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The crystal structure of cefradine dihydrate, C16H19N3O4S·2H2O, is considered in the pharmaceutical sciences to be the epitome of an isolated-site hydrate. The structure from single-crystal X-ray data was described in 1976, but atomic coordinates were not published. The atomic coordinates are determined here by combining the information available from the published single-crystal data with a dispersion-corrected density functional theory (DFT-D) method that has been validated to reproduce molecular crystal structures very accurately. Additional proof for the correctness of the structure comes from comparison with cefaclor dihydrate, C15H14ClN3O4S·2H2O, which is isomorphous and for which more complete single-crystal data are available. H-atom positions have not previously been published for either compound. The DFT-D calculations confirm that both cefradine and cefaclor are present in the zwitterionic form in the two dihydrate structures. A potential ambiguity concerning the orientation of the cyclohexadienyl ring in cefradine dihydrate is also clarified, and on the basis of the calculated energies it is shown that disorder should not be expected at room temperature. The DFT-D methods can be applied to recover full structural data in cases where only partial information is available, and where it may not be possible or desirable to obtain new experimental data.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the in vitro release of 5-aminosalicylic acid from single extrudates by UV imaging and to explore the technique as a visualization tool for detecting film coating defects on extrudates coated with a thin ethyl cellulose layer. 5-Aminosalicylic acid extrudates were film coated with ethyl cellulose in a typical lab system coater equipped with one Wurster partition. Dissolution testing was performed first in a conventional paddle dissolution apparatus and second, in a flow through geometry equipped with a UV imaging system. Selected film coated extrudates from four different coating levels were placed in agarose gels and UV imaging was performed for a total of 240 min. Absorbance maps were obtained thus visualizing the release of 5-aminosalicylic acid over time and it was possible to detect a decrease in release as a function of increased ethyl cellulose coating weight gain. Using a calibration curve the released amount was calculated and the individual release profiles for each coating weight gain in general resulted in comparable release profiles. Furthermore, the release profiles were consistent with the dissolution results obtained from the paddle dissolution testing. The release from defect extrudates was visualized by the absorbance maps and the release was highest from the compromised part of the extrudates. UV imaging has proven to be a useful technique to visualize the release of 5-aminosalicylic acid from single film coated extrudates and it has potential for detection of film coating defects.

The present study puts forward a miniaturized high-throughput platform to understand influence of excipient selection and processing on the stability of a given drug compound. Four model drugs (sodium naproxen, theophylline, amlodipine besylate and nitrofurantoin) and ten different excipients were selected. Binary physical mixtures of drug and excipient were transferred to a 96-well plate followed by addition of water to simulate aqueous granulation environment. The plate was subjected for XRPD measurements followed by drying and subsequent XRPD and HPLC measurements of the dried samples. Excipients with different water sorbing potential were found to influence distinctly on the phase transformation behaviour of each drug. Moreover, the amount of water addition was also a critical factor affecting phase transformation behaviour. HPLC analysis revealed one of the drug:excipient pairs with a tendency for chemical degradation. The proposed high-throughput platform can be used during early drug development to simulate typical processing induced stress in a small scale and to understand possible phase transformation behaviour and influence of excipients on this.

Spray drying of pharmaceutical compounds with sticky properties is a challenging task and may require substantial time and resources. By including small-scale studies of single droplet drying kinetics a relatively high number of experiments with less material is allowed. This means one can construct a more robust design space according to Quality by Design (QbD) formulation development principles. In the current study we present a case study on the development of spray dried microparticles comprising nicotine bitartrate and hypromellose or alginate polymer, for incorporation into medicated chewing gum. By illustration of initial studies on single droplet drying kinetics, subsequent characterization of microparticles, and final characterization of compressed chewing gum this paper summarizes the entire development process.

Despite the increased request for robust quality systems, the end product may contain unidentified defects or discoloured regions. The foreign matter has to be monitored, identified and its source defined in order to prevent further contamination. However, the identification task can be complicated, since the origin and nature of foreign matter are various. The aim of this study is to provide an efficient foreign matter identification procedure for various substances possibly originating from pharmaceutical manufacturing environment. The surface or cross-section of the uncoated and coated tablets was analysed by utilization of different analytical techniques, such as light microscopy (LM), scanning electron microscopy in combination with energy dispersive X-ray microanalysis (SEM/EDX), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS). The results indicate that the combination of different analytical techniques proved to be a powerful approach in foreign matter identification. Light microscopy and SEM generate information on the morphology of foreign matter particles. EDX provides elemental analysis, which most often serves as final confirmation of the identification. However, FT-IR can be used to obtain information on the compounds chemical structure and conformation, and ToF-SIMS provides sensitivity in cases, where the entire solid dosage form is contaminated with foreign matter.

The manufacturing of tablets involves many unit operations that possess multivariate and complex characteristics. The interactions between the material characteristics and process related variation are presently not comprehensively analyzed due to univariate detection methods. As a consequence, current best practice to control a typical process is to not allow process-related factors to vary i.e. lock the production parameters. The problem related to the lack of sufficient process understanding is still there: the variation within process and material properties is an intrinsic feature and cannot be compensated for with constant process parameters. Instead, a more comprehensive approach based on the use of multivariate tools for investigating processes should be applied. In the pharmaceutical field these methods are referred to as Process Analytical Technology (PAT) tools that aim to achieve a thorough understanding and control over the production process. PAT includes the frames for measurement as well as data analyzes and controlling for in-depth understanding, leading to more consistent and safer drug products with less batch rejections. In the optimal situation, by applying these techniques, destructive end-product testing could be avoided. In this paper the most prominent multivariate data analysis measuring tools within tablet manufacturing and basic research on operations are reviewed.

The mechanism of the salt-to-free form drug transformation was explored by investigating the pH-solubility profiles of a model drug in a salt form and the nucleation of the free base from the salt solution when its pH was increasing. The transformation of the salt to the free base during wet massing in the presence of pharmaceutical excipients with different pH was studied. The nucleation of the free base occurred when the pH of the salt solution reached a certain level pHmetastable, which was related to the free energy penalty associated with the creation of a new solid phase. The nucleation of the free base happened readily and thus, the salt-to-free base transformation occurred rapidly during wet massing with the excipients with a pH above the pHmetastable. These results can support robust formulation design of solid dosage forms containing salts by optimal excipient selection.

Several factors with complex interactions influence the physical stability of solid dispersions, thus highlighting the need for efficient experimental design together with robust and simple multivariate model. Design of Experiments together with ANalysis Of VAriance (ANOVA) model is one of the central tools when establishing a design space according to the Quality by Design (QbD) approach. However, higher order interaction terms are often significant in these ANOVA models, making the final model difficult to interpret and understand. As this is ordinarily the purpose of applying ANOVA, it poses an obvious problem. In the current study, the GEneralized Multiplicative ANOVA (GEMANOVA) model is proposed as an alternative for the ANOVA model. Two complex multivariate data sets obtained by monitoring the physical stability of a solid dispersion with image analysis and X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD) as responses were subjected to GEMANOVA analysis. The results showed that the obtained GEMANOVA model was easier to interpret and understand than the additive ANOVA model. Furthermore, the GEMANOVA model has additional advantages such as the possibility of readily including multivariate responses (e.g., an entire spectral data set), model uniqueness, and curve resolution abilities. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. and the American Pharmacists Association J Pharm Sci 102:904–914, 2013

The main purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of different polymers, with varying physicochemical properties and molecular weight on the stability and dissolution of co-milled amorphous solid dispersions (ASDs) of piroxicam (PRX). The stability of amorphous PRX (aPRX) in ASDs was significantly improved by the polymers. In-line Raman spectroscopy revealed that solvent mediated solid state changes occurred in biorelevant medium, however differences between ASDs were found. Thus, the dissolution behavior of ASDs of PRX and the respective polymer during conventional large volume (900ml) and a commercial small volume (20ml) dissolution testing was evaluated. The results of these studies indicated that the molecular weight of the polymer (PVP90 vs PVP25) is influencing the solubility of PRX from ASD. Interestingly the effect of molecular weight of the polymer was different than reported previously in the literature for the similar ASDs prepared by spray drying. Furthermore, the dose related bioavailability was determined by investigating the experimental saturation concentrations for different doses. These studies confirmed the findings of the dissolution studies. The differences are presumably caused by the formation of physically different diffusion layers around the ASD particles.

Most dissolution testing systems rely on analyzing samples taken remotely from the dissolving sample surface at different time points with poor time resolution and therefore provide relatively unresolved temporally and spatially information on the dissolution process. In this study, a flexible numerical model was combined with a novel UV imaging system, allowing monitoring of the dissolution process with sub second time resolution. The dissolution process was monitored by both effluent collection and UV imaging of compacts of paracetamol. A finite element model (FEM) was used to characterize the UV imaging system. A finite element model of the UV imaging system was successfully built. The dissolution of paracetamol was studied by UV imaging and by analysis of the effluent. The dissolution rates obtained from the collected effluent were in good agreement with the numerical model. The numerical model allowed an assessment of the ability of the UV imager to measure dissolution—time profiles. The simulation was able to extend the experimental results to conditions not easily obtained experimentally. Combining FEM,experimental dissolution data and UV imaging provided experimental validation of the FEM model as well as a detailed description of the dissolution process.

The objective of this study was to monitor the amorphous-to-crystalline solid-state phase transformation kinetics of the model drug ibuprofen with spectroscopic methods during acoustic levitation. Chemical and physical information was obtained by real-time near infrared (NIRS) and Raman spectroscopy measurements. The recrystallisation kinetic parameters (overall recrystallisation rate constant β and the time needed to reach 50% of the equilibrated level t 50 ), were determined using a multivariate curve resolution approach. The acoustic levitation device coupled with non-invasive spectroscopy enabled monitoring of the recrystallisation process of the difficult-to-handle (adhesive) amorphous sample. The application of multivariate curve resolution enabled isolation of the underlying pure spectra, which corresponded well with the reference spectra of amorphous and crystalline ibuprofen. The recrystallisation kinetic parameters were estimated from the recrystallisation profiles. While the empirical recrystallisation rate constant determined by NIR and Raman spectroscopy were comparable, the lag time for recrystallisation was significantly lower with Raman spectroscopy as compared to NIRS. This observation was explained by the high energy density of the Raman laser beam, which might have led to local heating effects of the sample and thus reduced the recrystallisation onset time. It was concluded that acoustic levitation with NIR and Raman spectroscopy combined with multivariate curve resolution allowed direct determination of the recrystallisation kinetics of amorphous drugs and thus is a promising technique for monitoring solid-state phase transformations of adhesive small-sized samples during the early phase of drug development.

Chitosan-based nanogels have been widely applied as drug delivery vehicles. Spray-drying of said nanogels allows for the preparation of dry powder nano-embedded microparticles. In this work, chitosan-based nanogels composed of chitosan, alginate, and/or sodium tri-penta phosphate were investigated, particularly with respect to the impact of composition on the resulting physicochemical properties. Different compositions were obtained as nanogels with sizes ranging from 203 to 561 nm. The addition of alginate and exclusion of sodium tri-penta phosphate led to an increase in nanogel size. The nanogels were subsequently spray-dried to form nano-embedded microparticles with trehalose or mannitol as matrix excipient. The microparticles of different composition were mostly spherical with a smooth surface and a mass median aerodynamic diameter of 6-10 µm. Superior redispersibility was observed for microparticles containing amorphous trehalose. This study demonstrates the potential of nano-embedded microparticles for stabilization and delivery of nanogel-based delivery systems.

Purpose: In this study, the electrospinnability of poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) solutions was investigated, with a focus on understanding the influence of molecular weight of PLGA, solvent type and solvent composition on the physical properties of electrospun nanofibers. Method: Various solvents were tested to dissolve two PLGA grades (50 KDa-RG755, 100 KDa-RG750). The viscoelasticity, surface tension, and evaporation rate of the PLGA solutions were characterized prior to the electrospinning process. The resulting electrospun nanofibers were characterized with respect to the morphology and mechanical properties. Results: Two pairs of solvent mixtures, i.e. dimethylformamide (DMF)—tetrahydrofuran (THF) and DMF—chloroform (CHL), were identified to provide a stable cone-jet. Within the polymer concentration range studied (10–30%, w/v), RG750 solutions could be electrospun into uniform fibers at 30% (w/v) or at 20% (w/v) when modifying the solvent composition. In comparison to DMF-THF solution, fibers had larger diameter, higher stiffness and tensile strength when electrospun from DMF-CHL solution. Conclusion: The high molecular weight polymer could ensure sufficient intermolecular interaction to generate uniform fibers. The solvent could influence the morphology and mechanical properties of the electrospun fibers by altering the properties of PLGA solution, and drying rate of fibers in the electrospinning process.

The effect of product design parameters on the formation and properties of an injection molded solid dosage form consisting of poly(ethylene oxide)s (PEO) and two different active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) was studied. The product design parameters explored were melting temperature and the duration of melting, API loading degree and the molecular weight (M w ) of PEO. The solid form composition of the model APIs, theophylline and carbamazepine, was of specific interest, and its possible impact on the in vitro drug release behavior. M w of PEO had the greatest impact on the release rate of both APIs. High M w resulted in slower API release rate. Process temperature had two-fold effect with PEO 300,000 g/mol. Firstly, higher process temperature transformed the crystalline part of the polymer into metastable folded form (more folded crystalline regions) and less into the more stable extended form (more extended crystalline regions), which lead to enhanced theophylline release rate. Secondly, the higher process temperature seemed to induce carbamazepine polymorphic transformation from p -monoclinic form III (carbamazepine (M)) into trigonal form II (carbamazepine (T)). The results indicated that the actual content of carbamazepine (T) affected drug release behavior more than the magnitude of transformation.

Characterization of particulate systems (powders) is one of the remaining scientific challenges. Evaluation of powder behaviour is often empirical and the decision-making processes are experience-based. There is a need for development of analytical instrumentation enabling more fundamental understanding of powder behaviour. Flowability and tabletability, two key factors in commercial scale manufacturing of tablets with direct compression (DC) approach, were analysed for formulations containing increasing amounts of several model active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs). Flowability was investigated using a ring shear tester and tablets were prepared at four different compression pressures using a single punch tablet press. Thereby, a material sparing screening approach was developed to estimate the influence of APIs on behaviour of a given DC formulation. Additionally, this approach is useful for estimating the low threshold amount of API (wt%), at which the properties of an API start affecting the powder behaviour of a given formulation (API-excipient mixture). This threshold will be referred to as critical drug loading. The flowability of microcrystalline cellulose (reference grade pH 102) was used as a threshold for adequate flowability of model formulations. The threshold for tablet tensile strength was set to 2MPa. Simultaneous visual presentation of both- flowability and tabletability were used for a fast evaluation of manufacturability of a given formulation. The results confirmed that flowability is more sensitive to drug loading than tabletability, and that the critical drug loading for a DC formulation is strongly affected by particulate properties of API. For example, decreasing the particle size of paracetamol led to rapid decrease in flowability index, whereas the tabletability was not affected.

Co-crystals and co-amorphous systems are two strategies to improve the physical properties of an active pharmaceutical ingredient and, thus, have recently gained considerable interest both in academia and the pharmaceutical industry. In this study, the behavior of the recently identified sodium naproxen-lactose-tetrahydrate co-crystal and the co-amorphous mixture of sodium, naproxen, and lactose was investigated. The structure of the co-crystal is described using single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The structural analysis revealed a monoclinic lattice, space group P21, with the asymmetric unit containing one molecule of lactose, one of naproxen, sodium, and four water molecules. Upon heating, it was observed that the co-crystal transforms into a co-amorphous system due to the loss of its crystalline bound water. Dehydration and co-amorphization were studied using synchrotron X-ray radiation and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Subsequently, different processing techniques (ball milling, spray drying, and dehydration) were used to prepare the co-amorphous mixture of sodium, naproxen, and lactose. X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD) revealed the amorphous nature of the mixtures after preparation. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analysis showed that the blends were single-phase co-amorphous systems as indicated by a single glass transition temperature. The samples were subsequently tested for physical stability under dry (silica gel at 25 and 40 °C) and humid conditions (25 °C/75% RH). The co-amorphous samples stored at 25 °C/75% RH quickly recrystallized into the co-crystalline state. On the other hand, the samples stored under dry conditions remained physically stable after five months of storage, except the ball milled sample stored at 40 °C which showed signs of recrystallization. Under these dry conditions, however, the ball-milled co-amorphous blend crystallized into the individual crystalline components.

It is imperative to understand the particle formation mechanisms when designing advanced nano/microparticulate drug delivery systems. We investigated how the solvent power and volatility influence the texture and surface chemistry of celecoxib-loaded poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) microparticles prepared by spray-drying.Binary mixtures of acetone and methanol at different molar ratios were applied to dissolve celecoxib and PLGA prior to spray-drying. The resulting microparticles were characterized with respect to morphology, texture, surface chemistry, solid state properties and drug release profile. The evaporation profiles of the feed solutions were investigated using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA).Spherical PLGA microparticles were obtained, irrespectively of the solvent composition. The particle size and surface chemistry were highly dependent on the solvent power of the feed solution. An obvious burst release was observed for the microparticles prepared by the feed solutions with the highest amount of poor solvent for PLGA. TGA analysis revealed distinct drying kinetics for the binary mixtures.The particle formation process is mainly governed by the PLGA precipitation rate, which is solvent-dependent, and the migration rate of celecoxib molecules during drying. The texture and surface chemistry of the spray-dried PLGA microparticles can therefore be tailored by adjusting the solvent composition.

Pharmaceutically relevant material characteristics are often analyzed based on univariate descriptors instead of utilizing the whole information available in the full distribution. One example is droplet size distribution, which is often described by the median droplet size and the width of the distribution. The current study was aiming to compare univariate and multivariate approach in evaluating droplet size distributions. As a model system, the atomization of a coating solution from a two-fluid nozzle was investigated. The effect of three process parameters (concentration of ethyl cellulose in ethanol, atomizing air pressure, and flow rate of coating solution) on the droplet size and droplet size distribution using a full mixed factorial design was used. The droplet size produced by a two-fluid nozzle was measured by laser diffraction and reported as volume based size distribution. Investigation of loading and score plots from principal component analysis (PCA) revealed additional information on the droplet size distributions and it was possible to identify univariate statistics (volume median droplet size), which were similar, however, originating from varying droplet size distributions. The multivariate data analysis was proven to be an efficient tool for evaluating the full information contained in a distribution.

To investigate the heating-induced dehydration and melting behavior of the trihydrate phase of the calcium salt of atorvastatin.Multivariate curve resolution (MCR) was used to decompose a variable-temperature synchrotron X-ray powder diffraction (VT-XRPD) data matrix into diffraction patterns and concentration profiles of pure drug phases.By means of the MCR-estimated diffraction patterns and concentration profiles, the trihydrate phase of the drug salt was found to dehydrate sequentially into two partially dehydrated hydrate structures upon heating from 25 to 110°C, with no associated breakage of the original crystal lattice. During heating from 110 to 140°C, the remaining water was lost from the solid drug salt, which instantly collapsed into a liquid crystalline phase. An isotropic melt was formed above 155°C. Thermogravimetric analysis, hot-stage polarized light microscopy, and hot-stage Raman spectroscopy combined with principal component analysis (PCA) was shown to provide consistent results.This study demonstrates that MCR combined with VT-XRPD is a powerful tool for rapid interpretation of complex dehydration behavior of drug hydrates, and it is also the first report on a liquid crystalline phase of the calcium salt of atorvastatin.

The aim of the present study was to combine vibrational spectroscopy and chemometrics for investigating excipient-induced disproportionation of the calcium salt of atorvastatin into the corresponding free acid form in environments relevant to manufacturing and storage of solid dosage formulations. Of the excipients investigated, citric acid and polyacrylic acid were found to induce disproportionation. Moreover, it was also observed that exposure to high relative humidity, elevated temperatures, and milling all promoted disproportionation. The results suggest that disproportionation of drug salts in powders happens via a solution-mediated mechanism and that the choice of excipient has a considerable impact on the extent of disproportionation observed. Thus, careful attention must be paid to excipient selection during pharmaceutical development and exposure to stresses such as high humidity and mechanical activation should be minimized.

The amorphous-to-crystalline transformation of nitrendipine was investigated using Raman spectroscopy and X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD). The nucleation and growth rate of crystalline nitrendipine in a medium containing poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and polyethylene glycol (PEG 200) were quantitatively determined using image analysis based on polarized light microscopy. The findings from the image analysis revealed that the transformation process occurred through the dissolution of amorphous drug precipitate followed by the nucleation and growth of the crystalline phase with the amorphous precipitate acting as a reservoir for maintaining the supersaturation. The rates of nucleation and crystal growth of nitrendipine decreased with an increase in PEG 200 concentration in organic phase from 0% to 75% (v/v). Increasing the PVA concentration in water phase from 0.1% to 1.0% (w/w) also decreased the rates of nucleation and crystal growth, however, an increase in PVA concentration from 1.0% to 2.0% (w/w) did not result in a further decrease in the rates of nucleation and crystal growth. An increase in drug concentrations in the organic phase from 10 mg/ml to 30 mg/ml led to faster nucleation rates. However, a further increase in drug concentration to 100 mg/ml decelerated the growth of nitrendipine crystals. Combining image analysis of polarized light micrographs together with Raman spectroscopy and XRPD provided an in-depth insight into solid state transformations in amorphous nitrendipine suspensions.

This study focuses on the development of an automated image analysis method to extract information on nucleation and crystal growth from polarized light micrographs. Using the developed image analysis method, four parameters related to nucleation and crystal growth could be extracted from the images. These parameters were crystalline count (applied as a measure of nucleation), percentage area coverage, average equivalent diameter and average crystalline area (three last parameters applied as a measure for crystal growth). The developed image analysis method was used to investigate two pharmaceutically relevant case studies: first, nitrendipine antisolvent crystallization, and second, recrystallization of amorphous piroxicam solid dispersion in an aqueous environment. In both case studies, an amorphous-to-crystalline phase transformation were observed, which were successfully monitored using real-time Raman spectroscopy. For the both case studies, the parameters related to crystallization kinetics estimated by image analysis were in close agreement with the parameters estimated by Raman spectroscopy. The developed image analysis method proved to be a valuable tool for quantitative monitoring of nucleation and crystal growth with an obvious potential for high throughput screening.

Salt formation is the most commonly used technique to improve the aqueous solubility and dissolution rate of active pharmaceutical ingredients. The phase transformation of the salt to the free form of the drug is extremely undesirable, since it will change the solubility and dissolution rate of the active substance and therefore alter the bioavailability of the final product. The mechanism of the salt-to-free form drug transformation was explored in the present work by investigating the pH-solubility profiles of the different solid forms (anhydrate, monohydrate and dihydrate) of the model drug in a salt form (amlodipine besylate), the nucleation of the free base and the transformation of the salt to the free base in aqueous suspensions in the presence of different pharmaceutical excipients. It has been observed that the nucleation of the free base occurred when the pH of the solution reached a certain level pHmetastable, which was related to the free energy penalty associated with the creation of a new interface. The transformation behavior of the salt solid forms to the free base demonstrated that the nucleation of the free base was a decisive step in the phase transformation. The nucleation of the free base happened readily and thus the salt-to-free base transformation occurred rapidly in the excipient–salt suspension with a pH above the pHmetastable. On the other hand, the salt-to-free base transformation was hindered in the excipient suspensions with a pH below the pHmetastable. The results of the present work can support robust formulation design of solid dosage forms containing salts by optimal excipient selection.

The aim of the study was to visualize the behaviour of the hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) in a buffer solution using UV imaging. The obtained results were related to rheological measurements in order to gain insight into critical polymer properties affecting drug release. Two viscosity grades of HPMC, 15cP and 50 cP, were used. The behaviour of the polymer at the surface of the compact was observed by UV-imaging at 214 nm for 90 min in a stagnant buffer solution and in presence of flow. Steady shear and oscillatory shear measurements were conducted to determine the rheological characteristics. Three distinctive phases could be detected by real-time UV-imaging of the HPMC; gel formation due to water penetration, further expansion of the gel into solution and finally steady conditions, where a critical polymer concentration that can withstand the shear forces without eroding was observed. The critical concentration corresponded to the rheologically determined gel point, which is the lowest concentration where a 3D-network is obtained. Higher viscosity grade HPMC swelled more rapidly and lead to a thicker gel layer, which was more resistant towards the shear forces due to the applied flow. The results showed that UV imaging is suitable for obtaining both qualitative and quantitative information on polymer behaviour.

There is a need for an improved process understanding of solid dosage pharmaceuticals. In the present study, Raman spectroscopy together with partial least squares (PLS) regression was used to monitor the solid-state composition of piroxicam during processing in the presence of excipients. It was found that including variable selection in PLS regression offers improved quantitative models in terms of predictive performance, easier interpretation of results and reduced experimental workload relative to full-spectrum PLS regression. By means of the applied interval PLS (iPLS) regression model, it was observed that excipients with high water-absorbing potential (microcrystalline cellulose and hydroxypropyl cellulose) and a water-activity-reducing solvent (ethanol) delayed the onset of monohydrate formation during processing in aqueous environments. An alkalizing excipient (sodium bicarbonate) decreased the onset time of monohydrate formation during wet granulation and decreased the dehydration rate during a drying operation. In this study it is demonstrated that the physical stability of hydrate–anhydrate systems in process environments is complicated by a multitude of factors on both macroscopic level and molecular level, and that variable selection for PLS regression is a valuable tool for screening the effects of excipients on the solid-state properties of pharmaceuticals.

Amlodipine besilate, a calcium channel antagonist, exists in several solid forms. Processing of anhydrate and dihydrate forms of this drug may lead to solid state changes, and is therefore the focus of this study. Milling was performed for the anhydrate form, whereas the dihydrate form was subjected to quench cooling thereby creating an amorphous form of the drug from both starting materials. The milled and quench cooled samples were, together with the crystalline starting materials, analyzed with X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD), Raman spectroscopy and atomic pair-wise distribution function (PDF) analysis of the XRPD pattern. When compared to XRPD and Raman spectroscopy, the PDF analysis was superior in displaying the difference between the amorphous samples prepared by milling and quench cooling approaches of the two starting materials.

From a quality by design perspective, the aim of the present study was to demonstrate the applicability of a Bayesian statistical methodology to identify the Design Space (DS) of a spray-drying process. Following the ICH Q8 guideline, the DS is defined as the "multidimensional combination and interaction of input variables (e.g., materials attributes) and process parameters that have been demonstrated to provide assurance of quality." Thus, a predictive risk-based approach was set up in order to account for the uncertainties and correlations found in the process and in the derived critical quality attributes such as the yield, the moisture content, the inhalable fraction of powder, the compressibility index, and the Hausner ratio. This allowed quantifying the guarantees and the risks to observe whether the process shall run according to specifications. These specifications describe satisfactory quality outputs and were defined a priori given safety, efficiency, and economical reasons. Within the identified DS, validation of the optimal condition was effectuated. The optimized process was shown to perform as expected, providing a product for which the quality is built in by the design and controlled setup of the equipment, regarding identified critical process parameters: the inlet temperature, the feed rate, and the spray flow rate.

New chemical entities (NCEs) often show poor water solubility necessitating solid dispersion formulation. The aim of the current study is to employ design of experiments in investigating the influence of one critical process factor (solvent evaporation rate) and two formulation factors (PVP:piroxicam ratio (PVP:PRX) and PVP molecular weight (PMW)) on the physical stability of PRX solid dispersion prepared by the solvent evaporation method. The results showed the rank order of an increase in factors contributing to a decrease in the extent of PRX nucleation being evaporation rate > PVP:PRX > PMW. The same rank order was found for the decrease in the extent of PRX crystal growth in PVP matrices from day 0 up to day 12. However, after 12 days the rank became PVP:PRX > evaporation rate > PMW. The effects of an increase in evaporation rate and PVP:PRX ratio in stabilizing PRX were of the same order of magnitude, while the effect from PMW was much smaller. The findings were confirmed by XRPD. FT-IR showed that PRX recrystallization in the PVP matrix followed Ostwald’s step rule, and an increase in the three factors all led to increased hydrogen bonding interaction between PRX and PVP. The present study showed the applicability of the Quality by Design approach in solid dispersion research, and highlights the need for multifactorial analysis.

The purpose of this project was to investigate the polymorphic variation of spray-dried mannitol model formulations as a function of particle size. Spray-dried powders with varying mannitol polymorphs were produced by adjusting process parameters, using co-solvent and adding a model protein (lysozyme). The obtained dry powders were dispersed into different size fractions using a Next Generation Pharmaceutical Impactor. The mannitol polymorphs in the different size fractions were analyzed using X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD), Fourier transform near infrared (FT-NIR) and Raman spectroscopy. Chemometrics was applied to interpret the FT-NIR and Raman spectra. Different spray-dried mannitol systems were established in this study, which contain mixtures of α- and β-mannitol. The XRPD, FT-NIR and Raman studies showed that the use of ethanol as a co-solvent increased the amount of α-mannitol in the smaller particles. The addition of low levels of lysozyme resulted in more α-mannitol in the smaller particles, while an increased content of lysozyme in spray-dried mannitol system resulted in more β-mannitol in the smaller particle size fraction. In conclusion spray-drying of mannitol based formulations can result in variation in the solid state composition of mannitol as a function of particle size. This finding may be clinically relevant and underlines the need for proper process control of inhalable dry powder produced by spray-drying.

The aim of this study was to investigate the usefulness of the atomic pair-wise distribution function (PDF) to detect the extension of disorder/amorphousness induced into a crystalline drug using a cryo-milling technique, and to determine the optimal milling times to achieve amorphisation. The PDF analysis was performed on samples of indomethacin obtained by cryogenic ball milling (cryo-milling) for different periods of time. X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), polarised light microscopy (PLM) and solid state nuclear magnetic resonances (ss-NMR) were also used to analyse the cryo-milled samples. The high similarity between the γ-indomethacin cryogenic ball milled samples and the crude γ-indomethacin indicated that milled samples retained residual order of the γ-form. The PDF analysis encompassed the capability of achieving a correlation with the physical properties determined from DSC, ss-NMR and stability experiments. Multivariate data analysis (MVDA) was used to visualize the differences in the PDF and XRPD data. The MVDA approach revealed that PDF is more efficient in assessing the introduced degree of disorder in γ-indomethacin after cryo-milling than MVDA of the corresponding XRPD diffractograms. The PDF analysis was able to determine the optimal cryo-milling time that facilitated the highest degree of disorder in the samples. Therefore, it is concluded that the PDF technique may be used as a complementary tool to other solid state methods and that further investigations are warranted to elucidate the capabilities of this technique.

Dissolution critically affects the bioavailability of Biopharmaceutics Classification System class 2 compounds. When unexpected dissolution behaviour occurs, detailed studies using high information content technologies are warranted. In the present study, an evaluation of real-time ultraviolet (UV) imaging for conducting single-crystal dissolution studies was performed. Using lidocaine as a model compound, the aim was to develop a setup capable of monitoring and quantifying the dissolution of lidocaine into a phosphate buffer, pH 7.4, under stagnant conditions. A single crystal of lidocaine was placed in the quartz dissolution cell and UV imaging was performed at 254 nm. Spatially and temporally resolved mapping of lidocaine concentration during the dissolution process was achieved from the recorded images. UV imaging facilitated the monitoring of lidocaine concentrations in the dissolution media adjacent to the single crystals. The concentration maps revealed the effects of natural convection due to density gradients on the dissolution process of lidocaine. UV imaging has great potential for in vitro drug dissolution testing.

To investigate anti-solvent crystallization and growth mechanism of nitrendipine spherical crystals in an aqueous solution containing polymeric additives. Size and shape of crystals were investigated using laser diffractometry, optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Crystalline form was determined by X-ray powder diffractometer (XRPD). During crystal growth, morphological changes at different time points were observed using SEM. Morphology of nitrendipine crystals was affected by polymers and temperature. Monodispersed micro-spherical crystals were obtained when polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and PEG 200 were present in crystallization medium at 2°C. During crystallization, large number of amorphous nanoparticles was first observed, followed by aggregation into a core for spherical crystals. Once crystalline state was achieved, rapid growth on core surface was observed with amorphous particles acting as a reservoir allowing formation of star-like particles with needle-like subunits. Spherical crystals were formed by filling the gap between needle-like distinct crystalline units of star-like templates with molecules from dissolved amorphous particles. Monodispersed nitrendipine spherical crystals were obtained using carefully controlled conditions. A mechanism for the nitrendipine spherical crystal growth is suggested. These findings provide a new insight into spherulitic crystallization of active pharmaceutical ingredients.

To investigate solid state transformations of drug substances during compaction using grazing incidence X-ray diffraction (GIXD). The solid forms of three model drugs–theophylline (TP), nitrofurantoin (NF) and amlodipine besylate (AMB)–were compacted at different pressures (from 100 to 1000 MPa); prepared tablets were measured using GIXD. After the initial measurements of freshly compacted tablets, tablets were subjected to suitable recrystallization treatment, and analogous measurements were performed. Solid forms of TP, NF and AMB showed partial amorphization as well as crystal disordering during compaction; the extent of these effects generally increased as a function of pressure. The changes were most pronounced at the outer surface region. The different solid forms showed difference in the formation of amorphicity/crystal disordering. Dehydration due to compaction was observed for the TP monohydrate, whereas hydrates of NF and AMB were stable towards dehydration. With GIXD measurements, it was possible to probe the solid form composition at the different depths of the tablet surfaces and to obtain depth-dependent information on the compaction-induced amorphization, crystal disordering and dehydration.

Traditional dissolution testing determines drug release to the bulk, but does not enable an understanding of the events happening close to the surface of a solid or a tablet. UV imaging is a new imaging approach that can be used to study the dissolution behavior of chemical compounds. The UV imaging instrumentation offers recording of absorbance maps with a high spatial and temporal resolution which facilitates the abundant collection of information regarding the evolving solution concentrations. In this study, UV imaging was used to visualize the dissolution behavior of amlodipine besylate (amorphous and dihydrate forms) and amlodipine free base. The dissolution of amlodipine besylate was faster from the amorphous form than from the crystalline forms. The UV imaging investigations suggested that a solvent mediated phase transformation occurred for the amorphous amlodipine besylate and the amlodipine free base samples. Raman spectroscopy was used to confirm and probe the changes at the solid surface occurring upon contact with the dissolution media and verified the recrystallization of the amorphous form to the monohydrate. The combination of UV imaging and Raman spectroscopy is an efficient tool to obtain a deeper insight into the early events of the dissolution process.

Water can be incorporated into crystalline lattice of organic molecules in several ways and thus forms systems with different molecular packing characteristics. This review outlines a general classification of hydrates and explains why it is of high relevance for pharmaceutical researchers to investigate water of crystallization and hydrate systems. The different manufacturing steps related to the final drug product are also briefly discussed with an emphasis on the role of water and possible solid-state transformations related to hydrates. Application of spectroscopic techniques in characterizing water of crystallization and the effect of water on the drug and formulation stability are presented. Moreover, the role of water on the in vitro drug dissolution behavior is reviewed where an example is shown to illustrate the recent development on correlating solid state of the drug, for instance, hydrate formation, to the dissolution profile of the product, to achieve a better understanding of the dissolution process.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the usability of poly(N-isopropyl acrylamide) (PNIPAM) as an additive for crystallization of a model drug, nitrofurantoin (NF), and utilizing the thermoresponsivity of the polymer to enable control of the viscosity during the crystallization process. Crystallization of NF in the presence of PNIPAM resulted in dendritic crystal growth and the originally observed growth of needle-shaped crystals was prohibited. The effect of acetone, a cosolvent used for the crystallization, on thermosensitivity of PNIPAM was studied and the properties of atactic PNIPAM and triblock PNIPAM polymers containing atactic and isotactic rich blocks were compared. The investigated PNIPAMs were all soluble in the acetone–water mixtures leading to phase separation at lower temperatures with increasing acetone content, up to approximately 50 vol% (0.20 mol fraction). At higher acetone contents no phase separation was observed on heating. The presence of acetone altered the viscosity of the solutions prior to the phase separation depending on the polymer architecture. The PNIPAM polymers induced smaller and potentially more easily processable crystals, however, the viscosity increase in the presence of acetone occurred only 1–3 °C prior to phase separation complicating the practical use of this approach.

The present study focuses on the implementation of an in-line quantitative near infrared (NIR) spectroscopic method for determining the active content of pharmaceutical pellets. The first aim was to non-invasively interface a dispersive NIR spectrometer with four realistic particle streams existing in the pellets manufacturing environment. Regardless of the particle stream characteristics investigated, NIR together with Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was able to classify the samples according to their active content. Further, one of these particle stream interfaces was non-invasively investigated with a FT-NIR spectrometer. A predictive model based on Partial Least Squares (PLS) regression was able to determine the active content of pharmaceutical pellets. The NIR method was finally validated with an external validation set for an API concentration range from 80 to 120% of the targeted active content. The prediction error of 0.9% (root mean standard error of prediction, RMSEP) was low, indicating the accuracy of the NIR method. The accuracy profile on the validation results, an innovative approach based on tolerance intervals, demonstrated the actual and future performance of the in-line NIR method. Accordingly, the present approach paves the way for real-time release-based quality system.

ObjectivesTo provide a comprehensive understanding of the competing thermodynamic and kinetic factors governing the crystallization of various hydrate systems. The ultimate goal is to utilize this understanding to improve the control over the unit operations involving hydrate formation, as well as to optimize the bioavailability of a given drug product.Key findingsThe thermodynamic and kinetic factors that govern hydrate crystallization are introduced and the current status of the endeavour to gain a mechanistic understanding of the phenomena that occur during the crystallization of different hydrate systems is discussed. The importance of hydrate investigation in the pharmaceutical field is exemplified by examining two specific hydrate systems: the polymorphic hydrate system and hydrates of pharmaceutical salts.SummaryThis review identifies the factors that are of critical importance in the investigation of anhydrate/hydrate systems. This knowledge can be used to control the phase transformation during pharmaceutical processing and storage, as well as in building a desired functionality for the final formulation.

There is a need for thorough knowledge of solid-state transformations in order to implement quality by design (QbD) methodology in drug development. The present study was aimed at gaining a mechanistic understanding of the dehydration of nitrofurantoin monohydrate II (NF-MH). The dehydration was studied using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), hot-stage microscopy (HSM), and variable temperature X-ray powder diffraction (VT-XRPD). Isothermal TGA data were used to study dehydration kinetics using model-fitting and model-free approaches. Model-fitting analysis indicated a good fit for several models derived from nucleation-growth and/or geometric contraction mechanisms. However, based on visual observations during HSM, Avrami-Erofeyev equations A3 and A4, indicating nucleation-growth phenomenon, were found to be the most suitable kinetic models. HSM showed initiation of dehydration with random nucleation, and nuclei coalesced with the progress of dehydration reaction. VT-XRPD revealed formation of anhydrate beta form on dehydration of NF-MH. The phenomenon of random nucleation is justified based on the crystal structure of NF-MH, which showed presence of water molecules in an isolated manner, prohibiting directional dehydration. It was found that supplementary information from HSM and VT-XRPD can be valuable to gain a better understanding of dehydration from formal solid-state kinetics analysis.

Solid form screening is commonly performed using solvent-based crystallizations. However, less attention is paid to the role of secondary manufacturing, during which process-induced transformations of the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) may occur, and potentially a new solid form may be discovered. In this study a new approach for effective solid form screening is presented. The technology combines well-plate-based crystallizations with miniaturized processing equipment, mimicking essential unit operations. Process-induced stresses (heat, solvent, shear, pressure) can be introduced directly to the well-plate unit. Theophylline and nifedipine were used as model compounds. Small-scale wet massing of theophylline resulted in an anhydrate-to-monohydrate transformation, followed by dehydration upon drying at 60 degrees C. Amorphous nifedipine was subjected to small-scale milling and compaction. Kinetic profiling of the milling operation enabled the detection of an intermediate, metastable polymorph (beta form), while the stable polymorph (alpha form) was the predominant form after 20 min of milling. Compaction of amorphous nifedipine at 100 MPa resulted in a complete conversion into the stable polymorph. The reported expanded approach is expected to maximize the outcome of solid form screening with minimal consumption of the compound of interest.

The possibility for determination of the water content in pharmaceutical samples by near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy has been more widely investigated in the past few years. However, many studies claim that changes in sample composition will require the establishment of a new method. The aim of this study was several fold: firstly to investigate validation aspects of water content determination in samples with varying composition and furthermore to see if a model based solely on freeze-dried mannitol–sucrose mixtures can be established that will be able to predict water contents for samples containing proteins, excipients or having a lower density of freeze-dried solids. Samples were measured by NIR, standard normal variate (SNV) corrected and the obtained spectra were compared with the results from a conventional Karl–Fischer titration by means of multivariate analysis, namely principal component analysis (PCA) and partial least square regression (PLS). For the overall sample set, a highly linear correlation between the NIR and the Karl–Fischer method with a slope of 1.00, an R 2 value of 0.98 and a root mean square error of cross-validation (RMSECV) of 0.15% were found. In a second step samples solely consisting of mannitol and sucrose mixtures were used to build a calibration set, which resulted in a RMSECV of 0.16%. The prediction of the remaining samples, which included protein or excipient containing samples, as well as lower density samples, resulted in a root mean square error of prediction (RMSEP) of 0.19%. Thus the present study demonstrated, that a general model for the determination of the water content by NIR could be established, within the limits investigated.

Polymorphic anhydrate systems have been well studied but until now little attention has been paid to polymorphic hydrate systems. The incorporation of water molecules can complicate the whole polymorphic system and thus impede the control of the crystallization process. In this work, nitrofurantoin monohydrate polymorphs which have the same chemical composition and molar ratio of water but different crystal packing arrangements, have been investigated. The metastable nitrofurantoin monohydrate was found to be difficult to crystallize, where both evaporative and cooling crystallization failed in its production. The possible phase conversion of the nitrofurantoin hydrate polymorphic system was also investigated in a liquid-assisted ball milling process. High-energy solids, e.g., amorphous and cocrystals, have often been created during high-energy ball milling. Metastable nitrofurantoin monohydrate, however, was again not observed during the whole milling process, in contrast to another polymorphic hydrate system, namely niclosamide. During milling of niclosamide anhydrate in ethyl acetate-water mixture the metastable niclosamide monohydrate was formed immediately upon milling (2 min). Under further milling, the metastable niclosamide hydrate started converting to the stable niclosamide hydrate (from 30 min onwards).

The feasibility of using a chromatography-crystallization hybrid separation process for isolation and purification of artemisinin from the herbal plant Artemisia annua was studied. After separating the crude extracts of Artemisia annua by flash column chromatography, a two-step antisolvent crystallization process was used for further isolation and purification. The two-step antisolvent crystallization process was designed based on the solubility of artemisinin in different solvents and solvent mixtures. The first step crystallization process was to remove impurities from the solution and the second step to isolate artemisinin. The crystallization behavior of the two polymorphs of artemisinin during the antisolvent crystallization process was also studied by performing crystallization in solutions of artemisinin in acetonitrile and acetone, respectively. It was observed that the formation of the two polymorphs of artemisinin in acetone solution follows the Ostwald's rule of stages. Fast feeding of the antisolvent (water) resulted in crystallization of the metastable triclinic form which then transformed to the stable orthorhombic form through a solvent-mediated transformation mechanism. The stable orthorhombic form crystallized out when water was fed slowly. Crystallization from acetonitrile always yielded the stable orthorhombic form regardless of the feeding rate of the antisolvent. Finally, a chromatography-crystallization hybrid separation process was proposed and tested. The results of the present work demonstrated the feasibility of combining the advantages of column chromatography and crystallization to improve efficiency of the isolation of artemisinin from Artemisia annua.

Naproxen, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), is a biopharmaceutics classification system (BCS) class II drug whose bioavailability is rate-limited by its dissolution. Cimetidine is sometimes co-administered with naproxen for the treatment of NSAID-induced gastro-intestinal disorders. Hence, there is interest in the design of new formulations that offer (1) concomitant release of both drugs, and (2) an enhanced dissolution rate of naproxen. This study investigates the formation of amorphous binary systems with naproxen and cimetidine. The binary mixtures of all tested molar ratios were found to become amorphous upon co-milling for 60 min at 4 degrees C. In contrast, pure naproxen could not be transformed to the amorphous state by mechanical activation. The 1:1 sample was the most physically stable when stored for 33 days at 40 degrees C, even though it did not have the highest T(g) when compared to the 1:2 sample. The 1:1 sample was further stored for 186 days and remained amorphous under all conditions. Raman spectroscopy suggested a 1:1 solid-state interaction between the imidazole ring of cimetidine and the carboxylic acid moiety of naproxen in the co-milled amorphous sample. Thus, the stabilization of the amorphous binary system is dictated by molecular-level interactions rather than bulk-level phenomena. No recrystallization of either drug in the 1:1 co-milled sample was observed during dissolution testing, with naproxen and cimetidine having a four and two times higher intrinsic dissolution rate, respectively, compared to their crystalline counterparts. Further, the release of the two drugs could be synchronized using this formulation approach.

The ratio between mannitol and sucrose in a freeze-dried formulation has a major impact on the processing and the stability of a lyophilised product. The ratio of these common excipients influences a critical quality attribute of the system, namely the overall amount of water, due to the different nature of their water–solid interactions. For this experiment samples containing various ratios of mannitol and sucrose and several other additives were freeze-dried, stored under different conditions and measured by NIR. Different spectral pre-processing methods and wavelength selections were tested. Multivariate analysis was applied to correlate the Karl Fischer titration to the NIR spectra. It was found that standard normal variate (SNV) transformation of the wavenumber range 4200–7400 cm −1 yielded prediction errors close to the accepted measurement error of the Karl Fischer titration, when measuring samples of up to 5.5% (w/w) water. It was further found that there was a slight tendency for samples containing inorganic salts or histidine to be underestimated in the NIR measurements. However, no influence was found to be caused by the varying mannitol–sucrose ratio. By reducing the sample set to those samples containing up to around 2% of water, the error was found to be below the uncertainty originating from the reference method. Due to this it can no longer be determined whether the deviation originates from the NIR method or the reference method. It can therefore be concluded the NIR is a suitable tool for quantification of the water content in lyophilised samples with varying mannitol–sucrose ratios.

There is a recognized need for new approaches to understand unit operations with pharmaceutical relevance. A method for analyzing complex interactions in experimental data is introduced. Higher-order interactions do exist between process parameters, which complicate the interpretation of experimental results. In this study, experiments based on mixed factorial design of coating process were performed. Drug release was analyzed by traditional analysis of variance (ANOVA) and generalized multiplicative ANOVA (GEMANOVA). GEMANOVA modeling is introduced in this study as a new tool for increased understanding of a coating process. It was possible to model the response, that is, the amount of drug released, using both mentioned techniques. However, the ANOVA model was difficult to interpret as several interactions between process parameters existed. In contrast to ANOVA, GEMANOVA is especially suited for modeling complex interactions and making easily understandable models of these. GEMANOVA modeling allowed a simple visualization of the entire experimental space. Furthermore, information was obtained on how relative changes in the settings of process parameters influence the film quality and thereby drug release.