Binary isobaric phase diagrams of stearyl alcohol-poloxamer 407 formulations in the molten and solid state.

Multiparticulate formulations allow for the design of specialized pharmaceutical dosage forms that cater to the needs of a wide range of patient demographics, such as pediatric and geriatric populations, by affording control over the release rate and facilitating the formulation of fixed-dose combination drugs. Melt spray-congealing (MSC) is a method for preparing multiparticulate dosage forms from a suspension or solid solution of active pharamaceutical ingredients (API) and a molten carrier matrix. Stearyl alcohol and poloxamer 407 mixtures are widely used as carrier matrices in MSC microsphere formulations. In this report, the phase equilibria of stearyl alcohol-poloxamer 407 mixtures were investigated by generating binary phase diagrams of composition, i.e. weight/weight percent of poloxamer 407 in stearyl alcohol, and temperature in the molten form and the solid state. The phase equilibria of the molten state were characterized by 1H NMR measurements. The miscibility curves of stearyl alcohol-poloxamer 407 molten mixtures revealed that stearyl alcohol and poloxamer 407 are not miscible in all proportions and that miscibility substantially increases with temperature. The phase equilibria of the solid state were characterized by DSC and PXRD experiments. The phase diagrams of the solid state indicate that stearyl alcohol and poloxamer 407 crystallize and melt separately and, thus, do not form a eutectic or a single phase. The phases equilibria of the bulk mixtures were compared to the phases observed in placebo MSC microspheres and it was determined that the microspheres consist of a mixture of thermodynamically stable and metastable stearyl alcohol crystals immediately after manufacture.

Strategies to address low drug solubility in discovery and development.

Drugs with low water solubility are predisposed to low and variable oral bioavailability and, therefore, to variability in clinical response. Despite significant efforts to "design in" acceptable developability properties (including aqueous solubility) during lead optimization, approximately 40% of currently marketed compounds and most current drug development candidates remain poorly water-soluble. The fact that so many drug candidates of this type are advanced into development and clinical assessment is testament to an increasingly sophisticated understanding of the approaches that can be taken to promote apparent solubility in the gastrointestinal tract and to support drug exposure after oral administration. Here we provide a detailed commentary on the major challenges to the progression of a poorly water-soluble lead or development candidate and review the approaches and strategies that can be taken to facilitate compound progression. In particular, we address the fundamental principles that underpin the use of strategies, including pH adjustment and salt-form selection, polymorphs, cocrystals, cosolvents, surfactants, cyclodextrins, particle size reduction, amorphous solid dispersions, and lipid-based formulations. In each case, the theoretical basis for utility is described along with a detailed review of recent advances in the field. The article provides an integrated and contemporary discussion of current approaches to solubility and dissolution enhancement but has been deliberately structured as a series of stand-alone sections to allow also directed access to a specific technology (e.g., solid dispersions, lipid-based formulations, or salt forms) where required.

Solubility advantage of amorphous pharmaceuticals, part 3: Is maximum solubility advantage experimentally attainable and sustainable?

A method is described for screening compounds that inhibit crystallization in solution to enable more accurate measurement of amorphous drug solubility. Three polymers [polyvinylpyrrolidone, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, and hydroxypropyl methylcellulose acetate succinate (HPMCAS)] were screened for their ability to inhibit the crystallization of neat amorphous drugs during measurement of solubility of the amorphous form in water. Among the polymers evaluated, HPMCAS was found to be most promising. The use of HPMCAS provided an "apparent solubility" of amorphous drugs that was closer to the theoretically calculated values. With danazol, agreement was essentially quantitative, and for griseofulvin and iopanoic acid, agreement was within a factor of two; these maximum concentrations were sustained for a period of 40-90 min. Dynamic light scattering of filtered samples (0.22 µ) revealed the presence of colloidal drug-polymer assemblies in solution (100-150 nm). The supernatant resulting from this centrifugation gradually decreased in concentration, but remained supersaturated with respect to crystalline drug for several hours. Thus, HPMCAS has been shown to be a useful additive in dissolution media to allow a more accurate determination of the solubility of fast crystallizing neat amorphous drugs, at least for the drugs studied, and it should also serve to retard crystallization in vivo and therefore, facilitate improved bioavailability.

Aqueous solubility of crystalline and amorphous drugs: Challenges in measurement.

Measurement of drug solubility is one of the key elements of active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) characterization during the drug discovery and development process. This report is a critical review of experimental methods reported in the literature for the measurement of aqueous solubility of amorphous, partially crystalline and crystalline organic compounds. A summary of high-throughput automated methods used in early drug discovery research is also provided in this report. This review summarizes the challenges that are encountered during solubility measurement and the complexities that are often overlooked. Even though there is an advantage in using the amorphous form of a drug due to its higher solubility, measurement of its solubility with useful accuracy is still a practical problem. Therefore, this review provides recommendations of preferred methods and precautions in using these methods to determine the aqueous solubility of amorphous and crystalline new molecular entities, with emphasis on the physico-chemical characterization of the solid state of the test substance.

Solubility advantage of amorphous pharmaceuticals: II. Application of quantitative thermodynamic relationships for prediction of solubility enhancement in structurally diverse insoluble pharmaceuticals.

PURPOSE: To quantitatively assess the solubility advantage of amorphous forms of nine insoluble drugs with a wide range of physico-chemical properties utilizing a previously reported thermodynamic approach. METHODS: Thermal properties of amorphous and crystalline forms of drugs were measured using modulated differential calorimetry. Equilibrium moisture sorption uptake by amorphous drugs was measured by a gravimetric moisture sorption analyzer, and ionization constants were determined from the pH-solubility profiles. Solubilities of crystalline and amorphous forms of drugs were measured in de-ionized water at 25°C. Polarized microscopy was used to provide qualitative information about the crystallization of amorphous drug in solution during solubility measurement. RESULT: For three out the nine compounds, the estimated solubility based on thermodynamic considerations was within two-fold of the experimental measurement. For one compound, estimated solubility enhancement was lower than experimental value, likely due to extensive ionization in solution and hence its sensitivity to error in pKa measurement. For the remaining five compounds, estimated solubility was about 4- to 53-fold higher than experimental results. In all cases where the theoretical solubility estimates were significantly higher, it was observed that the amorphous drug crystallized rapidly during the experimental determination of solubility, thus preventing an accurate experimental assessment of solubility advantage. CONCLUSION: It has been demonstrated that the theoretical approach does provide an accurate estimate of the maximum solubility enhancement by an amorphous drug relative to its crystalline form for structurally diverse insoluble drugs when recrystallization during dissolution is minimal.

The mechanism of lymphatic access of two cholesteryl ester transfer protein inhibitors (CP524,515 and CP532,623) and evaluation of their impact on lymph lipoprotein profiles.

PURPOSE: To explore the mechanism of lymphatic access of the CETP inhibitors (CETPi) CP524,515 and CP532,623 and probe their potential effect on lymph lipoprotein development. METHODS: Lymphatic access mechanisms were examined via correlation of lymphatic drug transport profiles with drug affinity for lymph lipoproteins and drug solubility in representative combinations of lipoprotein lipids. The effects of the CETPi on lymph lipoprotein profiles were evaluated by ultracentrifugation and flow cytometry. RESULTS: Both CETPi were highly lymphatically transported (22-28% of dose), and lymphatic transport was closely correlated with drug affinity for ex-vivo lymph lipoproteins or triglyceride emulsions and poorly related to solubility in mixtures of lipoprotein core and/or surface lipids. Both CETPi altered the kinetics of lymph lipid transport and decreased lymph lipid transport in chylomicrons. CONCLUSION: Lymphatic transport of the CETPi appears to reflect high affinity for the interface of lymph lipoproteins rather than solubilisation in the lipoprotein core and confirms that triglyceride solubilities >50 mg/g are not necessarily a pre-requisite for lymphatic transport. The CETPi also led to changes to lipoprotein processing in the enterocyte including a reduction in lipid transport in chylomicrons. Changes to intestinal lipoprotein profiles may contribute to the changes in systemic lipoprotein levels seen during CETPi therapy.

The role of the intestinal lymphatics in the absorption of two highly lipophilic cholesterol ester transfer protein inhibitors (CP524,515 and CP532,623).

PURPOSE: To evaluate the potential role of intestinal lymphatic transport in the absorption and oral bioavailability of members of an emerging class of anti-atherosclerosis drugs (CETP inhibitors). CP524,515 and CP532,623 are structurally related with eLogD(7.4) >5; however, only CP524,515 (and not CP532,623) had sufficient solubility (>50 mg/g) in long-chain triglyceride (LCT) to be considered likely to be lymphatically transported. METHODS: CP524,515 and CP532,623 were administered intravenously and orally to fasted or fed lymph-cannulated or non-cannulated dogs. Oral bioavailability and lymphatic transport of drug (and triglyceride) was subsequently quantified. RESULTS: Both CETP inhibitors were substantially transported into the lymphatic system (>25% dose) in fed and fasted dogs. Food enhanced oral bioavailability (from 45 to 83% and 44 to 58% for CP524,515 and CP532,623, respectively) and the proportion of the absorbed dose transported via the lymph (from 61 to 86% and from 68 to 83%, respectively). Lymphatic triglyceride transport was significantly lower in fed dogs administered CP532,623. CONCLUSION: Intestinal lymphatic transport is the major absorption pathway for CP524,515 and CP532,623, suggesting that a LCT solubility >50 mg/g is not an absolute requirement for lymphatic transport. The effect of CP532,623 on intestinal lipid transport may suggest a role in the activity/toxicity profiles of CETP inhibitors.

Solubility advantage of amorphous pharmaceuticals: I. A thermodynamic analysis.

In recent years there has been growing interest in advancing amorphous pharmaceuticals as an approach for achieving adequate solubility. Due to difficulties in the experimental measurement of solubility, a reliable estimate of the solubility enhancement ratio of an amorphous form of a drug relative to its crystalline counterpart would be highly useful. We have developed a rigorous thermodynamic approach to estimate enhancement in solubility that can be achieved by conversion of a crystalline form to the amorphous form. We rigorously treat the three factors that contribute to differences in solubility between amorphous and crystalline forms. First, we calculate the free energy difference between amorphous and crystalline forms from thermal properties measured by modulated differential scanning calorimetry (MDSC). Secondly, since an amorphous solute can absorb significant amounts of water, which reduces its activity and solubility, a correction is made using water sorption isotherm data and the Gibbs-Duhem equation. Next, a correction is made for differences in the degree of ionization due to differences in solubilities of the two forms. Utilizing this approach the theoretically estimated solubility enhancement ratio of 7.0 for indomethacin (amorphous/gamma-crystal) was found to be in close agreement with the experimentally determined ratio of 4.9.

Dielectric study of equimolar acetaminophen-aspirin, acetaminophen-quinidine, and benzoic acid-progesterone molecular alloys in the glass and ultraviscous states and their relevance to solubility and stability.

Equimolar mixtures of acetaminophen-aspirin, acetaminophen-quinidine, and benzoic acid-progesterone have been vitrified and dielectric properties of their glassy and ultraviscous alloys have been studied. For 20 K/min heating rate, their T(g)s are 266, 330, and 263 K, respectively. The relaxation has an asymmetric distribution of times, and the distribution parameter increases with increase in temperature. The dielectric relaxation time varies with T according to the Vogel-Fulcher-Tammann equation, log(10)(tau(0)) = A(VFT) + [B(VFT)/(T - T(0))], where A(VFT), B(VFT), and T(0) are empirical constants. The equilibrium permittivity is highest for the aspirin-acetaminophen and lowest for the benzoic acid-progesterone alloy, indicating a substantial interpharmaceutical hydrogen bonding that makes the alloy more stable against crystallization than the pure components. The benzoic acid-progesterone alloy is thermodynamically the most nonideal. It showed cold crystallization on heating, which is attributed to its relatively greater magnitude of the JG relaxation in relation to its alpha-relaxation. It is argued that the difference between the free energy of an alloy and the pure components would have an effect on the solubility. Studies of solution thermodynamics of a glassy molecular alloy may be useful for optimizing choice of components and composition to form molecular alloys and to impact drug delivery.

Crystallization kinetics of ultraviscous acetaminophen by heat capacity and enthalpy measurements and diffusion control.

Crystallization kinetics of ultraviscous acetaminophen has been studied at 308.2, 318.2, and 328.2 K by measuring the heat capacity, C(p), and the heat release in real time up to a period of 2.5 days. C(p) decreases according to an inverted sigmoid-shape curve, and the heat released increases according to a similar shape. The extent of crystallization determined from the two measurements differs, thus indicating that the interfacial liquid's C(p) may be slightly different from that of the bulk liquid. Both the excess C(p) of the liquid over the crystal phase and the corresponding excess enthalpy decrease with decrease in the temperature. The kinetics of crystallization follows the Kolmogorov-Johnson-Mehl-Avrami relation, alpha(cryst)(t) = 1 - exp(-kt(m)). The logarithm of the rate constant, ln k, increases from -40.78 at 308.2 K to -32.85 at 328.2 K, and m from 3.60 to 3.83. The product of k and the calorimetric relaxation time remains constant with changing temperature thus showing that the two are inversely related. This shows that crystallization may be diffusion-controlled in the ultraviscous melt. The C(p) data indicate that slow crystallization of melt produces acetaminophen's (monoclinic) form I. Several effects usually overlooked in the crystallized kinetics formalisms have been described.

Calorimetric relaxation in pharmaceutical molecular glasses and its utility in understanding their stability against crystallization.

Glassy states of three pharmaceuticals, acetaminophen, griseofulvin, and nifedipine, and an acetaminophen-aspirin (1:1 mol) alloy were made by slow cooling of the melt and studied by calorimetry. Measurements were performed by cooling and heating at significantly slow rates of 20 K/h, which were comparable to the rate used in adiabatic calorimetry. The results were modeled in terms of a nonexponential, nonlinear structural relaxation. The calorimetric relaxation of all four pharmaceutical samples were less nonexponential than those of polymeric or inorganic glasses, and this finding was attributed to additional contributions to energy change that would arise from temperature and time dependent variation in the hydrogen bond population, the extent of isomerization, and/or the ionic equilibria that exist in these materials. Four calculated and relevant parameters for the pharmaceutical samples were, ln A = -183, beta = 0.75, x = 0.4, and Delta h* = 457 kJ/mol for acetaminophen, ln A = -170, beta = 0.75, x = 0.45, and Delta h* = 516 kJ/mol for griseofulvin, ln A = -189, beta = 0.69, x = 0.39, and Delta h* = 503 kJ/mol for nifedipine, and ln A = -160, beta = 0.70, x = 0.50, and Delta h* = 363 kJ/mol for the acetaminophen-aspirin alloy. The significance of these parameters and, in particular, their values are discussed in the context of the stability of the pharmaceuticals against crystallization and compared against the significance of the localized motions of the JG relaxation in the same context. Acetaminophen was found to be significantly more prone to crystallization on heating than the other two pharmaceuticals as well as the acetaminophen-aspirin alloy.

Calorimetric relaxation and the glass-liquid temperature range of acetaminophen-nifedipine alloys.

Glassy states of nine acetaminophen-nifedipine compositions have been made by slowly supercooling their melts, and calorimetric T(g) and the nonexponential, nonlinear relaxation parameters beta and x that are used in modeling the mobility of a pharmaceutical determined. The T(g)-endotherm's shape varies with the alloy's composition, T(g) increases approximately linearly with the mol% of nifedipine, beta and x increase, and the activation enthalpy Deltah* decreases. At T(g), the relaxation time tau(cal) of acetaminophen, nifedipine, and their alloys differs from 100 s to different extents. The distribution of relaxation times is lesser than that for polymers and other glasses. For a given composition, Deltah*, beta, x, and tau(cal) anomalously depend upon the heating rate, indicating that variation of beta with temperature would not yield better fits for modeling their stability. It is suggested that a pharmaceutical's relaxation is generally influenced by changes in intermolecular hydrogen bonds, chemical short-range order, vibrational frequency, isomerization, and impurity electrolyte dissociation, all of which contribute to the energy change with a distinctive kinetics.

Molecular mobility, thermodynamics and stability of griseofulvin's ultraviscous and glassy states from dynamic heat capacity.

PURPOSE: To determine the calorimetric relaxation time needed for modeling griseofulvin's stability against crystallization during storage. METHODS: Both temperature-modulated and unmodulated scanning calorimetry have been used to determine the heat capacity of griseofulvin in the glassy and melt state. RESULTS: The calorimetric relaxation time, tau cal, of its melt varies with the temperature T according to the relation, tau cal [s] = 10(-13.3) exp [2, 292 /(T[K] - 289.5)] , and the distribution of relaxation times parameter is 0.67. The unrelaxed heat capacity of the griseofulvin melt is equal to its vibrational heat capacity. CONCLUSIONS: Griseofulvin neither crystallizes on heating to 373 K at 1 K/h rate, nor on cooling. Molecular mobility and vibrational heat capacity measured here are more reliable for modeling a pharmaceutical's stability against crystallization than the currently used kinetics-thermodynamics relations, and molecular mobility in the (fixed structure) glassy state is much greater than the usual extrapolation from the melt state yields. Molecular relaxation time of the glassy state of griseofulvin is about 2 months at 298 K, and longer at lower temperatures. It would spontaneously increase with time. If the long-range motions alone were needed for crystallization, griseofulvin would become more stable against crystallization during storage.

Dielectric relaxation and crystallization of ultraviscous melt and glassy states of aspirin, ibuprofen, progesterone, and quinidine.

Molecular relaxation in ultraviscous melt and glassy states of aspirin, ibuprofen, progesterone, and quinidine has been studied by dielectric spectroscopy. The asymmetric relaxation spectra is characterized by the Kohlrausch distribution parameter of 0.46 +/- 0.02 for aspirin to 0.67 +/- 0.02 for progesterone. The dielectric relaxation time varies with the temperature, T, according to the Vogel-Fulcher-Tammann Equation, log(10)(tau(0)) = A(VFT) + [B(VFT)/(T - T(0))], where A(VFT), B(VFT), and T(0) are empirical constants. The extrapolated tau(0) at calorimetric glass-softening temperature is close to the value expected. The equilibrium permittivity, epsilon(0), is lowest for ibuprofen which indicates an antiparallel orientation of dipoles in its liquid's hydrogen-bonded structure. A decrease in epsilon(0) with time shows that ultraviscous aspirin, progesterone, and quinidine begin to cold-crystallize at a relatively lower temperature than ibuprofen. epsilon(0) of the cold-crystallized phases are, 4.7 for aspirin at 290 K, 2.55 for ibuprofen at 287 K, 2.6 for progesterone at 320 K, and 3.2 for quinidine at 375 K. It is argued that hydrogen-bonding, the Kohlrausch parameter, extent of localized motions and the long-range diffusion times all determine the physical and chemical stability of an amorphous pharmaceutical during storage.

Structural relaxation of acetaminophen glass.

PURPOSE: The aim is to determine the structural stability of acetaminophen glass with time and temperature change, and to examine the merits of adapting the structural relaxation models of the glassy state for pharmaceuticals. METHODS: Differential scanning calorimetry technique has been used to study the acetaminophen glass after keeping the samples for various periods at fixed temperatures and after keeping at various temperatures for fixed periods. RESULTS: A general formalism for thermodynamic changes during storage in a temperature fluctuating environment is given and the kinetics of the enthalpy and entropy decrease determined. At a fixed temperature, the decrease occurs according to a non-exponential kinetics. For the same storage time, but at different temperatures, the enthalpy and entropy decrease rises to a maximum value at a certain temperature and then declines. The peak appears at the temperature at which the internally equilibrated state of the sample is reached for a fixed storage time. The change in the normalized heat capacity during the heating of acetaminophen has been analysed in terms of a non-exponential, non-linear enthalpy relaxation model. CONCLUSION: A single set of parameters that fit the data for unannealed acetaminophen glass does not fit the calorimetric data for annealed glass. Since acetaminophen molecules form intermolecular hydrogen-bonds in the crystal state and likely to form such bonds more easily in the disordered state, effect of such bonds on structural relaxation is likely to be significant.

Dynamic heat capacity and relaxation time of ultraviscous melt and glassy acetaminophen.

The real and imaginary components, C'(p) and C''(p), of the complex heat capacity, C*(p)=C'(p)-iC"(p) of supercooled, ultraviscous melt of acetaminophen have been measured at different temperatures during cooling through its vitrification range and during heating through its glass-softening range by using a modulation frequency of 3.3 mHz. From these data, the distribution of relaxation time parameter, beta, and a characteristic (calorimetric or configurational) relaxation time, tau(cal), have been determined. A constant value of 0.65 for beta fits the data, and tau(cal) varies with the temperature according to the Vogel-Fulcher-Tammann equation, tau(cal) = 10(-12.95) exp[1813/(T - 240.5)]. This relation differs significantly from the one deduced by others in which the configurational entropy theory was used to deduce tau(cal). The C'(p) and C''(p) values measured during the cooling of its ultraviscous melt and during the heating of its glassy state show a small hysteresis only at low temperatures. These investigations also provide a comparison of calorimetric and dielectric relaxation times in ultraviscous acetaminophen and highlight the role of faster modes of relaxation at low temperatures in organic, molecular glasses that can help in a better understanding of the crystal nucleation process in glasses at T below their T(g).

Dielectric studies of molecular motions in amorphous solid and ultraviscous acetaminophen.

The dielectric permittivity and loss spectra of glassy and ultraviscous states of acetaminophen have been measured over the frequency range 10 Hz-0.4 MHz. The relaxation spectra show an asymmetric distribution of times expressed in terms of the Kohlrausch exponent, beta, which remains constant at 0.79+/-0.02 over the 305-341 K range. The dielectric relaxation time increases on cooling according to the Vogel-Fulcher-Tammann equation. However, the values of the parameters are considerably different from the values deduced from earlier work by other researchers using the heat capacity of ultraviscous acetaminophen and relating it to its molecular mobility. The calorimetric glass softening temperature of 296 K obtained from differential scanning calorimetry is close to the value measured from dielectric relaxation. The equilibrium permittivity of ultraviscous acetaminophen decreases on heating like that of a normal dipolar liquid, as anticipated from the Curie law. But, its value decreases rapidly with time when it begins to crystallize. The equilibrium permittivity of this crystal phase is approximately 3.1 at 300 K and increases with temperature, which indicates a partial, orientational-disordering of its structure. The results show limitations of the procedures used in the modeling of the kinetics of molecular motions, that is, estimating physical stability, using thermodynamic considerations based on thermal analyses of the amorphous solid phase of acetaminophen.

Cardioprotective effects of ingliforib, a novel glycogen phosphorylase inhibitor.

Interventions such as glycogen depletion, which limit myocardial anaerobic glycolysis and the associated proton production, can reduce myocardial ischemic injury; thus it follows that inhibition of glycogenolysis should also be cardioprotective. Therefore, we examined whether the novel glycogen phosphorylase inhibitor 5-Chloro-N-[(1S,2R)-3-[(3R,4S)-3,4-dihydroxy-1-pyrrolidinyl)]-2-hydroxy-3-oxo-1-(phenylmethyl)propyl]-1H-indole-2-carboxamide (ingliforib; CP-368,296) could reduce infarct size in both in vitro and in vivo rabbit models of ischemia-reperfusion injury (30 min of regional ischemia, followed by 120 min of reperfusion). In Langendorff-perfused hearts, constant perfusion of ingliforib started 30 min before regional ischemia and elicited a concentration-dependent reduction in infarct size; infarct size was reduced by 69% with 10 microM ingliforib. No significant drug-induced changes were observed in either cardiac function (heart rate, left ventricular developed pressure) or coronary flow. In open-chest anesthetized rabbits, a dose of ingliforib (15 mg/kg loading dose; 23 mg.kg(-1).h(-1) infusion) selected to achieve a free plasma concentration equivalent to an estimated EC(50) in the isolated hearts (1.2 microM, 0.55 microg/ml) significantly reduced infarct size by 52%, and reduced plasma glucose and lactate concentrations. Furthermore, myocardial glycogen phosphorylase a and total glycogen phosphorylase activity were reduced by 65% and 40%, respectively, and glycogen stores were preserved in ingliforib-treated hearts. No significant change was observed in mean arterial pressure or rate-pressure product in the ingliforib group, although heart rate was modestly decreased postischemia. In conclusion, glycogen phosphorylase inhibition with ingliforib markedly reduces myocardial ischemic injury in vitro and in vivo; this may represent a viable approach for both achieving clinical cardioprotection and treating diabetic patients at increased risk of cardiovascular disease.