Real time detection of photoreactivity in pharmaceutical solids and solutions with isothermal microcalorimetry

Alternatives to titanium dioxide in tablet coating

Titanium dioxide (TiO₂) is one of the most commonly used pharmaceutical excipients. It is widely used as a white pigment in tablet and pellet coatings. However, it has recently been under massive criticism as a number of studies suggest a cancerogenic potential. It can therefore no longer be taken for granted that TiO₂ will continue to be universally available for drug products. Finding suitable alternatives is hence of special relevance. In this study, a number of different pigments were coated on tablets and their covering potential analyzed. None of the alternative pigments showed comparable effectiveness and efficiency to TiO₂, though the CaCO₃/CaHPO₄-based coating showed the second-best results. Regarding the ability to protect photosensitive active ingredients, ZnO showed a comparable potential as TiO₂, while all other pigments failed. Using the alternative pigments as markers for in-line Raman spectroscopy as a process analytical technology was challenging and led to increased prediction errors. Again, the CaCO₃/CaHPO₄-based coating was the only of the tested alternatives with satisfying results, while all other pigments led to unacceptably high prediction errors.

Laser based thermo-conductometry as an approach to determine ribbon solid fraction off-line and in-line

Ribbon solid fraction is one of the most important quality attributes during roll compaction/dry granulation. Accurate and precise determination is challenging and no in-line measurement tool has been generally accepted, yet. In this study, a new analytical tool with potential off-line as well as in-line applicability is described. It is based on the thermo-conductivity of the compacted material, which is known to depend on the solid fraction. A laser diode was used to punctually heat the ribbon and the heat propagation monitored by infrared thermography. After performing a Gaussian fit of the transverse ribbon profile, the scale parameter σ showed correlation to ribbon solid fraction in off-line as well as in-line studies. Accurate predictions of the solid fraction were possible for a relevant range of process settings. Drug stability was not affected, as could be demonstrated for the model drug nifedipine. The application of this technique was limited when using certain fillers and working at higher roll speeds. This study showed the potentials of this new technique and is a starting point for additional work that has to be done to overcome these challenges.

Calorimetric determination of dissolution enthalpy with a novel flow-through method

A new calorimetric flow-through system for determining the enthalpies of dissolution with small amount of solids (<1mg) was developed. The system was designed to be used as an add-on cell with a 4 ml twin heat conduction calorimeter 2277 TAM but the principle is adoptable also for other heat conduction calorimeters. The system was tested with two salts (NaCl, KCl), sucrose and different polymorphic forms of theophylline at 25 degrees C and 40 degrees C by using water as the solvent. The system gave more accurate and precise results at 25 degrees C. The precision was not affected by the extent of the dissolution enthalpy. The accuracy was dependent on the calibration utilized but even the normal electrical calibration gave acceptable values. The results obtained at 40 degrees C were also acceptable but not as good as at 25 degrees C due to heat leaks. The effect of heat leaks can be minimized by heating the inflowing solvent outside the calorimeter prior to entering the flow-through cell.

Photochemistry of 4-(2-Nitrophenyl)-1,4-Dihydropyridines. Evidence for Electron Transfer and Formation of an Intermediate†

New evidence about the path followed in the photochemical reaction of 4-(2-nitrophenyl)-1,4-dihydropyridines such as the drugs nifedipine (Compound 1) and nisoldipine (Compound 2) to give the corresponding nitrosophenylpyridines has been found through determination of the steady-state photochemical parameters and a comparison of the photoreactions in solution and in matrix at 90 K. Additional support is given by comparison with the isomeric 4-(3-nitrophenyl)dihydropyridine as well as with simpler derivatives, such as the corresponding 4-methyldihydropyridine. In Compounds 1 and 2, the lowest lying singlet, localized on the dihydropyridine chromophore, is deactivated by (largely exothermic) electron transfer to the nitrobenzene moiety, as evidenced by the complete quenching of the blue fluorescence observed in analogues not containing the electron-accepting group. Intramolecular proton transfer ensues in the 2-nitrophenyl derivatives with a relatively medium-independent quantum yield of approximately 0.3 and leads to an aromatic zwitterion, which is detected in matrix at 90 K (photoionization of this intermediate takes place in 2-methyltetrahydrofuran secondary). The intermediate is smoothly converted into the end product upon melting the glass. The 3-nitrophenyl analog, for which such a path is not available, is less reactive by about three orders of magnitude at 366 nm, although the quantum yield arrives at approximately 0.01 by irradiation at 254 nm in MeOH, reasonably via the nitrophenyl localized triplet.