Characterisation of the absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion and mass balance of doravirine, a non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor in humans.

Absorption, distribution, metabolism and elimination of doravirine (MK-1439), a novel non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor, were investigated. Two clinical trials were conducted in healthy subjects: an oral single dose [14 C]doravirine (350 mg, ∼200 µCi) trial (n = 6) and an intravenous (IV) single-dose doravirine (100 µg) trial (n = 12). In vitro metabolism, protein binding, apparent permeability and P-glycoprotein (P-gp) transport studies were conducted to complement the clinical trials. Following oral [14 C]doravirine administration, all of the administered dose was recovered. The absorbed dose was eliminated primarily via metabolism. An oxidative metabolite (M9) was the predominant metabolite in excreta and was the primary circulating metabolite (12.9% of circulating radioactivity). Following IV administration, doravirine clearance and volume of distribution were 3.73 L/h (95% confidence intervals (CI) 3.09, 4.49) and 60.5 L (95% CI 53.7, 68.4), respectively. In vitro, doravirine is not highly bound to plasma proteins (unbound fraction 0.24) and has good passive permeability. The metabolite M9 was generated by cytochrome P450 3A (CYP3A)4/5-mediated oxidation. Doravirine was a P-gp substrate but P-gp efflux is not expected to play a significant role in limiting doravirine absorption or to be involved in the elimination of doravirine. In conclusion, doravirine is a low clearance drug, primarily eliminated by CYP3A-mediated metabolism.

Designing an ADME liquid formulation with matching exposures to an amorphous dosage form.

Amorphous Solid Dispersion (ASD) based formulations have been frequently used to improve the bioavailability of poorly water soluble drugs, however, common processes to produce ASDs are not feasible for Absorption, Distribution, Metabolism and Excretion (ADME) studies with radio-labeled Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (API) due to the complications associated with radioactive material handling. Liquid formulations are routinely used to support the ADME studies, though bridging the bioperformance between a liquid formulation to the amorphous dosage form for poorly soluble compounds has not been well studied, and can be challenging due to the potentially rapid in vitro and in vivo recrystallization and precipitation. Here we report the development of a fit for purpose liquid formulation that could accommodate the radioactive API and provide comparable bioavailability relative to the amorphous formulation without the need for dose adjustment. A number of formulation approaches were explored and the prototype formulations were evaluated by dissolution and preclinical pharmacokinetic studies. A PolyEthylene Glycol 400 (PEG 400) based solution formulation impregnated with a polymer, HydroxyPropyl MethylCellulose Acetate Succinate-L (HPMCAS-L), was identified as the lead formulation. It was found that the bioavailability of the formulation can be compromised by the presence of undissolved crystalline seeds, and the inclusion of HPMCAS-L can mitigate this effect, as well as potentially facilitate the nanoparticle formation. During the study, it is also noted that although dissolution test is instrumental in the formulation development, the in vitro study over predicted the extent of in vivo precipitation for PEG 400 formulation containing no crystalline seeds.

Evaluation of the deformation behavior of binary systems of methacrylic acid copolymers and hydroxypropyl methylcellulose using a compaction simulator.

Methacrylic acid copolymers have been shown to enhance release of weakly basic drugs from rate controlling polymer matrices through the mechanism of microenvironmental pH modulation. Since these matrices are typically formed through a compaction process, an understanding of the deformation behavior of these polymers in there neat form and in combination with rate controlling polymers such as HPMC is critical to their successful formulation. Binary mixes of two methacrylic acid copolymers, Eudragit L100 and L100-55 in combination with HPMC K4M were subjected to compaction studies on a compaction simulator. The deformation behavior of the powder mixes was analyzed based on pressure-porosity relationships, strain rate sensitivity (SRS), residual die wall force data and work of compaction. Methacrylic acid copolymers, L100-55 and L-100 and the hydrophilic polymer, HPMC K4M exhibited Heckel plots representative of plastic deformation although L-100 exhibited significantly greater resistance to densification as evident from the high yield pressure values ( approximately 120MPa). The yield pressures for the binary mixes were linearly related to the weight fractions of the components. All powder mixes exhibited significant speed sensitivity with SRS values ranging from 21.7% to 42.4%. The residual die-wall pressures indicated that at slow speeds (1mm/s) and at lower pressures (<150MPa), HPMC possesses significant elastic behavior. However, the good compacts formed at this punch speed indicate significant plastic deformation and bond formation which is able to predominate over the elastic recovery component. The apparent mean yield pressure values, the residual die-wall forces and the net work of compaction exhibited a linear relationship with mixture composition, thereby indicating predictability of these parameters based on the behavior of the neat materials.

Microenvironmental pH modulation based release enhancement of a weakly basic drug from hydrophilic matrices.

For weakly basic drugs, pH-dependent solubility characteristics can translate into low and incomplete release of these drugs from sustained release formulations. The objective of this study was to quantitatively analyze the relationship between microenvironmental pH modulation and release enhancement of a weakly basic drug in the free base form. A prototype matrix system primarily consisting of trimethoprim (pK(a) 6.6), hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC), and a polymeric or nonpolymeric pH modulator was used. Incorporation of the methacrylic acid polymer, Eudragit L100-55 resulted in marginal release enhancement as the pH modulation effected by this polymer was attenuated by the basicity of the drug. Water uptake and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) studies suggested that Eudragit L100-55 incorporation also resulted in reduced water uptake and matrix permeability. The effect of nonpolymeric pH modulators on release enhancement was also studied. The lowering in microenvironmental pH by malic acid was sufficiently high and persistent to result in pH-independent release. A correlation plot between the experimentally determined microenvironmental pH, effected by the polymeric and nonpolymeric pH modulators, and percent drug release, exhibited good linearity with a correlation coefficient of 0.83; thereby, indicating that drug diffusion across the gel barrier is the predominating mechanism of release.

Assessment of NIR spectroscopy for nondestructive analysis of physical and chemical attributes of sulfamethazine bolus dosage forms.

The goal of this study was to assess the utility of near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy for the determination of content uniformity, tablet crushing strength (tablet hardness), and dissolution rate in sulfamethazine veterinary bolus dosage forms. A formulation containing sulfamethazine, corn starch, and magnesium stearate was employed. The formulations were wet granulated with a 10% (wt/vol) starch paste in a high shear granulator and dried at 60 degrees C in a convection tray dryer. The tablets were compressed on a Stokes B2 rotary tablet press running at 30 rpm. Each sample was scanned in reflectance mode in the wavelengths of the NIR region. Principal component analysis (PCA) of the NIR tablet spectra and the neat raw materials indicated that the scores of the first 2 principal components were highly correlated with the chemical and physical attributes. Based on the PCA model, the significant wavelengths for sulfamethazine are 1514, (1660-1694), 2000, 2050, 2150, 2175, 2225, and 2275 nm; for corn starch are 1974, 2100, and 2325 nm; and for magnesium stearate are 2325 and 2375 nm. In addition, the loadings show large negative peaks around the water band regions ( approximately 1420 and 1940 nm), indicating that the partial least squares (PLS) models could be affected by product water content. A simple linear regression model was able to predict content uniformity with a correlation coefficient of 0.986 at 1656 nm; the use of a PLS regression model, with 3 factors, had an r (2) of 0.9496 and a standard error of calibration of 0.0316. The PLS validation set had an r (2) of 0.9662 and a standard error of 0.0354. PLS calibration models, based on tablet absorbance data, could successfully predict tablet crushing strength and dissolution in spite of varying active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) levels. Prediction plots based on these PLS models yielded correlation coefficients of 0.84 and 0.92 on independent validation sets for crushing strength and Q(120) (percentage dissolved in 120 minutes), respectively.

An Extrusion Spheronization Approach to Enable a High Drug Load Formulation of a Poorly Soluble Drug with a Low Melting Surfactant.

Vitamin E tocopherol polyethylene glycol succinate (TPGS) is a non-ionic surface active agent, known to enhance the bioavailability of lipophilic compounds via wettability, solubility, and in some cases permeability enhancement. MK-0536 is an anti-retroviral drug with poor wettability and solubility and a high dose. Based on pharmacokinetic studies in dogs and humans, use of vitamin E TPGS in oral solid formulations of MK-0536 provides desired PK characteristics. The use of vitamin E TPGS, however, in solid dosage forms is limited because of the processing challenges resulting from its waxy nature and low melting temperature (∼37°C). The current study, for the first time, demonstrates the use of an alternative low pressure extrusion and spheronization approach to enable high loadings of the poorly soluble, poorly compactable drug and relatively high levels of vitamin E TPGS. This approach not only aided in mitigating processing challenges arising from most high energy process steps such as milling, compression, and coating, but also enabled a higher drug load formulation that provided superior bioperformance relative to a conventional high shear wet granulated formulation. An encapsulated dosage form consisting of pellets prepared by extrusion spheronization with 75% (w/w) MK-0536 and 10% (w/w) vitamin E TPGS was developed.

Influence of methacrylic and acrylic acid polymers on the release performance of weakly basic drugs from sustained release hydrophilic matrices.

Weakly basic drugs and their salts exhibit a drop in aqueous solubility at high pH conditions, which can result in low and incomplete release of these drugs from sustained release formulations. The objective of this study is to modulate matrix microenvironmental pH by incorporation of acidic polymers and thus enhance the local solubility and release of basic drugs in high pH environment. Two weakly basic drugs, papaverine hydrochloride and verapamil hydrochloride with widely different pKa and aqueous solubilities at the pH of interest (6.8), were investigated for their release from hydrophilic matrices and the effect of a methacrylic (Eudragit L100-55) and an acrylic acid polymer (Carbopol 71G), were studied. For papaverine HCl, release increased with an increase in the levels of the acidic polymer used. Direct measurement of matrix pH using microelectrodes illustrated that the mechanism of release enhancement was based on modulation of microenvironmental pH. For verapamil HCl, incorporation of L100-55 resulted in release retardation due to an interaction between the anionic polymer and the cationic drug and the extent of retardation increased with an increase in the polymer level. The interaction product was characterized by NIR, FT-IR, and MTDSC techniques. Verapamil HCl release from Carbopol 71G based matrix tablets was higher than that from conventional hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) based matrices, without any incorporated acidic additives.

A thermogravimetric analysis of non-polymeric pharmaceutical plasticizers: kinetic analysis, method validation, and thermal stability evaluation.

Four non-polymeric plasticizers, propylene glycol, diethyl phthalate, triacetin, and glycerin have been subjected to rising temperature thermogravimetry for kinetic analysis and vaporization-based thermal stability evaluation. Since volatile loss of a substance is a function of its vapor pressure, the thermal stability of these plasticizers has been analyzed by generating vapor pressure curves using the Antoine and Langmuir equations. Unknown Antoine constants for the sample compounds, triacetin and glycerin have been derived by subjecting the vapor pressure curves to nonlinear regression. For the first time, the entire process of obtaining the unknown Antoine constants through thermogravimetry has been validated by developing an approach called the 'double reference method.' Based on this method, it has been possible to show that this technique is accurate even for structurally diverse compounds. Kinetic analysis on the volatilization of compounds revealed a predominant zero order process. The activation energy values for vaporization of propylene glycol, diethyl phthalate, triacetin, and glycerin, as deduced from the Arrhenius plots, have been determined to be 55.80, 66.45, 65.12, and 67.54 kJ/mol, respectively. The enthalpies of vaporization of the compounds have been determined from the Clausius-Clapeyron plots. Rising temperature thermogravimetry coupled with nonlinear regression analysis has been shown to be an effective and rapid technique for accurately predicting the vapor pressure behavior and thermal stability evaluation of volatile compounds.

Tabletability assessment of conventional formulations containing Vitamin E tocopheryl polyethylene glycol succinate.

Vitamin E tocopheryl polyethylene glycol succinate (TPGS) is known to enhance the bioavailability of poorly water-soluble drugs via solubility and permeability enhancement. Few studies have evaluated feasibility of formulating TPGS in conventional solid dosage forms such as tablets due to processing challenges resulting from its waxy nature and low melting point (approximately 37 degrees C). The objective of this study is to systematically investigate the tabletability of conventional high shear wet granulation (WG) formulations incorporated with Vitamin E TPGS. Impact of critical formulation variables such as levels of TPGS, hydroxypropyl cellulose (binder) and Prosolv (extragranular filler) on product quality attributes was studied using a full factorial experimental design. The potential influence of temperature elevation during processing was assessed through a heated die fitted onto a compaction simulator. Bilayer tabletability of the TPGS formulation was also assessed in combination with a secondary non-TPGS formulation. TPGS levels significantly impacted tensile strength (TS), disintegration time and dissolution. Heat sensitivity studies indicated that TS reduction upon exposure to heat was minimized by higher levels of extragranular fillers. Acceptable interfacial strength of bilayer tablets was achieved and tablets could be coated without the need for hydroalcoholic solutions. The study demonstrates preliminary feasibility to develop monolithic and bilayer coated tablet formulations containing up to 10% (w/w) TPGS for the given compound and drug load. Further studies are required to validate these findings at larger scales.