Evaluation of the Formulation Parameter-Dependent Redispersibility of API Nanoparticles from Fluid Bed Granules

The production of nanosuspensions of poorly soluble active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) is a popular technique to counteract challenges regarding bioavailability of such active substances. A subsequent drying of the nanosuspensions is advantageous to improve the long-term stability and the further processing into solid oral dosage forms. However, associated drying operations are critical, especially with regard to nanoparticle growth, loss in redispersibility and associated compromised bioavailability. This work extends a previous study regarding the applicability of an API (itraconazole) nanosuspension as a granulation liquid in a fluidized bed process with focus on the influence of applied formulation parameters on the structure of obtained nanoparticle-loaded granules and their nanoparticle redispersibility. Generally, a higher dissolution rate of the carrier material (glass beads, lactose, mannitol or sucrose) and a higher content of a matrix former/hydrophilic polymer (PVP/VA or HPMC) in the granulation liquid resulted in the formation of coarser and more porous granules with improved nanoparticle redispersibility. HPMC was found to have advantages as a polymer compared with PVP/VA. In general, a better redispersibility of the nanoparticles from the granules could be associated with better dispersion of the API nanoparticles at the surface of the granules as deduced from the thickness of nanoparticle-loaded layers around the granules. The layer thickness on granules was assessed by means of confocal Raman microscopy. Finally, the dispersion of the nanoparticles in the granule layers was exemplarily described by calculation of theoretical mean nanoparticle distances in the granule layers and was correlated with data obtained from redispersibility studies.

Abstract 1770: A new DOT1L inhibitor with in vivo activity in mouse models of MLL-translocated leukemia

Rearrangements in the mixed lineage leukemia (MLL) gene define a distinct, aggressive form of acute leukemia with poor prognosis. The MLL gene encodes for a SET domain histone methyl transferase that catalyzes the methylation of histone 3 lysine 4 (H3K4) at specific gene loci, thus regulating transcription of developmental genes including HOX genes. In disease-linked translocations, the catalytic SET domain is lost and the remaining part fused to a variety of partners, e.g. AF4, AF9, AF10 and ENL. These MLL fusion proteins directly interact with disruptor of telomeric silencing 1-like protein (DOT1L), the only known H3K79 methyltransferase. The H3K79me2 mark is broadly associated with active transcription. Mislocated enzymatic activity of DOT1L causes local H3K79 hypermethylation, misexpression of leukomogenic genes, e.g. HOXA9 and MEIS1, and the aberrant maintenance of a stem cell-like state.

Current treatment options of MLL are limited to chemotherapy and allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, and outcomes remain poor. The first and only clinical DOT1L inhibitor Pinometostat (EPZ-5676), an S-Adenosyl Methionine (SAM) competitive inhibitor, showed only modest activity and emerging resistance in adult acute leukemia. Pinometostat is no oral drug, but requires administration as continuous infusion to achieve sufficient exposure and sustained target inhibition. So far, there is no approved DOT1L inhibitor and the need remains to develop effective DOT1L inhibitors.

We report the identification of new SAM-competitive, structurally SAM-unrelated DOT1L inhibitors with subnanomolar biochemical potency. Compounds with nanomolar cellular activity and good exposure in mouse were tested in tumor xenograft models. Compounds 8 and 9 showed excellent blood exposure after a single dose. However, repeated dosing led to reduced exposure due to cytochrome P450 (Cyp450) 3A4 induction, insufficient pharmacodynamics (PD) and lack of efficacy. Further modification resulted in compound 10 that could be administered orally and was stable upon repeated dosing. A 300 mg/kg dose covered efficacious blood exposure for 24 h, but was not tolerated by tumor-bearing mice. Unfortunately, a 6-fold reduced dose did not achieve sufficient PD modulation and efficacy. Additional activities led to compound 11, which lost its oral bioavailability and had to be administered subcutaneously. Nevertheless, compound 11 achieved tumor growth inhibition in the MV4-11 and Molm-13 xenograft models in mice.

In conclusion, we progressed in making DOT1L inhibitors with improved PK properties, but further optimization is required to generate a viable clinical candidate. The limited efficacy obtained with compound 11 and lack of efficacy observed with subcutaneous administration of EPZ-5676 around the maximally tolerated dose illustrate the difficulty to achieve a sustained level of DOT1L inhibitor in vivo to suppress DOT1L activity sufficiently. Furthermore, H3K79me2 and efficacy in vivo seem disconnected.

Citation Format: Andreas Weiss, Frederic Stauffer, Clemens Clemens, Henrik Möbitz, Christian Ragot, Kim S. Beyer, Keith Calkins, Claudio Thoma, Daniel Guthy, Michael Kiffe, Bernard Van Eerdenbrugh, William R. Sellers, Francesco Hofmann, Ralph Tiedt, Christoph Gaul. A new DOT1L inhibitor with in vivo activity in mouse models of MLL-translocated leukemia [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research 2020; 2020 Apr 27-28 and Jun 22-24. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(16 Suppl):Abstract nr 1770.

Influence of Formulation Parameters on Redispersibility of Naproxen Nanoparticles from Granules Produced in a Fluidized Bed Process

The particle size reduction of active pharmaceutical ingredients is an efficient method to overcome challenges associated with a poor aqueous solubility. With respect to stability and patient's convenience, the corresponding nanosuspensions are often further processed to solid dosage forms. In this regard, the influence of several formulation parameters (i.e., type of carrier material, type and amount of additional polymeric drying excipient in the nanosuspension) on the redispersibility of naproxen nanoparticle-loaded granules produced in a fluidized bed process was investigated. The dissolution rate of the carrier material (i.e., sucrose, mannitol, or lactose) was identified as a relevant material property, with higher dissolution rates (sucrose > mannitol > lactose) resulting in better redispersibility of the products. Additionally, the redispersibility of the product granules was observed to improve with increasing amounts of polymeric drying excipient in the nanosuspension. The redispersibility was observed to qualitatively correlate with the degree of nanoparticle embedding on the surface of the corresponding granules. This embedding was assumed to be either caused by a partial dissolution and subsequent resolidification of the carrier surface dependent on the dissolution rate of the carrier material or by resolidification of the dissolved polymeric drying excipient upon drying. As the correlation between the redispersibility and the morphology of the corresponding granules was observed for all investigated formulation parameters, it may be assumed that the redispersibility of the nanoparticles is determined by their distance in the dried state.

New Potent DOT1L Inhibitors for in Vivo Evaluation in Mouse

In MLL-rearranged cancer cells, disruptor of telomeric silencing 1-like protein (DOT1L) is aberrantly recruited to ectopic loci leading to local hypermethylation of H3K79 and consequently misexpression of leukemogenic genes. A structure-guided optimization of a HTS hit led to the discovery of DOT1L inhibitors with subnanomolar potency, allowing testing of the therapeutic principle of DOT1L inhibition in a preclinical mouse tumor xenograft model. Compounds displaying good exposure in mouse and nanomolar inhibition of target gene expression in cells were obtained and tested in vivo.

Ranking Itraconazole Formulations Based on the Flux through Artificial Lipophilic Membrane

PURPOSE

The goal of the study was to evaluate a miniaturized dissolution-permeation apparatus (μFLUX™ apparatus) for its ability to benchmark several itraconazole (ITZ) formulations for which in vivo PK data was available in the literature.

METHOD

Untreated and micronized powders of ITZ and various enabling formulations of ITZ (commercial Sporanox® solid dispersion, a Soluplus®-based solid dispersion and a nanosuspension) were introduced to the donor compartment of μFLUX™ apparatus. Donor and acceptor chambers were divided from each other by a lipophilic membrane. In addition to the flux evaluations, changes in solid state as a function of time were investigated to gain further insight into the flux changes observed over time for the solid dispersion formulations.

RESULTS

Initial flux values from Sporanox®, the nanosuspension and the micronized ITZ showed ratios of 52/4/1 with a decreasing flux from nanosuspension and both solid dispersions after 2.5-3 h. Although the initial flux from the Soluplus® formulation was 2.2 times lower than the one observed for Sporanox®, the decrease in flux observed was milder and became ~ 2 times higher than Sporanox® after approximately 2.5 h. The total amounts of ITZ in the receiver compartment after 240 min showed the same rank order as the rodent AUCs of these formulations reported in literature.

CONCLUSIONS

It was demonstrated that in vitro flux measurements using lipophilic artificial membranes could correctly reproduce the rank order of PK results for ITZ formulations. The drop in flux over time for solid dispersions could be backed by experimental indications of crystallization.

Understanding the tendency of amorphous solid dispersions to undergo amorphous-amorphous phase separation in the presence of absorbed moisture

Formulation of an amorphous solid dispersion (ASD) is one of the methods commonly considered to increase the bioavailability of a poorly water-soluble small-molecule active pharmaceutical ingredient (API). However, many factors have to be considered in designing an API-polymer system, including any potential changes to the physical stability of the API. In this study, the tendency of ASD systems containing a poorly water-soluble API and a polymer to undergo amorphous-amorphous phase separation was evaluated following exposure to moisture at increasing relative humidity. Infrared spectroscopy was used as the primary method to investigate the phase behavior of the systems. In general, it was observed that stronger drug-polymer interactions, low-ASD hygroscopicity, and a less hydrophobic API led to the formation of systems resistant to moisture-induced amorphous-amorphous phase separation. Orthogonal partial least squares analysis provided further insight into the systems, confirming the importance of the aforementioned properties. In order to design a more physically stable ASD that is resistant to moisture-induced amorphous-amorphous phase separation, it is important to consider the interplay between these properties.

2-But-oxy-N-[2-(diethyl-amino)-eth-yl]quinoline-4-carboxamide (dibucaine)

The mol­ecular conformation of the title compound, C₂₀H₂₉N₃O₂, is stabilized by an intra­molecular C—H⋯O hydrogen bond. The orientation of the amide group to the ring system is characterized by a C—C—C—O dihedral angle of 137.5 (3)°. In the crystal, inter­molecular N—H⋯O hydrogen bonds between the amide groups form C(4) chains running parallel to the a axis.

1-[(Biphenyl-4-yl)(phen-yl)meth-yl]-1H-imidazole (bifonazole)

In the title compound, C₂₂H₁₈N₂, the dihedral angles formed by the imidazole ring with the phenyl ring and the benzene ring of the biphenyl group are 87.02 (5) and 78.20 (4)°, respectively. In the crystal, mol­ecules inter­act through inter­molecular C—H⋯N hydrogen bonds, forming chains parallel to the b axis. These chains are further linked into a three-dimensional network by C—H⋯π stacking inter­actions

2-(Biphenyl-4-yl)acetic acid (felbinac)

The structure of the title compound, C₁₄H₁₂O₂, displays the expected inter­molecular hydrogen bonding of the carb­oxy­lic acid groups, forming dimers. The dihedral angle between the two aromatic rings is 27.01 (7)°.

Downscaling drug nanosuspension production: processing aspects and physicochemical characterization

In this study, scaling down nanosuspension production to 10 mg of drug compound and evaluation of the nanosuspensions to 1 mg of drug compound per test were investigated. Media milling of seven model drug compounds (cinnarizine-indomethacin-itraconazole-loviride-mebendazole-naproxen-phenytoin) was evaluated in a 96-well plate setup (10, 20, and 30 mg) and a glass-vial-based system in a planetary mill (10, 100, and 1,000 mg). Physicochemical properties evaluated on 1 mg of drug compound were drug content (high-performance liquid chromatography), size [dynamic light scattering (DLS)], morphology (scanning electron microscopy), thermal characteristics (differential scanning calorimetry), and X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD). Scaling down nanosuspension production to 10 mg of drug compound was feasible for the seven model compounds using both designs, the planetary mill design being more robust. Similar results were obtained for both designs upon milling 10 mg of drug compound. Drug content determination was precise and accurate. DLS was the method of choice for size measurements. Morphology evaluation and thermal analysis were feasible, although sample preparation had a big influence on the results. XRPD in capillary mode was successfully performed, both in the suspended state and after freeze-drying in the capillary. Results obtained for the latter were superior. Both the production and the physicochemical evaluation of nanosuspensions can be successfully downscaled, enabling nanosuspension screening applications in preclinical development settings.