Tolerability Assessment of Formulation pH in New Zealand White Rabbits Following Intravitreal Administration.

Development of intravitreal drugs presents several challenges due to the delicate ocular environment and volume constraints of what can be safely administered in the eye. Formulation development of intravitreally administered drugs may necessitate the use of nonphysiological pH in order to accommodate manufacturing processes or achieve favorable drug properties. Clinical and nonclinical data show that intravitreal drugs formulated in the pH 5.5 to 7.4 range are well tolerated. The aim of this study was to provide ocular toxicity data for formulations in the pH 4.0 to 5.5 range following intravitreal administration in New Zealand White rabbits. This range was evaluated as part of formulation development for an intravitreal drug that necessitated the use of pH outside the available tolerability data for formulations. Toxicity was assessed by ophthalmic examinations, intraocular pressure (IOP) measurement, clinical observations, body weights, and microscopic analysis of ocular tissue. Histidine chloride pH 5.0 to 5.5 and acetate chloride pH 4.0 to 5.0 solutions were well tolerated, and no test article-related ocular inflammation, IOP changes, or gross or microscopic findings were observed in any eye. The data presented here add to the knowledge of pH ranges that can be explored for intravitreal drug formulation development.

Stability of ranibizumab during continuous delivery from the Port Delivery Platform.

The Port Delivery System with ranibizumab (PDS) is an innovative intraocular drug delivery system that has the potential to reduce treatment burden in patients with retinovascular diseases. The Port Delivery Platform (PD-P) implant is a permanent, indwelling device that can be refilled in situ through a self-sealing septum and is designed to continuously deliver ranibizumab by passive diffusion through a porous titanium release control element. We present results for the studies carried out to characterize the stability of ranibizumab for use with the PD-P. Simulated administration, in vitro release studies, and modeling studies were performed to evaluate the compatibility of ranibizumab with the PD-P administration components, and degradation and photostability in the implant. Simulated administration studies demonstrated that ranibizumab was highly compatible with the PD-P administration components (initial fill and refill needles) and commercially available administration components (syringe, transfer needle, syringe closure). Subsequent simulated in vitro release studies examining continuous delivery for up to 12 months in phosphate buffered saline, a surrogate for human vitreous, showed that the primary degradation products of ranibizumab were acidic variants. The presence of these variants increased over time and potency remained high. The stability attributes of ranibizumab were consistent across multiple implant refill-exchanges. Despite some degradation within the implant, the absolute mass of variants released daily from the implant was low due to the continuous release mechanism of the implant. Simulated light exposure within the implant resulted in small increases in the relative amount of ranibizumab degradants compared with those seen over 6 months.

Current Industry Best Practice on in-use Stability and Compatibility Studies for Biological Products.

Evaluating the in-use stability of a biological product including its compatibility with administration components allows to define handling instructions and potential hold times that retain product quality during dose preparation and administration. The intended drug product usage may involve the dilution of drug formulation into admixtures for infusion and exposure to new interfaces of administration components like intravenous (iv) bags, syringes, and tubing. In-use studies assess the potential impact on product quality by simulating drug handling throughout the defined in-use period. Considering the wide range of in-use conditions and administration components available globally, only limited guidance is available from regulators on expected in-use stability data. A working group reviewed and consolidated industry approaches to assess physicochemical stability of traditional protein-based biological products during clinical development and for commercial use. The insights compiled in this review article can be leveraged across the industry and encompass topics such as representative drug product material and administration components, testing conditions, quality attributes evaluated and respective acceptance criteria, applied quality standards, and regulatory requirements. These practices may help companies in the study design, and they may inform discussions with global regulators.

End-to-End Approach to Surfactant Selection, Risk Mitigation, and Control Strategies for Protein-Based Therapeutics.

A survey performed by the AAPS Drug Product Handling community revealed a general, mostly consensus, approach to the strategy for the selection of surfactant type and level for biopharmaceutical products. Discussing and building on the survey results, this article describes the common approach for surfactant selection and control strategy for protein-based therapeutics and focuses on key studies, common issues, mitigations, and rationale. Where relevant, each section is prefaced by survey responses from the 22 anonymized respondents. The article format consists of an overview of surfactant stabilization, followed by a strategy for the selection of surfactant level, and then discussions regarding risk identification, mitigation, and control strategy. Since surfactants that are commonly used in biologic formulations are known to undergo various forms of degradation, an effective control strategy for the chosen surfactant focuses on understanding and controlling the design space of the surfactant material attributes to ensure that the desired material quality is used consistently in DS/DP manufacturing. The material attributes of a surfactant added in the final DP formulation can influence DP performance (e.g., protein stability). Mitigation strategies are described that encompass risks from host cell proteins (HCP), DS/DP manufacturing processes, long-term storage, as well as during in-use conditions.

The Production, Quality Control, and Characterization of ZED8, a CD8-Specific 89Zr-Labeled Immuno-PET Clinical Imaging Agent.

Immuno-PET is a molecular imaging technique utilizing positron emission tomography (PET) to measure the biodistribution of an antibody species labeled with a radioactive isotope. When applied as a clinical imaging technique, an immuno-PET imaging agent must be manufactured with quality standards appropriate for regulatory approval. This paper describes methods relevant to the chemistry, manufacturing, and controls component of an immuno-PET regulatory filing, such as an investigational new drug application. Namely, the production, quality control, and characterization of the immuno-PET clinical imaging agent, ZED8, an 89Zr-labeled CD8-specific monovalent antibody as well as its desferrioxamine-conjugated precursor, CED8, is described and evaluated. PET imaging data in a human CD8-expressing tumor murine model is presented as a proof of concept that the imaging agent exhibits target specificity and comparable biodistribution across a range of desferrioxamine conjugate loads.

Development of capillary size exclusion chromatography for the analysis of monoclonal antibody fragments extracted from human vitreous humor.

Recombinant antigen-binding fragments (Fabs) are currently on the market and in development for the treatment of ophthalmologic indications. Recently, Quality by Design (QbD) initiatives have been implemented that emphasize understanding the relationship between quality attributes of the product and their impact on safety and efficacy. In particular, changes in product quality once the protein is administered to the patient are of particular interest. Knowledge of protein aggregation in vivo is of importance due to the possibility of antibody aggregates eliciting an immunogenic response in the patient. Presently, there are few analytical methods with adequate sensitivity to analyze Fab aggregates in human vitreous humor (HVH) because the Fab amount available for analysis is often quite low. Here, we report the development of a highly sensitive capillary size exclusion chromatography (SEC) methodology for Fab aggregate analysis in HVH. We demonstrate a process to perform capillary SEC to analyze Fabs with picogram sensitivity and an RSD of less than 8% for the relative peak area of high molecular weight species (HMWS). In addition, we have developed a Protein G affinity chromatography method to capture Fabs from HVH for capillary SEC analysis. Recovery efficiencies ranging from 86 to 99% were achieved using this recovery method with 300 µL HVH samples containing Fab1. Finally, we demonstrate the applicability of the methodology by quantifying Fab aggregates in HVH, which can potentially be used for aggregate analysis of clinically relevant samples.