Development and pharmacokinetic evaluation of osmotically controlled drug delivery system of Valganciclovir HCl for potential application in the treatment of CMV retinitis.

Valganciclovir HCl (VGH) is the widely used drug for the treatment of cytomegalovirus (CMV) retinitis infection with an induction dose of 900 mg per oral (p.o.) twice a day and a maintenance dose of 900 mg (p.o.). This required dose of the drug also leads to multiple side effects due to repeated administration. The research was highlighted to develop, formulate, optimize, and evaluate single-core osmotic pump (SCOP) tablet of VGH with the dose of 450 mg to reduce dosing frequency and associated side effects. The decrease in dose also minimizes the hepatic and nephrotic load. The optimized batch of the formulation was subjected to comparative in vitro and in vivo evaluation. The tablet core composition is the primary influencer of the drug delivery fraction in a zero order, whereas the membrane characteristics control the drug release rate. In vivo pharmacokinetic studies revealed that the newly developed osmotic formulation has controlled zero-order release for 24 h with a single dose of 450 mg while the marketed formulation requires twice administration within 24 h to maintain the plasma concentration in the therapeutic window. The pharmacokinetic study demonstrated that the developed formulation has the area under curve (AUC) of 58.415 µg h/ml with single dose while the marketed formulation shows the AUC of about 37.903 µg h/ml and 31.983 µg h/ml for first and second dose, respectively. The large AUC demonstrates the extended release of drug with a single dose and effective plasma concentration. Hence, the developed formulation can be a promising option for the treatment of CMV retinitis with the minimum dose and dosing frequency.

Cyclodextrin Based Nanoparticles for Drug Delivery and Theranostics.

Colloidal nanoparticulate technology has been described in the literature as a versatile drug delivery system. But it possesses some inherent lacunae in their formulation. Cyclodextrins (CDs) have been extensively reported for the solubility enhancement of poorly water-soluble drugs. The CDs can cause intervention in aspects related to nanoparticles (NPs) that include improving drug loading in nano-system, improving stability, site-specific/targeted drug delivery, improving solubility profile and absorption of the drug in nanosystem with consequent improvement in bioavailability, with the possibility of controlled release, safety and efficacy. They find application in for simultaneous diagnosis and therapeutics for better treatment procedures. The current communication is focused on the application of CDs to overcome troubles in nanoparticulate formulation and enhancement of their performance. It also envisages the theranostic aspects of CDs.

Sustained release formulation of Ondansetron HCl using osmotic drug delivery approach.

Ondansetron HCl (OSH) is a 5-HT3 receptor antagonist indicated for the prevention of nausea and vomiting associated with radiotherapy (adults: 8 mg, t.i.d) and/or chemotherapy (adults: 8 mg, b.i.d to t.i.d) and prevention of postoperative nausea and/or vomiting (adults: 8 mg, b.i.d). In elderly subjects, bioavailability may be somewhat higher (65%) and lower clearance, presumably due to reduced hepatic first-pass metabolism. OSH is extensively distributed in the body; about 70-75% of the drug in plasma is protein-bound and terminal elimination half-life is about 3 h after oral administration. The study was aimed to develop Push-pull Osmotic Pump (PPOP) bi-layered tablets for Ondansetron HCl ER tablets. The granulation was carried out using non-aqeous solvents followed by compression, seal coating, semi permeable coating, laser drilling (0.6 mm), and drug film coating with loading dose. The drug release was controlled by swelleable osmotic polymers of pull layer and push layer and orifice on the surface of tablet. The formulations were optimized for its core composition, extended release coating (Semipermeable membrane) polymer as to plasticizer ratio and orifice diameter. Optimized formulations were evaluated for micromeritic properties and in vitro drug release. The analytical methods were developed and validated to estimate in vitro drug potency, drug release, and in vivo pharmacokinetic parameters. Stability studies were done as per the ICH guidelines. The results of in vivo study concludes that the once OSH ER dose consistently maintains plasma concentration of drug within the therapeutic window over a period of 24 h.

High-Performance Liquid Chromatographic and High-Performance Thin-Layer Chromatographic Method for the Quantitative Estimation of Dolutegravir Sodium in Bulk Drug and Pharmaceutical Dosage Form.

Simple, sensitive, precise, and specific high-performance liquid chromategraphic (HPLC) and high-performance thin-layer chromatographic (HPTLC) methods for the determination of dolutegravir sodium in bulk drug and pharmaceutical dosage form were developed and validated. In the HPLC method, analysis of the drug was carried out on the ODS C18 column (150 × 4.6 mm, 5 µm particle size) using a mixture of acetonitrile: water (pH 7.5) in the ratio of 80:20 v/v as the mobile phase at the flow rate 1 mL/min at 260 nm. This method was found to be linear in the concentration range of 5-35 µg/mL. The peak for dolutegravir sodium was observed at 3.0 ± 0.1 minutes. In the HPTLC method, analysis was performed on aluminum-backed plates pre-coated with silica gel G60 F254 using methanol: chloroform: formic acid in the proportion of 8:2:0.5 v/v/v as the mobile phase. This solvent system was found to give compact spots for dolutegravir sodium with the Rf value 0.77 ± 0.01. Densitometric analysis of dolutegravir sodium was carried out in the absorbance mode at 265 nm. Linear regression analysis showed good linearity with respect to peak area in the concentration range of 200-900 ng/spot. The methods were validated for precision, limit of detection (LOD), limit of quantitation (LOQ), accuracy, and specificity. Statistical analysis showed that both of the methods are repeatable and specific for the estimation of the said drug. The methods can be used for routine quality control analysis of dolutegravir sodium.

Pharmaceutical Cocrystals: Regulatory and Strategic Aspects, Design and Development.

Cocrystal is a concept of the supramolecular chemistry which is gaining the extensive interest of researchers from pharmaceutical and chemical sciences and of drug regulatory agencies. The prominent reason of which is its ability to modify physicochemical properties of active pharmaceutical ingredients. During the development of the pharmaceutical product, formulators have to optimize the physicochemical properties of active pharmaceutical ingredients. Pharmaceutical cocrystals can be employed to improve vital physicochemical characteristics of a drug, including solubility, dissolution, bioavailability and stability of pharmaceutical compounds while maintaining its therapeutic activity. It is advantageous being a green synthesis approach for production of pharmaceutical compounds. The formation polymorphic forms, solvates, hydrates and salts of cocrystals during the synthesis reported in the literature which can be a potential issue in the development of pharmaceutical cocrystals. The approaches like hydrogen bonding rules, solubility parameters, screening through the CSD database or thermodynamic characteristics can be utilized for the rational design of cocrystals and selection of coformers for synthesis multi-component cocrystals. Considering the significance of pharmaceutical cocrystals pharmaceutical regulatory authorities in the United States and Europe issued guidance documents which may be helpful for pharmaceutical product registration in these regions. In this article, we deal with the design, synthesis, strategic aspects and characteristics of cocrystals along perspectives on its regulatory and intellectual property considerations.