Cross-linking of poly (vinyl alcohol) films under acidic and thermal stress.

Poly (vinyl alcohol), PVA, a commonly used excipient to coat tablets, forms insoluble films in the presence of acids and thermal stress. This may lead to drug products failing to meet dissolution specifications over time. Studies were conducted to understand the effect of acid strength, processing conditions, and storage stress on the mechanism of insoluble film formation using PVA and OpadryⓇ II as model systems. Aqueous cast films, prepared by incorporating hydrochloric acid (HCl) into the coating solutions or exposing pre-cast "as is" films to HCl vapors, were used as surrogates to develop analytical methods. To understand effect of acid and processing on coatings, acidified OpadryⓇ II was spray coated onto inert cores under "wet" or "dry" conditions. Samples stored at 50-60 °C were analyzed for film disintegration to understand physical/chemical changes in the polymer. Rate and extent of insoluble films formation was dependent on the acid concentration and thermal stress. Analysis of the films indicated significant de-acetylation and ether bond formation in insoluble aqueous cast films. In contrast, acidified coated films showed only ether bond formation, which increased on stress, forming insoluble films. The reduction in the time to form insoluble films for "wet" versus "dry" coated films was rationalized by considering effect of coating, drying, and storage on the microstructure of acidified PVA and ether bond propagation. The results highlight the need to develop an in-depth understanding of the design space for PVA coated products and storage conditions in presence of acids.

Design, Synthesis, and Pharmacokinetic Evaluation of Phosphate and Amino Acid Ester Prodrugs for Improving the Oral Bioavailability of the HIV-1 Protease Inhibitor Atazanavir.

Phosphate and amino acid prodrugs of the HIV-1 protease inhibitor (PI) atazanavir (1) were prepared and evaluated to address solubility and absorption limitations. While the phosphate prodrug failed to release 1 in rats, the introduction of a methylene spacer facilitated prodrug activation, but parent exposure was lower than that following direct administration of 1. Val amino acid and Val-Val dipeptides imparted low plasma exposure of the parent, although the exposure of the prodrugs was high, reflecting good absorption. Screening of additional amino acids resulted in the identification of an l-Phe ester that offered an improved exposure of 1 and reduced levels of the circulating prodrug. Further molecular editing focusing on the linker design culminated in the discovery of the self-immolative l-Phe-Sar dipeptide derivative 74 that gave four-fold improved AUC and eight-fold higher Ctrough values of 1 compared with oral administration of the drug itself, demonstrating a successful prodrug approach to the oral delivery of 1.

Prediction of pH dependent absorption using in vitro, in silico, and in vivo rat models: Early liability assessment during lead optimization.

Weakly basic compounds which have pH dependent solubility are liable to exhibit pH dependent absorption. In some cases, a subtle change in gastric pH can significantly modulate the plasma concentration of the drug and can lead to sub-therapeutic exposure of the drug. Evaluating the risk of pH dependent absorption and potential drug-drug interaction with pH modulators are important aspects of drug discovery and development. In order to assess the risk around the extent of decrease in the systemic exposure of drugs co-administered with pH modulators in the clinic, a pH effect study is carried out, typically in higher species, mostly dog. The major limitation of a higher species pH effect study is the resource and material requirement to assess this risk. Hence, these studies are mostly restricted to promising or advanced leads. In our current work, we have used in vitro aqueous solubility, in silico simulations using GastroPlus™ and an in vivo rat pH effect model to provide a qualitative assessment of the pH dependent absorption liability. Here, we evaluate ketoconazole and atazanavir with different pH dependent solubility profiles and based on in vitro, in silico and in vivo results, a different extent of gastric pH effect on absorption is predicted. The prediction is in alignment with higher species and human pH effect study results. This in vitro, in silico and in vivo (IVISIV) correlation is then extended to assess pH absorption mitigation strategy. The IVISIV predicts pH dependent absorption for BMS-582949 whereas its solubility enhancing prodrug, BMS-751324 is predicted to mitigate this liability. Overall, the material requirement for this assessment is substantially low which makes this approach more practical to screen multiple compounds during lead optimization.

Impact of micromeritic properties of an active pharmaceutical ingredient on its compaction behavior.

Physical characteristics of an active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) can have a significant impact on the processability of a high drug loading formulation. This paper provides an example where different micromeritic properties of an API were obtained by crystallization under different conditions, resulting in different tableting behavior. While the API form purity was maintained during the crystallization process change, significant changes were incurred in the surface geometry, porosity and surface area of the API. The batches consisting of particles with greater surface irregularity and porosity gave tablets of higher mechanical strength.

Practical and economical implementation of online H/D exchange in LC-MS.

Structural elucidation is an integral part of drug discovery and development. In recent years, due to acceleration of the drug discovery and development process, there is a significant need for highly efficient methodologies for structural elucidation. In this work, we devised and standardized a simple and economical online hydrogen-deuterium exchange methodology, which can be used for structure elucidation purposes. Deuterium oxide (D2O) was infused as a postcolumn addition using the syringe pump at the time of elution of the analyte. The obtained hydrogen/deuterium (H/D) exchange spectrum of the unknown analyte was compared with the nonexchanged spectrum, and the extent of deuterium incorporation was delineated by using an algorithm to deconvolute partial H/D exchange, which confirmed the number of labile hydrogen(s) in the analyte. The procedure was standardized by optimizing flow rates of LC output, D2O infusion, sheath gas, and auxiliary gas using the model compound sulfasalazine. The robustness of the methodology was demonstrated by performing sensitivity analysis of various parameters such as concentrations of analyte, effect of matrices, concentrations of aqueous mobile phase, and types of LC modifiers. The optimized technique was also applied to chemically diverse analytes and tested on various mass spectrometers. Moreover, utility of the technique was demonstrated in the areas of impurity profiling and metabolite identification, taking pravastatin-lactone and N-oxide desloratidine, as examples.

Sustained release subcutaneous delivery of BMS-686117, a GLP-1 receptor peptide agonist, via a zinc adduct.

BMS-686117 is an 11-mer GLP-1 receptor agonist with a short intrinsic pharmacokinetic half-life (t(1/2)) of approximately 2h. In order to develop an extended release formulation for once-daily (QD) subcutaneous administration, a non-covalently bonded Zn/BMS-686117 adduct with very low aqueous solubility was prepared through mixing zinc acetate and BMS-686117 solutions, followed by filtration or spray drying. At pH 6.8, free BMS-686117 concentration decreased continuously with the increase of Zn:BMS-686117 ratio. Furthermore, free BMS-686117 concentration increases in the presence of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), indicating the reversibility of the zinc-peptide association. As solids, the glass transition temperature of Zn/BMS-686117 adduct increases with the increase of Zn:BMS-686117 ratio. A Zn/BMS-686117 adduct suspension, with a molar ratio of zinc:BMS-686117 of 3:1, was dosed subcutaneously to dogs along with two other solution formulations. The Zn/BMS-686117 adduct showed a prolonged BMS-686117 terminal t(1/2) of 8.5h, a mean residence time (MRT) of 16h, and a C(max) value 6-8 times lower than the solution formulations. Additionally, the Zn/BMS-686117 was encapsulated into poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) microspheres. The Zn/BMS-686117 microspheres showed an almost zero-order release profile in vitro for at least 18 days, with minimal initial burst, indicating the potential of using this approach for long-term sustained release.

Enhancement of oral bioavailability of an HIV-attachment inhibitor by nanosizing and amorphous formulation approaches.

BMS-488043 is an HIV-attachment inhibitor that exhibited suboptimal oral bioavailability upon using conventional dosage forms prepared utilizing micronized crystalline drug substance. BMS-488043 is classified as a Biopharmaceutics Classification System (BCS) Class-II compound with a poor aqueous solubility of 0.04mg/mL and an acceptable permeability of 178nm/s in the Caco2 cell-line model. Two strategies were evaluated to potentially enhance the oral bioavailability of BMS-488043. The first strategy targeted particle size reduction through nanosizing the crystalline drug substance. The second strategy aimed at altering the drug's physical form by producing an amorphous drug. Both strategies provided an enhancement in oral bioavailability in dogs as compared to a conventional formulation containing the micronized crystalline drug substance. BMS-488043 oral bioavailability enhancement was approximately 5- and 9-folds for nanosizing and amorphous formulation approaches, respectively. The stability of the amorphous coprecipitated drug prepared at different compositions of BMS-488043/polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) was evaluated upon exposure to stressed stability conditions of temperature and humidity. The drastic effect of exposure to humidity on conversion of the amorphous drug to crystalline form was observed. Additionally, the dissolution behavior of coprecipitated drug was evaluated under discriminatory conditions of different pH values to optimize the BMS-488043/PVP composition and produce a stabilized, amorphous BMS-488043/PVP (40/60, w/w) spray-dried intermediate (SDI), which was formulated into an oral dosage form for further development and evaluation.

Pulmonary delivery of a GLP-1 receptor agonist, BMS-686117.

Alternate delivery route of therapeutic peptides is an attractive non-invasive option to patients who must chronically self-administer their medication through injections. In recent years, much attention has centered on pulmonary peptide delivery of peptide drugs such as insulin and GLP-1 mimetic peptides in the treatment of type II diabetes. In this study, we assessed the feasibility of delivering BMS-686117, an 11-mer GLP-1 receptor peptide agonist, to the lung in rats via intratracheal administration. The pharmacokinetic profiles of three spray-dried, prototype inhaled powder formulations, 80/20 BMS-686117/trehalose (I), 100% BMS-686117 (II), and 20/80 BMS-686117/mannitol (III), as well as a lyophilized BMS-686117 powder, were compared with intravenously and subcutaneously administered peptide. The spray-dried formulations were mostly spherical particles with narrow particle size distribution between 2 to 10 microm, which are better suited for inhalation delivery than the lyophilized, irregular shape powder with a wide particle size distribution between 2 to 100 microm. Prototype III exhibited the best physical characteristics and in vivo performance, with bioavailability of 45% relative to subcutaneous administration. The T(max) for lung delivered peptide formulations were almost twice as fast as subcutaneous injection, suggesting potential for rapid absorption and onset of action. This study demonstrated that pulmonary delivery is a promising, non-invasive route for the administration of BMS-686117.

Estimation of drug solubility in polymers via differential scanning calorimetry and utilization of the fox equation.

The solubility of drugs in polyethylene glycol 400 (PEG 400) was estimated and rank ordered using a differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) method and the Fox Equation. Drug-polymer binary mixtures of six compounds (Ibuprofen, Indomethacin, Naproxen, and three proprietary compounds: PC-1 through PC-3) with PEG 400 were heat treated using a three-cycle DSC method to establish a correlation between equilibrium solubility and temperature. Thermal events such as heat of fusion, heat of recrystallization and glass transition temperature, T(g), were used to calculate the drug solubility at multiple higher temperatures through the Fox Equation. Subsequently, a van't Hoff plot was constructed to estimate the drug solubility at room temperature, and the values were compared with those measured by HPLC. With the exception of Naproxen, room temperature solubilities of the remaining drug compounds in PEG 400 were determined by this thermal method approach, and compared with those measured by HPLC: 26.7% vs. 24.7% for Ibuprofen, 5.8% vs. 9.6% for Indomethacin, 3.1 % vs. 1.5% for PC-1, 2.3% vs. 1.3% for PC-2, and 1.4% vs. 0.2% for PC-3 in PEG 400. There was good concordance in solubility rank order estimates between the two methods. These collective results support the potential utility of the thermal method as an alternative to other methods for estimation of drug solubility in polymers which is an important determinant in the design of physically-stable amorphous systems.

Formation of zinc-peptide spherical microparticles during lyophilization from tert-butyl alcohol/water co-solvent system.

PURPOSE: To understand the mechanism of spherical microparticle formation during lyophilizing a tert-Butyl alcohol (TBA)/water solution of a zinc peptide adduct. METHOD: A small peptide, PC-1, as well as zinc PC-1 at (3:2) and (3:1) ratios, were dissolved in 44% (wt.%) of TBA/water, gradually frozen to -50 degrees C over 2 h ("typical freezing step"), annealed at -20 degrees C for 6 h ("annealing step"), and subsequently lyophilized with primary and secondary drying. Zinc peptide (3:1) lyophile was also prepared with quench cooling instead of the typical freezing step, or without the annealing step. Other TBA concentrations, i.e., 25%, 35%, 54% and 65%, were used to make the zinc peptide (3:1) adduct lyophile with the typical freezing and annealing steps. The obtained lyophile was analyzed by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The zinc peptide solutions in TBA/water were analyzed by Differential Scanning Calorimeter (DSC). The surface tension of the TBA/water co-solvent system was measured by a pendant drop shape method. RESULTS: With typical freezing and annealing steps, the free peptide lyophile showed porous network-like structure that is commonly seen in lyophilized products. However, with increasing the zinc to peptide ratio, uniform particles were gradually evolved. Zinc peptide (3:1) adduct lyophiles obtained from 25%, 35% and 44% TBA exhibit a distinctive morphology of uniform and spherical microparticles with diameters of approximately 3-4 microm, and the spherical zinc peptide particles are more predominant when the TBA level approaches 20%. Adopting quench cooling in the lyophilization cycle leads to irregular shape fine powders, and eliminating the annealing step causes rough particles surface. When TBA concentration increases above 54%, the lyophiles demonstrate primarily irregular shape particles. CONCLUSIONS: A proposed mechanism of spherical particle formation of the 3:1 zinc peptide encompasses the freezing of a TBA/water solution (20-70% TBA) causing the formation of a TBA hydrate phase ("dispersed TBA hydrate"). Decreasing the temperature further causes the formation of a eutectic mixture between TBA hydrate ("eutectic TBA hydrate") and water. Due to its low aqueous solubility, the zinc peptide adduct accumulates in both of the dispersed and eutectic TBA hydrate phases to form a hydrophobic "oil" phase. Since the eutectic TBA hydrate phase is surrounded by ice, a "solid emulsion" forms to lower the interfacial energy, and gives rise to spherical zinc peptide particles upon solvent sublimation. Possibility of liquid-liquid phase separation during freeze-drying was also investigated, and no evidence was found to support this alternative mechanism.

Mechanistic investigation of Pluronic based nano-crystalline drug-polymer solid dispersions.

PURPOSE: To understand the mechanism of nano-crystalline drug formation in Pluronic (i.e., poly(ethylene oxide-block-propylene oxide) triblock copolymers) based drug-polymer solid dispersions. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Four polymers, Pluronic F127, F108, F68 and PEG 8000, which have different poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) and poly(propylene oxide) (PPO) ratio and chain length, were co-spray dried with BMS-347070, a COX-2 inhibitor, to form 50/50 (w/w) drug-polymer solid dispersions. The solid dispersions were analyzed by powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), modulated differential scanning calorimetry (mDSC), and hot-stage microscopy. Average size of drug crystallites in different polymers was calculated by the Scherrer equation based on peak-broadening effect in PXRD. Two other drug compounds, BMS-A and BMS-B, were also spray dried with Pluronic F127, and the solid dispersions were analyzed by PXRD and mDSC. RESULTS: The average size of BMS-347070 crystallites in PEG 8000, F127, F108 and F68 polymers was 69, 80, 98 and 136 nm, respectively, and the degree of BMS-347070 crystallinity is the lowest in PEG 8000. Hot-stage microscopy showed that 50/50 drug-polymer dispersions crystallized in a two-step process: a portion of the polymer crystallizes first (Step 1), followed by crystallization of drug and remaining polymer (Step 2). The T (g) value of the BMS-347070/Pluronic dispersions after Step 1 (i.e., T(g1)) was measured and/or calculated to be 15-26 degrees C, and that of BMS-347070/PEG 8000 was 60 degrees C. Solid dispersions of BMS-A and BMS-B in Pluronic F127 have T(g1) of 72 and 3 degrees C, respectively; and PXRD showed BMS-A remained amorphous after approximately 3 weeks under ambient condition, while BMS-B crystallized in F127 with an average crystallite size of 143 nm. CONCLUSIONS: The size of drug crystallites in the drug-polymer solid dispersions is independent of polymer topology, but is caused kinetically by a combined effect of nucleation rate and crystal growth rate. When drug-Pluronic solid dispersions crystallize at room temperature, that is close to the T(g1) of the systems, a fast nucleation rate and a relatively slow crystal growth rate of the drug synergistically produced small crystallite size. While the much higher T(g1) value of drug-PEG 8000 led to a slower nucleation rate and an even slower crystal growth rate at room temperature, therefore, small crystallite size and low drug crystallinity were observed. Results from BMS-A/Pluronic and BMS-B/Pluronic systems confirmed this kinetic theory.