Development and validation of a specific stability indicating high performance liquid chromatographic method for rizatriptan benzoate.

A gradient, reversed-phase liquid chromatographic (RP-LC) method was developed for the quantitative determination of rizatriptan benzoate, used to treat relieves migraine headache symptoms. The developed method can be also employed for the related substance determination in bulk samples. Forced degradation studies were performed on bulk sample of rizatriptan benzoate using acid (0.5 N hydrochloric acid), base (0.1 N sodium hydroxide), oxidation (3.0% hydrogen peroxide), water hydrolysis, heat (60 degrees C) and photolytic degradation. Mild degradation of the drug substance was observed in base hydrolysis and considerable degradation observed during oxidative stress. The chromatographic method was fine tuned using the samples generated from forced degradation studies. Good resolution between the peaks corresponds to degradation products and the analyte was achieved on Agilent Zorbax SB-CN (250 mm x 4.6 mm, 5 microm) column. The mobile phase consists of a mixture of aqueous potassium di hydrogen ortho phosphate (pH 3.4), acetonitrile and methanol. The stress sample solutions were assayed against the qualified reference standard of rizatriptan benzoate and the mass balance in each case was close to 99.7% indicating that the developed method is stability indicating. Validation of the developed method was carried out as per ICH requirements.

A stability-indicating HPLC assay method for docetaxel.

A novel stability-indicating high-performance liquid chromatographic assay method was developed and validated for docetaxel in the presence of degradation products generated from forced decomposition studies. A gradient HPLC method was developed to separate the drug from the degradation products, using a Hichrom RPB HPLC column. Mixture of water and acetonitrile was used as mobile phase. The flow rate was 1.0 ml/min and the detection was done at 230 nm. Using the above method one can carry out the quantitative estimation of impurity namely DCT-1 and docetaxel. The developed gradient LC method was subsequently validated.

A validated chiral LC method for the enantiomeric separation of Zolmitriptan key intermediate, ZTR-5.

A new and accurate chiral liquid chromatographic method was described for the enantiomeric separation of ZTR-5 [(4S)-4-(4-aminobenzyl)-2-oxazolidinone, (S)-isomer], a key intermediate of Zolmitriptan in bulk drugs. The enantiomers of ZTR-5 were baseline resolved on a Chiralpak AD-H (250 mm x 4.6 mm, 5 microm) column using a mobile phase system containing hexane:ethanol (70:30, v/v). The resolution between the enantiomers was not less than four and interestingly distomer was eluted prior to eutomer. The limit of detection and limit of quantification of (4R)-4-(4-aminobenzyl)-2-oxazolidinone [(R)-isomer] were found to be 250 and 750 ng/ml, respectively, for 10 microl injection volume. The percentage recovery of (R)-isomer ranged from 92.0 to 105.6 in the bulk drug samples of ZTR-5. The validated method yielded good results regarding precision, linearity, accuracy and ruggedness. The proposed method was found to be suitable and accurate for the quantitative determination of (R)-isomer in bulk drug samples of ZTR-5.

A validated chiral LC method for the determination of zolmitriptan and its potential impurities.

A new, accurate and reliable chiral HPLC method was developed for the determination of Zolmitriptan, (4S)-4-[[3-[2-(dimethylamino)ethyl]-1H-indol-5-yl] methyl]-2-oxazolidinone an antimigraine agent and its potential impurities namely (4R)-4-[[3-[2-(dimethylamino)ethyl]-1H-indol-5-yl] methyl]-2-oxazolidinone [(R)-enantiomer] and (4S)-4-(4-aminobenzyl)-2-oxazolidinone (Imp-1) in pharmaceutical formulations and in bulk drugs. HPLC separation was carried out by normal phase chromatography with a mobile phase composed of hexane:isopropanol:methanol:diethylamine in the ratio (75:10:15:0.1, v/v/v/v) pumped at a flow rate of 1.0 ml/min on a Chiralpak AD-H column. Zolmitriptan and its potential impurities were baseline resolved in the optimized method. The presence of diethylamine in the mobile phase has played a key role in achieving chromatographic resolution between the enantiomers and also in enhancing chromatographic efficiency. The developed method was also found to be selective under exposed conditions UV light and 60 degrees C. The developed method was completely validated and proved to be robust. The values of the limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) of (R)-enantiomer and Imp-1 were 100, 250 ng/ml and 30, 1000 ng/ml, respectively, for 10 microl injection volume. The validated method yielded good results regarding selectivity, linearity, precision, accuracy and ruggedness. Zolmitriptan sample solution and mobile phase are found to be stable for at least 24 h. The proposed method was found to be suitable and accurate for the quantitative determination of Zolmitriptan and its impurities namely (R)-enantiomer and Imp-1 in bulk drugs and commercial formulations.

A stability indicating LC method for zolmitriptan.

A gradient, reversed-phase liquid chromatographic (RP-LC) assay method was developed for the quantitative determination of zolmitriptan, used to treat severe migraine headaches. The developed method is also applicable for the related substances determination in bulk drugs. The chromatographic separation was achieved on a Waters X Terra RP18, 250 mm x 4.6 mm, 5 microm column. The gradient LC method employs solutions A and B as mobile phase. The solution A contains a mixture of phosphate buffer pH 9.85:methanol:acetonitrile (70:20:10, v/v/v) and solution B contains a mixture of phosphate buffer, pH 9.85:acetonitrile (30:70). The flow rate was 1.0 ml/min and the detection wavelength was 225 nm. In the developed HPLC method, the resolution between zolmitriptan and its potential impurities, namely Imp-1, Imp-2 and Imp-3 was found to be greater than 3. The drug was subjected to stress conditions of hydrolysis, oxidation, photolysis and thermal degradation. Considerable degradation was found to occur in alkaline medium and oxidative stress conditions. Degradation product formed during base hydrolysis was found to be Imp-3. The stress samples were assayed against a qualified reference standard and the mass balance was found close to 99.5%. The developed RP-LC method was validated with respect to linearity, accuracy, precision and robustness.

A stability indicating LC method for rivastigmine hydrogen tartrate.

An isocratic, reversed-phase liquid chromatographic (RPLC) method was developed for the quantitative determination of Rivastigmine hydrogen tartrate, a cholinesterase inhibitor in bulk drugs and in pharmaceutical dosage forms. The developed method is also applicable for the related substance determination of Rivastigmine hydrogen tartrate in bulk drugs. The chromatographic separation was achieved on a Waters X Terra RP18 (250 mm x 4.6 mm, 5 microm) column using aqueous 0.01 M sodium-1-heptane sulphonate (pH: 3.0 with dilute phosphoric acid)-acetonitrile (72:28, v/v) as a mobile phase. The chromatographic resolution between Rivastigmine and its potential impurity, namely (S)-3-(1-dimethylaminoethyl) phenol (Imp 1) was found to be greater than four. Forced degradation studies were performed for Rivastigmine hydrogen tartrate bulk drug using acid (0.5 N hydrochloric acid), base (0.5 N sodium hydroxide), oxidation (3% hydrogen peroxide), heat (60 degrees C) and UV light (254 nm). No degradation was observed for Rivastigmine hydrogen tartrate except in base hydrolysis and the formed degradation product was found to be Imp 1. The mass balance of Rivastigmine hydrogen tartrate was close to 100 in all the stress conditions. The limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) of Imp 1 were found to be 100 and 300 ng/ml, respectively, for 10 microl injection volume. The percentage recovery of Imp 1 in bulk drug sample was ranged from 95.2 to 104.3. The active pharmaceutical ingredient was extracted from its finished dosage form (capsule) using water. The percentage recovery of Rivastigmine hydrogen tartrate was ranged from 99.2 to 101.3 and 98.6 to 101.5 in bulk and pharmaceutical formulation samples, respectively. Rivastigmine hydrogen tartrate sample solution and mobile phase were found to be stable for at least 48 h. The developed method was validated with respect to linearity, accuracy, precision, robustness and forced degradation studies prove the stability indicating power of the method.

A validated stability indicating ion-pair RP-LC method for zoledronic acid.

The present paper describes the development of a stability indicating high performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) assay method for zoledronic acid in the presence of its impurities and degradation products generated from forced decomposition studies. The drug substance was subjected to stress conditions of hydrolysis, oxidation, photolysis and thermal degradation. The degradation of zoledronic acid was observed under oxidative stress at higher temperature. The drug was found to be stable in other stress conditions attempted. Successful separation of the drug from the degradation products formed under stress conditions was achieved on a C18 column using a mixture of phosphate buffer that contains 7 mM tetra butyl ammonium hydrogen sulphate, an ion-pairing agent and methanol (95:5) as mobile phase. The developed HPLC method was validated with respect to response function, precision, accuracy, specificity and robustness. The developed HPLC method to determine the related substances and assay determination of zoledronic acid can be used to evaluate the quality of regular production samples. It can be also used to test the stability samples of zoledronic acid.

A validated chiral liquid chromatographic method for the enantiomeric separation of Rivastigmine hydrogen tartarate, a cholinesterase inhibitor.

A new and accurate chiral liquid chromatographic method was developed for the enantiomeric resolution of Rivastigmine hydrogen tartarate, (-)S-N-ethyl-3-[(1-dimethyl-amino)ethyl]-N-methylphenyl-carbamate hydrogen tartarate, a cholinesterase inhibitor in bulk drugs. The enantiomers of Rivastigmine hydrogen tartarate were baseline resolved on a Chiralcel OD-H (250 mm x 4.6 mm, 5 microm) column using a mobile phase system containing hexane: isopropanol: trifluoroacetic acid (80:20:0.2, v/v/v). The resolution between the enantiomers was not less than four and interestingly distomer was eluted prior to eutomer in the developed method. The presence of trifluoroacetic acid in the mobile phase has played an important role in enhancing chromatographic efficiency and resolution between the enantiomers. The developed method was extensively validated and proved to be robust. The limit of detection and limit of quantification of (R)-enantiomer were found to be 500 and 1500 ng/ml, respectively for 10 microl injection volume. The percentage recovery of (R)-enantiomer was ranged from 95.2 to 104.3 in bulk drug samples of Rivastigmine hydrogen tartarate. Rivastigmine hydrogen tartarate sample solution and mobile phase were found to be stable for at least 48 h. The proposed method was found to be suitable and accurate for the quantitative determination of (R)-enantiomer in bulk drugs. Chiralcel OJ-H column can also be used as an alternative for the above purpose.

LC determination and purity evaluation of nefazodone HCl in bulk drug and pharmaceutical formulations.

A simple, selective and reproducible reversed-phase liquid chromatography (LC) method has been developed for the quantitative determination of nefazodone hydrochloride (I) in the presence of its related impurities, namely 5-ethyl-4-(2-phenoxyethyl)-2H-1,2,4-triazol-3-(4H)one (II), 1-(3-chlorophenyl)-4-(3-chloropropyl) piperazine hydrochloride (III) and 1,1(1)-trimethylene-bis[4-(3-chlorophenyl) piperazine] hydrochloride (IV). The separation was achieved using an Inertsil ODS-3V (250 x 4.6 mm(2)) column and a mobile phase comprising 0.05 M KH(2)PO(4) (pH 3.0), acetonitrile and methanol in the ratio 50:40:10 (v/v/v). The method has been completely validated and proven to be rugged. The limit of detection and limit of quantification for impurities II, III and IV were found to be 50, 79 and 91 ng/ml, and 152, 240 and 280 ng/ml, respectively. The intra- and inter-day assay precision of the method was within 1.2% relative standard deviations. The developed method was applied to the pharmaceutical dosage form (Tablet, Serzone-R) and the percentage recoveries ranged from 99.1 to 100.7. The percentage recovery of impurities ranged from 96.2 to 108.9. The stability studies were performed for nefazodone solution placed on laboratory bench and in the refrigerator for 60 days. The method was proved to be stability indicating in solution.

Determination of lovastatin and simvastatin in pharmaceutical dosage forms by MEKC.

A micellar electrokinetic chromatographic (MEKC) method was developed for the quantification of lovastatin and simvastatin, cholesterol lowering agents in pharmaceutical dosage forms. Lovastatin and simvastatin were separated using an electrolyte system consisting of 12% acetonitrile (v/v) in 25 mM sodium borate buffer pH 9.3 containing 25 mM sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) with an extended light path capillary (48.5 cm x 50 microm i.d, 40 cm to detector). The method has been validated and proven to be rugged. Calibration curves were linear over the studied ranges with correlation coefficients greater than 0.996. A limit of detection of 3.2 microg/ml and a limit of quantitation of 10.6 microg/ml were estimated for both the drugs. The proposed method was found to be suitable and accurate for the determination of these drugs in commercial formulations.

Determination of celecoxib, a COX-2 inhibitor, in pharmaceutical dosage forms by MEKC.

A micellar electrokinetic chromatographic (MEKC) method was developed for the quantification of celecoxib, a COX-2 inhibitor in pharmaceutical dosage forms within the total analysis time of 7 min. The method has been validated and proven to be rugged. The quantification was carried out at 35 degrees C and 25 kV, using a 25 mM borate buffer (pH 9.3), 25 mM sodium dodecyl sulphate with an extended light path capillary (48.5 cm x 50 micro I.D., 40 cm to detector). Calibration curves were constructed for celecoxib (0.2-0.6 mg/ml) by the internal standard method with 2-nitro aniline as an internal standard (coefficient of correlation greater than 0.999). The intermediate precision (between day precision) of migration times and peak area ratios of celecoxib to internal standard were 1.44 and 1.58% R.S.D., demonstrates good reproducibility of the method. The method was applied to a commercial celecoxib formulation (Revibra, 100 mg) and the percentage recoveries were ranged from 93.0 to 98.4%.

A validated LC method for the quantitative determination of celecoxib in pharmaceutical dosage forms and purity evaluation in bulk drugs.

A new reversed-phase, isocratic LC method was developed for the quantitative determination of COX-2 inhibitor celecoxib in bulk drugs and in pharmaceutical dosages. The proposed method is also applicable for the purity evaluation of celecoxib in bulk drugs. 5-Methyl 2-Nitro phenol has been used as internal standard for the quantitative determination of celecoxib. The method has been completely validated and proven to be rugged. The limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantitation (LOQ) for celecoxib impurities namely, 4-hydrazino benzene sulfonamide (Intermediate I) and 1-(4-methyl phenyl)-4,4.4-trifluro butan-1,3-dione (Intermediate II) were found to be 32.0 and 97 ng. respectively. The active pharmaceutical ingredient was extracted from its finished dosage form (capsule) using methanol. The percentage recoveries ranged from 90.7 to 93.8. The stability studies were performed for celecoxib solution placed on laboratory bench and in refrigerator for hundred days. The samples were found to be stable for the study period.

LC separation of ortho and meta isomers of celecoxib in bulk and formulations using a chiral column.

A normal phase, isocratic LC method was developed for the separation of positional isomers of celecoxib (I) using a chiral column, Chiralpak-AD. The method is useful for the quantification of ortho (II) and meta (III) forms in bulk drugs and formulation samples of celecoxib. The method has been completely validated and proven to be rugged. The limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantitation (LOQ) of ortho and meta forms were found to be 38 ng and 116 ng respectively. The active pharmaceutical ingredient was extracted from its finished dosage form (capsule) using ethanol. The percentage recoveries of ortho isomer was found to be 99.8--102.7 and 97.8--103.2 and the percentage recoveries of meta isomer was found to be 99.3--102.6 and 99.7--104 in spiked bulk and formulation samples of celecoxib respectively.

A validated chiral LC method for the enantioselective analysis of Levetiracetam and its enantiomer R-alpha-ethyl-2-oxo-pyrrolidine acetamide on amylose-based stationary phase.

A new, simple chiral HPLC method was developed for the enantiomeric separation of Levetiracetam, [(S)-alpha-ethyl-2-oxo-pyrrolidine acetamide], an antiepileptic drug in pharmaceutical formulations and in bulk materials. Enantiomeric separation was achieved on a chiralpak AD-H column using a mobile phase consisting of hexane and isopropanol in the ratio (90:10, v/v) at a flow rate of 1.0 ml/min. The resolution between the enantiomers was found to be not less than 7 in the optimized method. Interestingly, unwanted enantiomer, namely R-alpha-ethyl-2-oxo-pyrrolidine acetamide ((R)-enantiomer), was eluted prior to its mirror image in the developed method. The developed method was found to be selective in the presence of related impurities of Levetiracetam, namely N-(1-carbamoyl-propyl)-4-chloro-butyramide (Imp-1) and 1-ethyl-2-oxo-1-pyrrolidine acetic acid (Imp-2), and also under exposed conditions of UV light and 60 degrees C. The limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) of (R)-enantiomer were found to be 900 and 2250 ng/ml, respectively, for 10 microl injection volume. The method precision for (R)-enantiomer at limit of quantification level was within 8% R.S.D. Calibration curve for (R)-enantiomer was linear over the studied ranges (2250-9000 ng) with correlation coefficient greater than 0998. The active pharmaceutical ingredient was extracted from its finished dosage form (tablet) using isopropanol. The percentage recoveries of (R)-enantiomer were ranged from 94.2 to 102.6 and from 93.5 to 104.1 in spiked bulk and formulation samples of Levetiracetam, respectively. Levetiracetam sample solution and mobile phase are found to be stable for at least 48 h. The developed method was found to be rugged and robust. The proposed method was found to be suitable and accurate for the quantitative determination of (R)-enantiomer in bulk drugs and commercial formulations. Chiralcel OD-H column can also be used as an alternative column for the above purpose.

Development of a RP-LC method for a diastereomeric drug valganciclovir hydrochloride by enhanced approach.

Two methods, prescribed in USP, for the analysis of related substances of valganciclovir hydrochloride drug substance, were evaluated in terms of selectivity and ease of use. A new, simple, selective, stability indicating and user friendly RP-LC method was developed for related substances analysis. The developed single method is capable of separating all known impurities, which are quantified by two methods of USP. A central composite design was applied to optimize the critical chromatographic parameters. A multi step gradient program was strategically designed and a part of the program was optimized through Design of Experiments. Separation was achieved with a Zorbax SB C18 column with 0.1% trifluoro acetic acid and methanol in gradient elution. Design space is proposed graphically for the robust operation of the method. The method is linear, precise and accurate from LOQ level to 150% level of specification limit of impurities. Simple modification in the gradient program with reduced run time is also proposed for assay and diastereomer ratio.

Development and validation of a stability indicating LC method for the assay and related substances determination of exemestane, an aromatase inhibitor.

A selective stability indicating HPLC method was developed and validated for quantification of impurities (process related and degradants) and assay determination of Exemestane. Stability indicating power of the method was established by forced degradation experiments and mass balance study. The chromatographic separation was achieved with Hypersil BDS-C-18 using gradient elution. The developed method is validated for parameters like accuracy, linearity, LOD, LOQ, ruggedness. Box-Behnken experimental design was applied to check the robustness of the method.