A validated stability‐indicating ultra performance liquid chromatography method for the determination of potential process‐related impurities in eplerenone

A simple, sensitive, and accurate stability‐indicating analytical method has been developed and validated using ultra high performance liquid chromatography. The developed method is used to evaluate the related substances of eplerenone (EP). The degradation behavior of EP under stress conditions was determined, and the major degradants were identified by ultra high performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry. The chromatographic conditions were optimized using an impurity‐spiked solution, and the samples, generated from forced degradation studies. The resolution of EP, its potential impurities, and its degradation products was performed on a Waters UPLC BEH C₁₈ column (50 × 2.1 mm, 1.7 μm) by linear gradient elution using a mobile phase consisting of 10 mmol/L ammonium acetate adjusted to pH 4.5, methanol and acetonitrile. A photo‐diode array detector set at 245 nm was used for detection. The flow rate was set at 0.3 mL/min. The procedure had good specificity, linearity (0.02–3.14 μg/mL), recovery (96.1–103.9%), limit of detection (0.01–0.02 μg/mL), limit of quantitation (0.03–0.05 μg/mL), and robustness. The correction factors of the process‐related substances were calculated.     

Characterization of process‐related impurities including forced degradation products of alogliptin benzoate and the development of the corresponding reversed‐phase high‐performance liquid chromatography method

The characterization of process‐related impurities and forced degradants of alogliptin benzoate (Alb) in bulk drugs and a stability‐indicating HPLC method for the separation and quantification of all the impurities were investigated. Alb was found to be unstable under acid and alkali stress conditions and two major degradation products (Imp‐F and Imp‐G) were observed. The optimum separation was achieved on Kromasil C₁₈ (250 × 4.6 mm, 5 μm) using 0.1% perchloric acid (pH adjusted to 3.0 with triethylamine) and acetonitrile as a mobile phase in gradient mode. The proposed method was found to be stability indicating, precise, linear (0.10–75.0 μg/mL), accurate, sensitive, and robust for the quantitation of Alb and its process‐related substances and degradation products. The structures of 11 impurities were characterized and confirmed by NMR spectroscopy, MS, and IR spectroscopy, and the most probable formation mechanisms of all impurities were proposed according to the synthesis route.     

Identification,characterization, and high‐performance liquid chromatography quantification of process‐related impurities in vonoprazan fumarate

High‐performance liquid chromatography analysis of vonoprazan fumarate, a novel proton pump inhibitor drug revealed six impurities. These were identified by liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry. Further, the structures of the impurities were confirmed by synthesis followed by characterization by mass spectrometry, NMR spectroscopy, and infrared spectroscopy. On the basis of these data and knowledge of the synthetic scheme of vonoprazan fumarate, the previously unknown impurity was identified as 1‐[5‐(2‐fluorophenyl)‐1‐(pyridin‐3‐ylsulfonyl)‐1H‐pyrrol‐3‐yl]‐N‐methyldimethylamine, which is a new compound. The possible mechanisms by which these impurities were formed were also discussed. A high‐performance liquid chromatography method was optimized in order to separate, selectively detect, and quantify all process‐related impurities of vonoprazan fumarate. The presented method has been validated in terms of linearity, limits of detection, and quantification, and response factors and, therefore, is highly suitable for routine analysis of vonoprazan fumarate related substances as well as stability studies.     

A full-scale tracing study of “ghost peaks” encountered in impurity analysis of budesonide based on experimental operation inspection-liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry fingerprint-mechanism based stress studies integrated strategy

Budesonide is an active pharmaceutical ingredient used in various dosage forms of finished products for the treatment of asthma. During the process of drug development, unbiased analysis of related substances is of utmost significance for both pharmaceutical research and quality control purposes. In this work, the official method documented in the United States Pharmacopoeia was selected to determine the related substances of budesonide considering the pros and cons of critical chromatographic parameters, compared to the European Pharmacopoeia. In doing so, several unpredictable interference peaks, namely “ghost peaks”, were observed occasionally during analysis. A strategy that integrated information derived from experimental operation inspection, liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry fingerprint analysis, and mechanism-based stress studies was then proposed for comprehensively and quickly exploring those non-degradable and degradable peaks. Some ghost peaks were found to originate from nylon syringe filter, illumination, and alkali borosilicate glass high-performance liquid chromatography vials. Besides, degradation pathways under alkaline conditions were also unraveled through liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry qualitative analysis. Overall, an optimization of the analytical methodology based on the United States Pharmacopoeia for its application in impurity analysis of budesonide and corresponding formulations was carried out with the design of experiments, by which “ghost peaks” could be suppressed or prevented. The results obtained herein are not only crucial to studies on budesonide's stability or degradation kinetics but also contribute to clarifying the impurity research of other drugs.     

A validated stability-indicating RP-HPLC assay method for Amsacrine and its related substances

A validated specific stability indicating reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography method was developed for the quantitative determination of Amsacrine as well as its related substances determination in bulk samples, in presence of degradation products, and its process related impurities. Forced degradation studies were performed on bulk samples of Amsacrine as per International Conference on Harmonisation of Technical Requirements for Registration of Pharmaceuticals for Human use (ICH) prescribed stress conditions using acid, base, oxidative, thermal stress, and photolytic degradation to show the stability indicating power of the method. Significant degradation was observed during basic hydrolysis, slight degradation was observed in oxidative and thermal stress, and no degradation was observed in other stress conditions. The chromatographic method was optimized using the samples generated from forced degradation studies and the impurity spiked solution. Good resolution between the peaks corresponds to process-related impurities and degradation products from the analyte were achieved on Inertsil ODS column using the mobile phase consists a mixture of 1.0% triethyl amine in 20 mM potassium dihydrogen orthophosphate, with pH adjusted to 6.5, with ortho phosphoric acid in water and acetonitrile using a simple linear gradient. The detection was carried out at wavelength 248 nm. The mass balance in each case was in between 99.4% to 99.9%, indicating that the developed method was stability-indicating. Validation of the developed method was carried out as per ICH requirements. The developed method was found to be suitable to check the quality of bulk samples of Amsacrine at the time of batch release and also during its stability studies.     

Development and validation of a RP‐HPLC method for stability‐indicating assay of gemifloxacin mesylate including identification of related substances by LC‐ESI‐MS/MS, 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopy

A validated stability indicating RP‐HPLC assay of gemifloxacin mesylate was developed by separating its related substances on an Inertsil‐ODS3V‐C₁₈ (4.6 × 250 mm; 5 μm) column using 0.1% trifluoroaceticacid (pH 2.5) and methanol as a mobile phase in a gradient elution mode at a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min at 27°C. The column effluents were monitored by a photodiode array detector set at 287 nm. The method was validated in terms of accuracy, precision and linearity as per ICH guidelines. Forced degradation of gemifloxacin (GFX) was carried out under acidic, basic, thermal, photolysis and peroxide conditions and the degradation products were separated and characterized by ESI‐MS/MS, ¹H and ¹³C NMR spectroscopy. The method was successfully applied to the analysis of bulk drugs and the recoveries of gemifloxacin and impurities were in the range of 97.60–102.90 and 96.99–102.10%, respectively. No previous reports were found in the literature on identification of degradation products of gemifloxacin. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Peak purity assessment in a triple‐active fixed‐dose combination drug product related substances method using a commercial two‐dimensional liquid chromatography system

Pharmaceutical formulations containing multiple active components challenge the development of analytical methods, especially as the individual active ingredients diverge in their physicochemical properties. Establishing specificity, especially peak purity, is one of the major evaluation criteria when developing a related substances method for drug substances or products. Fixed‐dose combination products may not be amenable to common strategies for assessing peak purity, such as performing orthogonal separations, due to the complexity of the separation and/or diversity of the active ingredients. An alternate approach to evaluating peak purity is demonstrated for a triple‐active component fixed‐dose combination product under development. A commercially available automated two‐dimensional liquid chromatography system was used to perform a selective comprehensive multidimensional separation of an active ingredient peak. The first dimension performed the drug product impurity/degradant profiling method; the second dimension assayed these fractions using the drug substance profiling method, which was pseudo‐orthogonal to the first dimension. A total of 14 targeted fractions were sampled across the first dimension main peak, with 11 containing detectable analytes and the remaining fractions bracketing the main peak. This degree of sampling allowed profiling of a coeluting degradant present at a 0.2% w/w level throughout the main peak.     

Stability of mycophenolate mofetil in polypropylene 5% dextrose infusion bags and chemical compatibility associated with the use of the Equashield® closed‐system transfer device

Stability studies are necessary in healthcare settings as they facilitate fast, cost‐effective and efficient work related to batch manufacturing and availability of supplies. We studied the stability of 1–10 mg/mL mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) in polypropylene 5% dextrose infusion bags prepared from Cellcept^® and with a generic brand name (Micofenolato de Mofetilo Accord) at different storage temperatures. To ensure chemical compatibility during preparation, we also tested MMF sorption to the Equashield^® closed‐system drug transfer device used in this step. For this, a validated stability‐indicating high‐performance liquid chromatography method was developed for the quantification and identification of MMF in the infusion bags. The analytical selectivity of the assay was determined by subjecting an MMF sample to extreme values of pH, oxidative stress and heat conditions to force degradation. Protected from light, 1–10 mg/mL MMF in infusion polypropylene bags prepared from reconstituted Cellcept^® 500 mg or Accord 500 mg in 5% dextrose was stable for at least 35 days when stored at 2–8°C or between ?15 and ?25°C, and for 14 days when stored at 25°C. MMF loss owing to chemical sorption to the Equashield^® closed‐system drug transfer device set was negligible.     

Determination of lumiracoxib by a validated stability‐indicating MEKC method and identification of its degradation products by LC‐ESI‐MS studies

A stability‐indicating MEKC method was developed and validated for the analysis of lumiracoxib (LMC) in pharmaceutical formulations using nimesulide as the internal standard (IS). Optimal conditions for the separation of LMC and degradation products were investigated. The method employed 50 mM borate buffer and 50 mM anionic detergent SDS solution at pH 9.0. MEKC method was performed on a fused‐silica capillary (50 μm id; effective length, 40 cm) maintained at 30°C. The applied voltage was 20 kV and photodiode array (PDA) detector was set at 208 nm. The method was validated in accordance with the International Conference on Harmonisation requirements. The stability‐indicating capability of the method was established by enforced degradation studies combined with peak purity assessment using PDA detection. The degradation products formed under stressed conditions were investigated by LC‐ESI‐MS and the two degraded products were identified. MEKC method was linear over the concentration range of 5–150 μg/mL (r²=0.9999) of LMC. The method was precise, accurate, with LOD and LOQ of 1.34 and 4.48 μg/mL, respectively. The robustness was proved by a fractional factorial design evaluation. The proposed MEKC method was successfully applied for the quantitative analysis of LMC in tablets to support the quality control.     

Copper‐Catalyzed Heteroarylboration of 1,3‐Dienes with 3‐Bromopyridines: A cine Substitution

A method for the heteroarylboration of 1,3‐dienes is presented. The process involves an unusual cine substitution of 3‐bromopyridine derivatives to deliver highly functionalized heterocyclic products. Mechanistic studies are included that clarify the details of this unusual process.     

Validation of a Stability Indicating LC Method for Amiodarone HCL and Related Substances

A simple, rapid and sensitive isocratic high performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method has been developed for the estimation of purity and quantitative determination of Amiodarone HCl active pharmaceutical ingredient (API).The method describes a quantitative estimation of five process related impurities of Amiodarone HCl with a resolution of more than or near to 3.0 between each impurity. These five known related substances are estimated by a simple, rapid and accurate reverse phase isocratic HPLC method. The method has been validated for the determination of assay and related substances in Amiodarone HCl API, using a C₈ column. The elution is carried out using a mobile phase consisting of water-methanol-acetic acid with a pH 5.8. For the quantitative determination of these relative substances, a relative response factors have been determined for all five related substances with respect to Amiodarone HCl. The precision (system precision, method precision and intermediated precision) is demonstrated for both the assay as well as related substances on six independent sample preparations. Accuracy of the method (recovery) is demonstrated for both Amiodarone and each of the five related substances. Specificity of the method is demonstrated by forced degradation study of Amiodarone HCl API under various stress conditions. The method is found to be stability indicating and useful for the analysis of assay and related substances of Amiodarone HCl API in a routine quality control laboratory and for the stability studies of drug substance.     

Comprehensive and quantitative stability study of ascorbic acid using capillary zone electrophoresis with ultraviolet detection and high‐resolution tandem mass spectrometry

Ascorbic acid is a powerful antioxidant compound involved in many biological functions, and a chronic deficiency is at the origin of scurvy disease. A simple, rapid, and cost‐effective capillary electrophoresis method was developed for the separation and simultaneous quantification of ascorbic acid and the major degradation products: dehydroascorbic acid, furfural, and furoic acid. Systematic optimization of the conditions was performed that enabled baseline separation of the compounds in less than 10 min. In addition to simultaneous quantification of ascorbic acid alongside to the degradation products, stability studies demonstrated the possibility using capillary electrophoresis to separate and identify the major degradation products. Thus, high‐resolution tandem mass spectrometry experiments were conducted in order to identify an unknown degradation product separated by capillary electrophoresis and significantly present in degraded samples. Comparison of mass spectrometry data and capillary electrophoresis electropherograms allowed to identify unambiguously trihydroxy‐keto‐valeraldehyde. Finally, capillary electrophoresis was successfully applied to evaluate the composition of different pharmaceutical preparation of ascorbic acid. Results showed the excellent performance of the capillary electrophoresis method due to the separation of excipients from the compounds of interest, which demonstrated the relevance of using an electrophoretic separation in order to perform comprehensive stability studies of ascorbic acid.     

Liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry method for the quantitation of mycophenolate mofetil in human plasma: Application to a bioequivalence study and metabolite identification

We established a sensitive, selective, and rapid analytical method for the quantitation and pharmacokinetic investigation of mycophenolate mofetil in human plasma. To our knowledge, this is the first method that characterizes presence of mycophenolate mofetil glucuronide in clinical samples through tandem mass spectrometry detection and resolves mycophenolate mofetil from its glucuronide metabolite. Liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry detection in positive ion mode was selected to provide optimal selectivity and sensitivity. Due to the ionizable characteristics of the mycophenolate mofetil, a mixed‐mode cation‐exchange disposable extraction cartridge was prudently chosen. The chromatographic separation was achieved on Luna^® C18(2) (100×4.60 mm) column using mobile phase consisting of a mixture of 1±0.05 mM ammonium formate in water, titrated to pH 3.1±0.1 with formic acid, and methanol (20:80, v/v), at a flow rate of 0.7 mL/min. The detection was led at m/z ratios of 434.4→ 114.2 and 438.4→ 118.3, for mycophenolate mofetil and mycophenolate mofetil‐D4, respectively. The developed method was linear between 40.2–4986.0 pg/mL. All validation parameters were within the defined limits. The validated method was then successfully applied for the evaluation of bioequivalence parameters of mycophenolate mofetil after an oral administration of 500 mg mycophenolate mofetil tablet to healthy male Indian volunteers.     

Simultaneous determination of aliskiren and hydrochlorothiazide from their pharmaceutical preparations using a validated stability‐indicating MEKC method

A stability‐indicating MEKC method was developed and validated for the simultaneous determination of aliskiren (ALI) and hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ) in pharmaceutical formulations using ranitidine as an internal standard (IS). Optimal conditions for the separation of ALI, HCTZ and its major impurity chlorothiazide (CTZ), IS and degradation products were investigated. The method employed 47 mM Tris buffer and 47 mM anionic detergent SDS solution at pH 10.2 as the background electrolyte. MEKC method was performed on a fused‐silica capillary (40 cm) at 28°C. Applied voltage was 26 kV (positive polarity) and photodiode array (PDA) detector was set at 217 nm. The method was validated in accordance with the ICH requirements. The method was linear over the concentration range of 5–100 and 60–1200 μg/mL for HCTZ and ALI, respectively (r²>0.9997). The stability‐indicating capability of the method was established by enforced degradation studies combined with peak purity assessment using the PDA detection. Precision and accuracy evaluated by RSD were lower than 2%. The method proved to be robust by a fractional factorial design evaluation. The proposed MEKC method was successfully applied for the quantitative analysis of ALI and HCTZ both individually and in a combined dosage tablet formulation to support the quality control.     

Stability‐indicating HPLC method for simultaneous quantification of 14 impurities in excedrin tablet formulations and identification of new impurity by LC–MS in accelerated stability studies

We developed novel stability‐indicating HPLC method for simultaneous estimation of 14 impurities in excedrin tablet, a formulation with a combination of acetaminophen, aspirin, and caffeine. In addition, a new impurity that was generated through degradation of aspirin at high temperatures during the accelerated stability conditions was positively identified and confirmed, using liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry technique. The HPLC method was optimized using the Inertsustain C₁₈, 250 × 4.6 mm, 5.0 μm column, employing simple gradient method. Forced degradation studies were performed under acidic, basic, oxidative and thermal conditions to prove the scope and stability‐indicating the nature of the method. The optimized method was validated as per the International Conference on Harmonization guidelines. The HPLC method showed linearity from LOQ concentration to 21 μg mL^?1. Precision and intermediate precision values were <5% RSD. The validated HPLC method is currently applied for the routine testing of excedrin tablet formulations in quality control laboratories.     

LC‐MS of streptomycin following desalting of a nonvolatile mobile phase and pH gradient

Streptomycin (SM) is composed of streptidine, streptose and N‐methyl glucosamine sugar moieties. For the determination of SM and its related substances, an ion‐pair LC‐UV detection method using a Supelcosil LC‐ABZ column was developed previously. While analyzing commercial samples, several unknown compounds were detected. Most of these compounds are not yet characterized. In this study, the above LC method was coupled to MS for impurity profiling in a selected commercial sample. However, it could not be directly coupled to MS due to the presence of the nonvolatile salt, buffer and ion‐pair reagent in the mobile phase. So, for structural characterization, each peak eluted from the nonvolatile eluent system was collected and transferred to MS after the desalting process. In total, 16 compounds were studied, 15 compounds including 12 unknowns could be identified.     

Separation and characterization of clindamycin phosphate and related impurities in injection by liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization mass spectrometry

A simple high‐performance liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometric (HPLC/ESI‐MS/MS) method has been developed for the rapid identification of clindamycin phosphate and its degradation products or related impurities in clindamycin phosphate injection. Detection was performed by quadrupole time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry (Q‐TOFMS) via an ESI source in positive mode. Clindamycin phosphate and its related substances lincomycin, 7‐epilincomycin‐2‐phosphate, lincomycin‐2‐phosphate, clindamycin B, clindamycin B‐2‐phosphate, and clindamycin were identified simultaneously by HPLC/ESI‐MS/MS results. Based on the MS/MS spectra of their quasi‐molecular ions, the fragmentation pathways of clindamycin phosphate and its related substances were compared and proposed, which are specific and useful for the identification of the lincosamide antibiotics and related impurities. The method was rapid, sensitive and specific and can be used to identify clindamycin phosphate and its related impurities in clindamycin phosphate injection without control compounds. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

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.     

Challenge Approach of an Inexpensive Electrochemical Sensor for Rapid Selective Determination of two Non‐classical β‐Lactams in Presence of Different Degradants and Interference Substances

An inexpensive stability−indicating anodic voltammetric method for rapid determination of two non‐classical β ‐lactam antibiotics; Meropenem (MP) and Ertapenem (EP) has been developed and validated. The method was based on the enhancement of voltammetric response at a disposable graphite pencil electrode (GPE). Differential pulse voltammetric (DPV) method was developed for quantification of both drugs in B−R buffer solution (pH 2.0) at GPE. The GPE displayed very good voltammetric behavior with significant enhancement of the peak current compared to glassy carbon electrode (GCE). Stress stability studies were performed using 0.5 M of either HCl or NaOH and H₂O₂. Mass and infrared spectroscopy were used for identification of degradants and their pathways were illustrated. Under optimal conditions, the peak currents showed a linear dependence with drug concentrations. The achieved limits of detection (LOD) were 1.23, 2.07 and 1.50 μM for MP and two waves of EP, respectively. The developed voltammetric method was successfully applied for direct determination of MP and EP in drug substances, pharmaceutical vials and in presence of either their corresponding hydrolytic, oxidative‐degradants or interfering substances with no potential interferences. The differential pulse voltammograms were highly advantageous and applicable in QC laboratories for rapid, selective micro‐determination of MP and EP.