Product quality of parenteral vancomycin products in the United States.

In response to concerns raised about the quality of parenteral vancomycin products, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is investigating the product quality of all FDA-approved parenteral vancomycin products available in the United States. Product quality was evaluated independently at two FDA Office of Testing and Research (FDA-OTR) sites. In the next phase of the investigation, being done in collaboration with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, the in vivo activity of these products will be evaluated in an appropriate animal model. This paper summarizes results of the FDA investigation completed thus far. One site used a validated ultrahigh-pressure liquid chromatography method (OTR-UPLC), and the second site used the high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method for related substances provided in the British Pharmacopeia (BP) monograph for vancomycin intravenous infusion. Similar results were obtained by the two FDA-OTR laboratories using two different analytical methods. The products tested had 90 to 95% vancomycin B (active component of vancomycin) by the BP-HPLC method and 89 to 94% vancomycin by OTR-UPLC methods. Total impurities were 5 to 10% by BP-HPLC and 6 to 11% by OTR-UPLC methods. No single impurity was >2.0%, and the CDP-1 level was ≤ 2.0% across all products. Some variability in impurity profiles of the various products was observed. No adverse product quality issues were identified with the six U.S. vancomycin parenteral products. The quality parameters of all parenteral vancomycin products tested surpassed the United States Pharmacopeia acceptance criteria. Additional testing will characterize in vivo performance characteristics of these products.

Simultaneous determination of the elimination profiles of the individual enantiomers of racemic isoproterenol using capillary electrophoresis and microdialysis sampling.

Microdialysis sampling and capillary electrophoresis with electrochemical detection (CE-EC) were used in combination to simultaneously define the elimination profile of each enantiomer of isoproterenol (ISP) administered as a racemic mixture to Sprague-Dawley rats. Resolution of the enantiomers of ISP was accomplished using a running buffer containing methyl-O-beta-cyclodextrin as a chiral recognition reagent. The CE-EC system provided a concentration limit of detection of 0.63 ng ml-1, allowing monitoring of the elimination of ISP for up to six half-lives. Microdialysis sampling was capable of continuously monitoring the concentration of ISP with 60 s resolution. The concentration versus time data for the elimination of (+) and (-) ISP were fit to a biphasic first order elimination model yielding average apparent distribution half-lives of 0.52 +/- 0.07 min and 0.55 +/- 0.08 min and average apparent elimination half-lives of 9.8 +/- 2.2 and 8.8 +/- 2.0 min for (-) and (+) ISP, respectively (n = 3 rats). No statistically significant difference in the average half-lives was found. However, because each enantiomer was simultaneously determined in each animal a paired two-sample t-Test could also be done. This statistical analysis demonstrated that a difference in the elimination half-lives of the enantiomers of ISP does exist.

Optimization of the separation and detection of the enantiomers of isoproterenol in microdialysis samples by cyclodextrin-modified capillary electrophoresis using electrochemical detection.

Isoproterenol is a chiral catecholamine with a half-life of elimination of less than 10 min. In order to study the pharmacokinetics of this compound using microdialysis sampling, an analytical method was needed which could resolve the individual enantiomers of isoproterenol and required less than 1 microliter of sample. A capillary electrophoretic method using a run buffer containing methyl-O-beta-cyclodextrin as a chiral recognition agent was developed which could resolve the enantiomers of isoproterenol. The detection limits using UV absorbance detection were found to be too high to determine the concentration of isoproterenol in plasma for a sufficient time following administration to establish the pharmacokinetics. The detection limits were decreased three orders of magnitude to 3 ng/ml by using an amperometric detector. The detection limits were decreased to 0.6 ng/ml using an on-column concentration technique in which peak stacking was accomplished by following the sample injection with a plug of acid.

Liquid chromatographic determination of tacrine and its metabolites in rat bile microdialysates.

A microbore liquid chromatographic method using a phenyl stationary phase was developed for the determination of 9-amino-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroacridine (tacrine, THA) and its metabolites in microdialysis samples of bile. Analysis of microdialysis samples requires analytical methods with low detection limits and small sample volume requirements. The method uses a 1-mm I.D. phenyl column and fluorescence detection. A detection limit of 0.25 ng/ml in a 5-microliters sample was achieved for THA. This method was then used to determine THA and THA-1-ol in the bile dialysate of a rat. Because of the small sample volume requirements, a 10-min temporal resolution was achieved for the microdialysis experiment. The low detection limit allowed the THA concentration in the bile to be monitored for more than 4 h following a 1.0 mg/kg i.v. dose of THA.

Relationship of flavonoid oxidation potential and effect on rat hepatic microsomal metabolism of benzene and phenol.

The effect of several flavonoids on the benzene hydroxylase and phenol hydroxylase activity of rat hepatic microsomes was determined. The electrochemical characteristics of the flavonoids were also determined. The effect of flavonoids on microsomal phenol hydroxylase activity was found to correlate well with the oxidation potential for flavonoid aglycones. Easily oxidized flavonoids inhibited phenol hydroxylase activity with the extent of inhibition correlated to the ease of oxidation. This inhibition exhibited dose-dependent behaviour, with concentrations below 1 microM having no effect. On the other hand, flavonoids with high oxidation potentials increased phenol hydroxylase activity in a dose-independent manner. Hydroxyl substitution at C-7 was required for inhibition of phenol hydroxylase activity independently of the oxidation potential. Glycosylation at either C-7 or C-3 was found to moderate the inhibition of phenol hydroxylase activity. A linear relation was found between the degree of inhibition and the number of sugar residues for glycosylated flavonoids. There was no correlation between electrochemical properties and effect on microsomal benzene hydroxylase activity.