Dual-drug amorphous formulation of gliclazide

Long-Term Stabilized and Highly Soluble Bezafibrate-Gliclazide Co-Amorphous Binary System

Metabolic syndrome (MS) has a high prevalence, with an estimated one-quarter of the world population affected by this pathological condition. Among the diseases of this syndrome are dysregulation of lipids, hypertension, and insulin resistance. Unfortunately, available drugs in the market used for treating MS, as almost 75% of all drugs, are highly insoluble, presenting a significant demand for strategies to increase their solubility. Taking advantage of the fact that drugs in the amorphous state can provide a solubility enhancement, a new drug-drug co-amorphous (CoA) formulation to potentially simultaneously treat two or more MS conditions was explored, combining the co-formers Bezafibrate (BZT) a lipid-regulating drug, and Gliclazide (GZD) a hypoglycemic agent. A phase diagram was constructed to characterize the binary system's thermal properties, including glass transition temperatures of all compositions studied. The formulations were characterized by FTIR; redshifts of IR bands from 1547 to 1538 cm-1 and 1717 to 1609 cm-1 were observed due to the formation of intermolecular interactions, such as hydrogen bonds. The co-amorphous binary systems lead to an increase in the solubility of both BZT and GZD; specifically, for the composition xBZT = 0.5, the increase was 2.1× for BZT and 1.5 times for GZD while for xBZT = 0.7 an increase of 4× of BZT was achieved. The structural stability of the samples was verified by XRD and DSC, showing long-term stability retention of the amorphous state for more than eight years. The enhanced solubility and stability of the co-amorphous systems make them potential formulations for regulating lipids and lowering glycemia.

Recent advances in dual-drug co-amorphous systems

Poor solubility of drugs and therapeutic candidates poses a significant challenge in drug research and development. Biopharmaceutical class II drugs exhibit limited absorption because of their weak solubility and high permeability. Co-amorphous systems (CAMs) have been studied widely as a way to improve the solubility of drugs. This review summarizes recent advancements in dual-drug CAMs, including improvements in formulation, manufacturing, and solid-state characterization, and highlights the importance of enhancing solubility and stability. It emphasizes the potential synergistic effects of two drugs in CAMs and explores formulation strategies and challenges related to maintaining the amorphous state. Case studies demonstrate the successful application of CAMs in combination therapies that offer improved therapeutic efficacy.

Development of a gliclazide ionic liquid and its mesoporous silica particles: an effective formulation strategy to improve oral absorption properties

Ionic liquid (IL) technology provides a useful platform to enhance the oral absorption of therapeutic agents. In the present work, gliclazide (GLI), a second-generation sulfonylurea drug was transformed into an IL with tetrabutylphosphonium. The physicochemical properties of this IL were systematically characterized by DSC, TGA, FT-IR, NMR, and HPLC. For the further preparation development, a solution stability test was conducted. GLI-based IL could improve the solution stability in a neutral environment. To assess oral potential, the solubility characteristics including equilibrium solubility, 24 h kinetic saturation solubilities and supersaturation profiles were first explored. Significant enhancement of solubilities, supersaturation ratio and duration of supersaturation was found for the synthesized IL. Computational methodology was utilized to better understand the improved solubility results. From the simulated results, [TBP][GLI] showed a longer time period when the distance between cation and anion was far above the baseline and a higher deviation degree, indicating less stable ion pairs of [TBP][GLI] in an aqueous environment and it being easy for the cation and anion to tear apart and form interactions with water molecules. The prepared [TBP][GLI] exhibited intestinal transportation ability and safety as evidenced by the in vitro gastrointestinal tract artificial membrane permeability assays (GIT-PAMPA) and cytotoxicity experiments with Caco-2 cells. A mesoporous carrier, AEROPERL® 300 Pharma, was chosen to load the IL and then encapsuled into enteric capsules. The prepared oral capsules containing GLI-based IL loaded mesoporous silica particles released fast and could realize 100% release within 60 min.