobile-phase conditions. A purification strategy for these four components is proposed.     

An overview of the analytical characterization of nanostructured drug delivery systems: Towards green and sustainable pharmaceuticals: A review

The analytical characterization of drug delivery systems prepared by means of green manufacturing technologies using CO₂ as a processing fluid is here reviewed. The assessment of the performance of nanopharmaceuticals designed for controlled drug release may result in a complex analytical issue and multidisciplinary studies focused on the evaluation of physicochemical, morphological and textural properties of the products may be required. The determination of the drug content as well as the detection of impurities and solvent residues are often carried out by chromatography. Assays on solid state samples relying on X-ray, vibrational and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopies are of great interests to study the composition and structure of pharmaceutical forms. The morphology and size of particles are commonly checked by microscopy and complementary chemical information can be extracted in combination with spectroscopic accessories. Regarding the thermal behavior, calorimetric and thermogravimetric techniques are applied to assess the thermal transitions and stability of the samples. The evaluation of drug release profiles from the nanopharmaceuticals can be based on various experimental set-ups depending on the administration route to be considered. Kinetic curves showing the evolution of the drug concentration as a function of time in various physiological conditions (e.g., gastric, plasmatic or topical) are recorded commonly by UV–vis spectroscopy and/or chromatography. Representative examples are commented in detail to illustrate the characterization strategies.     

Data Formats for Elementary Gas Phase Kinetics,Part 1: Unique Representations of Species at the Molecular Level

Standardized electronic formats for data are needed to efficiently and transparently communicate the results of scientific studies. A format for the unique identification of chemical species is a requirement in the field of chemistry, and the IUPAC International Chemical Identifier (InChI) has been widely adopted for this purpose. The InChI identifier has proved to be very useful. The InChI identifier, however, is currently insufficient to uniquely specify some types of molecular entities at a detailed molecular level needed to fully characterize their chemical nature, to differentiate between chemically distinct conformers, to uniquely identify structures used in quantum chemical calculations, and to completely describe elementary chemical reactions. To address this limitation, we propose an augmented form of InChI, denoted as InChI–ER, which contains additional optional layers that allow the unique and unambiguous identification of molecules at a detailed molecular level. The new layers proposed herein are optional extensions of the existing InChI formalism and, like all other InChI layers, would not interfere with InChI identifiers currently in use. The focus of the present work is the better specification of required molecular entities such as rotational conformations, ring conformations, and electronic states. In companion articles, we propose additional reaction layers using an extended InChI format that will enable the unique identification of elementary chemical reactions, including specification of associated transition states, specification of the changes in bonds that occur during reaction, and classification of reaction types.     

Applications of LC/MS in structure identifications of small molecules and proteins in drug discovery

With advancements in ionization methods and instrumentation, liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS) has become a powerful technology for the characterization of small molecules and proteins. This article will illustrate the role of LC/MS analysis in drug discovery process. Examples will be given on high-throughput analysis, structural analysis of trace level impurities in drug substances, identification of metabolites, and characterization of therapeutic protein products for process improvement. Some unique MS techniques will also be discussed to demonstrate their effectiveness in facilitating structural identifications.     

A Validated, Specific, Stability-Indicating RP-LC Method for Analysis of Gatifloxacin in the Presence of Degradation Products and Process-Related Impurities

A validated, specific, stability-indicating reversed-phase liquid chromatographic method has been developed for quantitative analysis of gatifloxacin, its degradation products, and its process-related impurities in bulk samples and in pharmaceutical dosage forms. Forced degradation of gatifloxacin bulk sample was conducted in accordance with ICH guidelines. Acidic, basic, neutral, and oxidative hydrolysis, thermal stress, and photolytic degradation were used to assess the stability-indicating power of the method. Substantial degradation was observed during oxidative hydrolysis. No degradation was observed under the other stress conditions. The method was optimized using samples generated by forced degradation and sample solution spiked with impurities. Good resolution of the analyte peak from peaks corresponding to process-related impurities and degradation products was achieved on a C₁₈ column by use of a simple linear mobile-phase gradient prepared from mixtures of acetonitrile and an aqueous solution of sodium dihydrogen orthophosphate dihydrate and triethylamine adjusted to pH 6.5 with orthophosphoric acid. Detection was performed at 240 nm. Limits of detection and quantification were established for gatifloxacin and its process-related impurities. When the stressed test solutions were assayed by comparison with gatifloxacin working standard the mass balance was always close to 99.3%, indicating the method was stability-indicating. Validation of the method was performed in accordance with ICH requirements. The method was found to be suitable for checking the quality of bulk samples of gatifloxacin at the time of batch release and also during storage.     

Live biotherapeutic products: the importance of a defined regulatory framework

Probiotics have been defined as “Live microorganisms that when administered in adequate amounts confer a health benefit on the host”. This definition covers a wide range of applications, target populations and (combinations of) microorganisms. Improved knowledge on the importance of the microbiota in terms of health and disease has further diversified the potential scope of a probiotic intervention, whether intended to reach the market as a food, a food supplement or a drug, depending on the intended use. However, the increased interest in the clinical application of probiotics may require specific attention given their administration in a diseased population. In addition to safety, the impact of the type of product, in terms of quality, production method and, e.g., the acceptance of side effects, is now part of the current regulatory constraints for developers. In the European Union, foods are regulated by the European Food Safety Authority and drugs by the European Medicines Agency; in the United States, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) deals with both categories. More recently, the FDA has defined a new “live biotherapeutic products” (LBP) category, clarifying pharmaceutical expectations. Since 2019, the quality requirements for this category of drug products have also been clarified by the European Pharmacopoeia (Ph. Eur.). Similar to all products intended to prevent or treat diseases, LBPs will have to be registered as medicinal products to reach the market in the US and in Europe. In this area, regulatory authorities and the pharmaceutical industry will routinely use guidelines of the “International Council for Harmonization of Technical Requirements for Pharmaceuticals for Human Use” (ICH). Although ICH guidelines are not legally binding, they provide very important recommendations, recognized by almost all drug authorities in the world. In this review, we discuss some aspects of this regulatory framework, especially focusing on products with an intended use in a diseased or vulnerable target population.Subject terms: Biological therapy, Biologics     

Beyond the Capture of Circulating Tumor Cells: Next‐Generation Devices and Materials

Over the last decade, significant progress has been made towards the development of approaches that enable the capture of rare circulating tumor cells (CTCs) from the blood of cancer patients, a critical capability for noninvasive tumor profiling. These advances have leveraged new insights in materials chemistry and microfluidics and allowed the capture and enumeration of CTCs with unprecedented sensitivity. However, it has become increasingly clear that simply capturing and counting tumor cells launched into the bloodstream may not provide the information needed to advance our understanding of the biology of these rare cells, or to allow us to better exploit them in medicine. A variety of advances have now emerged demonstrating that more information can be extracted from CTCs with next‐generation devices and materials featuring tailored physical and chemical properties. In this Minireview, the last ten years of work in this area will be discussed, with an emphasis on the groundbreaking work of the last five years, during which the focus has moved beyond the simple capture of CTCs and gravitated towards approaches that enable in‐depth analysis.     

Liquid chromatography with ultraviolet absorbance–mass spectrometric detection and with nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometry: a powerful combination for the on-line structural investigation of plant metabolites

In order to discover new bioactive compounds from plant sources which could become new leads or new drugs, extracts should be submitted at the same time to chemical screening and to various biological or pharmacological targets. Metabolite profiling using hyphenated techniques such as LC/UV, LC/MS and more recently LC/NMR, quickly provides plenty of structural information, leading to a partial or a complete on-line de novo structure determination of the natural products of interest. As a complement to this approach, bioassays performed after LC/microfractionation of the extracts allow efficient localisation of the bioactive LC-peaks in the chromatograms. The combination of metabolite profiling and LC/bioassays provides the possibility of distinguishing between already known bioactive compounds (dereplication) and new molecules directly in crude plant extracts. Thus, the tedious isolation of compounds of low interest can be avoided and targeted isolation of new bioactive products or constituents presenting novel or unusual spectroscopic features can be undertaken. Several examples of rapid localisation of bioactive compounds, based on post-chromatographic bioautographic testing of LC/NMR microfractions and subsequent on-line identification will be illustrated. Application of hyphenated techniques for the efficient characterisation of labile constituents or constituents difficult to separate at the preparative scale will also be mentioned. The possibilities and limitations of LC/UV/NMR/MS and LC/bioassay as well as future development expected in this field will be discussed.     

食品药品检验机构仪器设备计量信息的标准化管理

建立食品药品检验机构仪器设备计量的信息化规范管理方法。总结了传统人工计量管理的弊端,提出计量信息化管理的流程,将计量信息化管理分为计量计划申报、计量应急申报、计量信息登记、计量结果确认4个步骤,详细介绍了4个步骤中信息管理的主要内容及注意事项。建立食品药品检验机构仪器设备计量信息化管理的标准化规程,可以为仪器设备计量信息的动态监管提供支持。