Stability Indicating RP-HPLC Estimation of Atorvastatin Calcium and Amlodipine Besylate in Pharmaceutical Formulations

Development and validation of a stability-indicating UPLC method for the determination of olmesartan medoxomil, amlodipine and hydrochlorothiazide degradation impurities in their triple-combination dosage form using factorial design of experiments

The current work describes the development and validation of a stability-indicating UPLC method for the determination of olmesaratan medoxomil (OLM), amlodipine besylate (AMB), hydrochlorothiazide (HCT) and their degradation products in the triple-combination tablet dosage form. The separation was achieved using a Zorbax Eclipse plus C₈ RRHD (100 mm × 3.0 mm), 1.8 μm column with gradient elution of mobile phase A containing 0.02 m of sodium phosphate buffer (pH 3.35) and mobile phase B as acetonitrile and water (90:10, v/v). The detector signal was monitored at UV 250 nm. Analytical performance of the optimized UPLC method was validated as per International Conference on Harmonization guidelines. The linearity ranges for OLM, AMB and HCT were 0.59-240, 0.30-60 and 0.37-150 μg/ml, respectively, with correlation coefficients >0.999. The dosage form was subjected to forced-degradation conditions of neutral, acidic and alkaline hydrolysis, oxidation and thermal and photodegradation. The method was proved to be stability indicating by demonstrating the specificity of the drugs from degradation products. The robustness of the method was evaluated through a two-level, three-factorial design with a multivariate approach. Statistical data analysis with best model fit P-value < 0.05 from an ANOVA test indicated that the influence of individual factors is relatively higher than the interaction effects. The method is useful for the analysis of drug products.

An LC-MS/MS Method for Determination of Triple Drugs Combination of Valsartan, Amlodipine and Hydrochlorothiazide in Human Plasma for Bioequivalence Study

Background:

Current guidelines for the treatment of hypertension recommend combination therapy, which intends to control blood pressure and enhance cardiovascular protection.

Materials and Methods:

A sensitive, reliable and selective tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method has been developed for simultaneous quantification of amlodipine (AML), valsartan (VAL) and hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ) in human plasma. The chromatographic system was equipped with ACE 5 C8 (50 X 2.1 mm) column and utilized a mobile phase composition of 0.5 mM Ammonium Chloride & 0.04% FA-Methanol (45:55% v/v). The method used three internal standards; AML-D4, HCTZ-D2 C13 and VAL-D3 with 10% intra- and inter-day precision, and 6% bias for all the analytes.

Results:

The assay was found to be linear with R-2 > 0.998, and the limits of quantification for AML, VAL and HCTZ were 0.2, 50.0 and 2.0 ng/mL, respectively. The analytes were found to be stable in plasma samples over short and long term storage.

:

The developed method is rapid with a run time of 3.5 min and cost-effective since the simple sample preparation method is adopted. This method was successfully applied for the bioequivalence study of AML, VAL, and HCTZ in human plasma after administration of the fixed-dose combination tablet of (10/160/25 mg). Pharmacokinetic parameters (Cmax and AUC0-72) for AML and (Cmax, AUC0-t, AUC0-∞) for VAL and HCTZ were used for bioequivalence assessment. These were determined by noncompartmental analysis of concentration data.

Conclusion:

The result showed 90% confidence intervals (obtained by ANOVA) which were within the predefined ranges. As a consequence, this method can be successfully applied for measuring and quantifying a large number of samples.

The potential of Atorvastatin for chronic lung diseases therapy

Atorvastatin (ATO) is of the statin class and is used as an orally administered lipid-lowering drug. ATO is a reversible synthetic competitive inhibitor of 3-hydroxy-3-methyl-glutaryl-CoA (HMG-CoA) reductase thus leading to a reduction in cholesterol synthesis. It has recently been demonstrated that ATO has different pharmacological actions, which are unrelated to its lipid-lowering effects and has the ability to treat chronic airway diseases. This paper reviews the potential of ATO as an anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anti-proliferative agent after oral or inhaled administration. This paper discusses the advantages and disadvantages of using ATO under conditions associated with those found in the airways. This treatment could potentially be used to support the formulating of ATO as an inhaler for the treatment of chronic respiratory diseases.

Determination of amlodipine and atorvastatin mixture by different spectrophotometric methods with or without regression equations

Four new, simple, and reproducible spectrophotometric methods were developed and validated for the simultaneous determination of Amlodipine (AML) and Atorvastatin (AT) in bulk powder and pharmaceutical dosage form. The four methods include two progressive and two successive resolution techniques. The two progressive methods are Absorbance Subtraction (AS) and Amplitude Modulation (AM), while the two successive methods are Constant Value (CV) and Concentration Value. In the Concentration Value method, the concentration of the drugs is determined from the graphical representation without the use of regression equations. Linearity range for the two progressive methods was from 5 μg/mL-35 μg/mL while for the two successive methods was from 5 μg/mL-55 μg/mL. The four methods were validated according to the ICH guidelines and were found to be accurate, precise, and selective. The methods were also applied for determination of the mixture in the marketed pharmaceutical dosage form. Results obtained were compared with reported methods. Also, One-way ANOVA statistical test was done between all the proposed spectrophotometric methods where no significant differences were found.

Impurities in Drug Products and Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients

Analytical methods should be selective and fast. In modern times, scientists strive to meet the criteria of green chemistry, so they choose analytical procedures that are as short as possible and use the least toxic solvents. It is quite obvious that the products intended for human consumption should be characterized as completely as possible. The safety of a drug is dependent mainly on the impurities that it contains. High pressure liquid chromatography and ultra-high pressure liquid chromatography have been proposed as the main techniques for forced degradation and impurity profiling. The aim of this article was to characterize the relevant classification of drug impurities and to review the methods of impurities determination for atorvastatin (ATV) and duloxetine (DLX) (both in active pharmaceutical ingredients and in different dosage forms). These drugs have an impact on two systems of the human body: cardiac and nervous. Simple characteristics of ATV and DLX, their properties and specificity of action on the human body, are also included in this review. The analyzed pharmaceuticals-ATV (brand name Lipiron) and DLX (brand name Cymbalta)-were selected for this study based on annual rankings prepared by Information Medical Statistics.

Development and validation of HPLC and CE methods for simultaneous determination of amlodipine and atorvastatin in the presence of their acidic degradation products in tablets

Two methods were developed for separation and quantitation of amlodipine (AML) and atorvastatin (ATV) in the presence of their acidic degradation products. The first method was a simple isocratic RP-HPLC method while the second was capillary electrophoresis (CE). Degradation products were obtained by acidic hydrolysis of the two drugs and their structures were elucidated for the first time by IR and MS spectra. Degradation products did not interfere with the determination of either drug and the assays were therefore stability-indicating. The linearity of the proposed methods was established over the ranges 1-50 μg mL-1 for AML and ATV in the HPLC method and in the range of 3-50 and 4-50 μg mL-1 for AML and ATV, respectively, in the CE method. The proposed methods were validated according to ICH guidelines. The methods were successfully applied to estimation of AML and ATV in combined tablets.

Development and validation of different methods manipulating zero order and first order spectra for determination of the partially overlapped mixture benazepril and amlodipine: A comparative study

Three simple, selective, and accurate spectrophotometric methods have been developed and then validated for the analysis of Benazepril (BENZ) and Amlodipine (AML) in bulk powder and pharmaceutical dosage form. The first method is the absorption factor (AF) for zero order and amplitude factor (P-F) for first order spectrum, where both BENZ and AML can be measured from their resolved zero order spectra at 238nm or from their first order spectra at 253nm. The second method is the constant multiplication coupled with constant subtraction (CM-CS) for zero order and successive derivative subtraction-constant multiplication (SDS-CM) for first order spectrum, where both BENZ and AML can be measured from their resolved zero order spectra at 240nm and 238nm, respectively, or from their first order spectra at 214nm and 253nm for Benazepril and Amlodipine respectively. The third method is the novel constant multiplication coupled with derivative zero crossing (CM-DZC) which is a stability indicating assay method for determination of Benazepril and Amlodipine in presence of the main degradation product of Benazepril which is Benazeprilate (BENZT). The three methods were validated as per the ICH guidelines and the standard curves were found to be linear in the range of 5-60μg/mL for Benazepril and 5-30 for Amlodipine, with well accepted mean correlation coefficient for each analyte. The intra-day and inter-day precision and accuracy results were well within the acceptable limits.

Advanced stability indicating chemometric methods for quantitation of amlodipine and atorvastatin in their quinary mixture with acidic degradation products

Two advanced, accurate and precise chemometric methods are developed for the simultaneous determination of amlodipine besylate (AML) and atorvastatin calcium (ATV) in the presence of their acidic degradation products in tablet dosage forms. The first method was Partial Least Squares (PLS-1) and the second was Artificial Neural Networks (ANN). PLS was compared to ANN models with and without variable selection procedure (genetic algorithm (GA)). For proper analysis, a 5-factor 5-level experimental design was established resulting in 25 mixtures containing different ratios of the interfering species. Fifteen mixtures were used as calibration set and the other ten mixtures were used as validation set to validate the prediction ability of the suggested models. The proposed methods were successfully applied to the analysis of pharmaceutical tablets containing AML and ATV. The methods indicated the ability of the mentioned models to solve the highly overlapped spectra of the quinary mixture, yet using inexpensive and easy to handle instruments like the UV-VIS spectrophotometer.

Factors to consider in developing individual pharmaceutical product quality risk profiles useful to government procurement agencies

Governments that procure pharmaceutical products from an Essential Medicine List (EML) bear special responsibility for the quality of these products. In this article we examine the possibility of developing a pharmaceutical product quality risk assessment scheme for use by government procurement officials. We use the Chinese EML as a basis, and US recall data is examined as it is publically available.This is justified as the article is only concerned with inherent product quality risks. After establishing a link between Chinese essential medicines and those available in the US, we examine US recall data to separate product specific recalls. We conclude that, in addition to existing manufacturing based risks, there are two other product specific risks that stand out from all others, degradation and dissolution failure. Methodology for relative product risk for degradation is needed to be developed and further work is required to better understand dissolution failures which largely occur with modified-release solid oral products. We conclude that a product specific quality risk profile would be enhanced by including a risk assessment for degradation for all products, and in the case of solid oral products, dissolution.

Development of Validated Bioanalytical HPLC-UV Method for Simultaneous Estimation of Amlodipine and Atorvastatin in Rat Plasma

A simple, economical and robust analytical high-performance liquid chromatography-ultraviolet method was developed and validated for simultaneous chromatographic elution of two cardiovascular drugs viz. amlodipine and atorvastatin in biological fluid for the first time. Only two liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry methods are available in literature for quantitation of selected pair of analytes. The bioanalytical method was developed in rat plasma by using Thermo beta-basic C18 (100×4.6 mm, 5 μm) and mobile phase was composed of dibasic phosphate buffer (pH 3.0):acetonitrile in the ratio of 55:45 at a flow rate of 1 ml/min with ultraviolet detection monitored at 240 nm. The selected chromatographic conditions were found to effectively separate amlodipine (5.1 min) and atorvastatin (12.1 min). The parametric statistics,i.e. correlation coefficient of 0.999, was assessed for both the drugs having linearity over the tested concentration range (0.05 to 10.0 μg/ml) in rat plasma using an unweighted calibration curve. The mean recovery (%) was more than 92.8% for both the drugs using protein precipitation method. The accuracy of samples for six replicate measurements at lower limit of quantitation level was within limit. The method was validated and was successfully applied to the nonclinical pharmacokinetic study of combination tablets containing amlodipine and atorvastatin in six Sprague Dawley rats.

Simultaneous estimation of rosuvastatin and amlodipine in pharmaceutical formulations using stability indicating HPLC method

A viable cost-effective and isocratic approach employing C-18 column (250 mm × 4.6 mm, 5 µm) based HPLC has been utilized to separate and estimate the drugs, rosuvastatin, amlodipine and their stress induced degradation products, simultaneously in pharmaceutical formulations. Focused on ICH guideline parameters, the efficient separation of both drugs and their degradation products was achieved by optimizing a 30:70 (v/v) solvent mixture of acetonitrile and 0.1 M ammonium acetate buffer (pH 5) as mobile phase. The flow rate of the mobile phase was 1.5 mL/min and all the detections were carried out at 240 nm using UV detector. The method was linear in the concentration range of 1-200 µg/mL for rosuvastatin with 0.996 coefficient of determination value. For amlodipine, linearity was in the range of 0.5-100 µg/ml with 0.994 coefficient of determination value. Both the drugs along with their degradation products were separated in less than twenty minutes. The results of within-day and between-day precision were varied from 0.72 to 1.81% for rosuvastatin and 0.83 to 1.88% for amlodipine. The results show that this ICH validated method can be employed successfully for the routine as well as stability quantification of both the active ingredients simultaneously in pharmaceutical formulations.

Comparative study between univariate spectrophotometry and multivariate calibration as analytical tools for quantitation of Benazepril alone and in combination with Amlodipine

Four simple, accurate, reproducible, and selective methods have been developed and subsequently validated for the determination of Benazepril (BENZ) alone and in combination with Amlodipine (AML) in pharmaceutical dosage form. The first method is pH induced difference spectrophotometry, where BENZ can be measured in presence of AML as it showed maximum absorption at 237nm and 241nm in 0.1N HCl and 0.1N NaOH, respectively, while AML has no wavelength shift in both solvents. The second method is the new Extended Ratio Subtraction Method (EXRSM) coupled to Ratio Subtraction Method (RSM) for determination of both drugs in commercial dosage form. The third and fourth methods are multivariate calibration which include Principal Component Regression (PCR) and Partial Least Squares (PLSs). A detailed validation of the methods was performed following the ICH guidelines and the standard curves were found to be linear in the range of 2-30μg/mL for BENZ in difference and extended ratio subtraction spectrophotometric method, and 5-30 for AML in EXRSM method, with well accepted mean correlation coefficient for each analyte. The intra-day and inter-day precision and accuracy results were well within the acceptable limits.

Development and validation of a liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method for simultaneous determination of amlodipine, atorvastatin and its metabolites ortho-hydroxy atorvastatin and para-hydroxy atorvastatin in human plasma and its application in a bioequivalence study

A sensitive, simple and rapid high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with positive ion electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-ESI-MS/MS) method was developed for the simultaneous determination of amlodipine, atorvastatin and its metabolites ortho-hydroxy atorvastatin and para-hydroxy atorvastatin in human plasma. The analytes were extracted from human plasma through liquid-liquid extraction method. A mixture of methyl tert-butyl ether and ethyl acetate (50:50, v/v) was used as the extractant. The chromatographic separation was achieved on a CAPCELLPAK CR 1:4 (5 μm, 150 mm × 2.0 mm i.d.) column within 6.0 min with the mobile phase consisted of acetonitrile and ammonium acetate buffer (20mM) containing 0.3% formic acid (50:50, v/v). Data acquisition was carried out in multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode. The method was validated and was successfully applied to the bioequivalence study of combination tablets containing AM and AT with coadministered individual drugs in 50 healthy Chinese male volunteers.

Development and Validation of HPTLC Method for Simultaneous Determination of Amlodipine Besylate and Metoprolol Succinate in Bulk and Tablets

A simple, selective, precise high-performance thin-layer chromatographic method for simultaneous determination of amlodipine besylate and metoprolol succinate in bulk and pharmaceutical combined dosage form was developed and validated. The method employed HPTLC aluminum plates precoated with silica gel 60F-254 (10×10) as the stationary phase. The solvent system consisted of toluene:ethyl acetate:methanol:triethylamine (4:1:1:0.4 v/v/v). The system was found to give a compact spot for amlodipine besylate (R(f) = 0.39±0.02) and metoprolol succinate (R(f) = 0.59±0.02). Densitometric analysis of amlodipine besylate and metoprolol succinate was carried out in the absorbance mode at 254 nm. Linear regression analysis data for the calibration plots showed good linear relationship with r(2) = 0.9990±0.0013 with respect to peak area in the concentration range 400-1400 ng per spot for amlodipine besylate and r(2) = 0.9993±0.0013 with respect to peak area in the concentration range 3800-13300 ng per spot for metoprolol succinate. The method was validated for precision, recovery and robustness. The limits of detection and quantitation were 39.99 and 121.20 ng per spot for amlodipine besylate and 234.31 and 710.03 ng per spot for metoprolol succinate, respectively. Statistical analysis proved that the method is selective, precise and accurate for the estimation of amlodipine and metoprolol.

Systematic development of self-emulsifying drug delivery systems of atorvastatin with improved bioavailability potential

The aim of this study was to prepare and characterize a self-emulsifying drug delivery system (SEDDS) with a high drug load of poorly water-soluble atorvastatin for the enhancement of dissolution and oral bioavailability. Solubility of atorvastatin in oil, surfactant, and cosurfactant was determined. Pseudo-ternary phase diagrams were constructed by the aqueous titration method, and formulations were developed based on the optimum excipient combinations. A high drug load (10% w/w) was achieved with a combination of oleic acid, Tween 80, and polyethylene glycol 400, ensuring the maximum dissolution property (in the case of SES6). Effects of lipids and surfactants on physical properties of SEDDS such as in vitro emulsification efficiency in terms of self-emulsification time, emulsion droplet size, and percent transmittance were measured. Multiple regression analysis revealed that a higher amount of surfactants significantly increased dissolution of ATV while decreasing emulsion droplet size and emulsification time. About a four-fold increase in dissolution was achieved by SEDDS compared to pure ATV powder. Overall, this study suggests that dissolution and oral bioavailability of ATV could be improved by SEDDS technology.

Simultaneous Analysis of Losartan Potassium, Amlodipine Besylate, and Hydrochlorothiazide in Bulk and in Tablets by High-Performance Thin Layer Chromatography with UV-Absorption Densitometry

A Simple high-performance thin layer chromatography (HPTLC) method for separation and quantitative analysis of losartan potassium, amlodipine, and hydrochlorothiazide in bulk and in pharmaceutical formulations has been established and validated. After extraction with methanol, sample and standard solutions were applied to silica gel plates and developed with chloroform : methanol : acetone : formic acid 7.5 : 1.3 : 0.5 : 0.03 (v/v/v/v) as mobile phase. Zones were scanned densitometrically at 254 nm. The R(f) values of amlodipine besylate, hydrochlorothiazide, and losartan potassium were 0.35, 0.57, and 0.74, respectively. Calibration plots were linear in the ranges 500-3000 ng per spot for losartan potassium, amlodipine and hydrochlorothiazide, the correlation coefficients, r, were 0.998, 0.998, and 0.999, respectively. The suitability of this method for quantitative determination of these compounds was by validation in accordance with the requirements of pharmaceutical regulatory standards. The method can be used for routine analysis of these drugs in bulk and in formulation.

Three different spectrophotometric methods manipulating ratio spectra for determination of binary mixture of Amlodipine and Atorvastatin

Three simple, specific, accurate and precise spectrophotometric methods manipulating ratio spectra are developed for the simultaneous determination of Amlodipine besylate (AM) and Atorvastatin calcium (AT) in tablet dosage forms. The first method is first derivative of the ratio spectra ((1)DD), the second is ratio subtraction and the third is the method of mean centering of ratio spectra. The calibration curve is linear over the concentration range of 3-40 and 8-32 μg/ml for AM and AT, respectively. These methods are tested by analyzing synthetic mixtures of the above drugs and they are applied to commercial pharmaceutical preparation of the subjected drugs. Standard deviation is <1.5 in the assay of raw materials and tablets. Methods are validated as per ICH guidelines and accuracy, precision, repeatability and robustness are found to be within the acceptable limit.

A validated densitometric method for analysis of atorvastatin calcium and metoprolol tartarate as bulk drugs and in combined capsule dosage forms

A simple, accurate and precise high-performance thin-layer chromatographic method has been developed for the estimation of Atorvastatin Calcium and Metoprolol Tartarate simultaneously from a capsule dosage form. The method employed Silica gel 60F _254sprecoated plates as stationary phase and a mixture of Chloroform: Methanol: Glacial acetic acid (dil.) :: (9:1.5:0.2 ml %v/v) as mobile phase. Densitometric scanning was performed at 220 nm using Camag TLC scanner 3. The method was linear in the drug concentrations’ range of 500 to 2500 ng/spot for Atorvastatin Calcium, also for Metoprolol Tartarate with correlation coefficient of 0.984 for Atorvastatin Calcium and 0.995 for Metoprolol Tartarate respectively. The retention factor for Atorvastatin Calcium was 0.45 ± 0.04 and for Metoprolol Tartarate was 0.25 ± 0.02. The method was validated as per ICH (International Conference on Harmonisation) Guidelines, proving its utility in estimation of Atorvastatin Calcium and Metoprolol Tartarate in combined dosage form.

Spectrophotometric determination of atorvastatin and amlodipine by H-point standard addition method with simultaneous addition of both analytes in nonaqueous solution

H-point standard addition method(HPSAM) with simultaneous addition of both analytes in nonaqueous solution was applied for determination of Atorvastatin (AT) and Amlodipine (AML). The results showed that simultaneous determination could be performed with the ratio 0.16 to 4.3 of AT–AML. The corresponding values of LOD were obtained for AT and AML 1.2 × 10–6 and 9 × 10–7 mol l–1, respectively, and the corresponding values of LOQ were obtained for AT and AML 4 × 10–6 and 3 × 10–6 mol l–1, respectively. Underworking conditions, the proposed method was successfully applied for simultaneous determination of AT and AML in several synthetic mixtures and Amostatine tablets.