Physical characterization of pentamidine isethionate during freeze-drying-relevance to development of stable lyophilized product

Crystallization of Cyclophosphamide Monohydrate During Lyophilization

The purpose of this study was to investigate the phase behavior of cyclophosphamide (CPA) during various stages of lyophilization, with special emphasis on obtaining crystalline CPA monohydrate (CPA-MH) in the lyophilized product. Subambient differential scanning calorimetry and low-temperature X-ray diffractometry (LTXRD) were used to study the phase behavior of CPA solution (3.7% w/v). In situ lyophilization in LTXRD chamber was used to monitor the phase transitions occurring during the drying stages. Finally, the implications of these findings were confirmed by freeze-drying the aqueous solution in a laboratory-scale freeze-dryer. The results suggested that CPA remains amorphous during freeze concentration, with a T_g' of -50°C. However, its crystallization as CPA-MH can be induced by annealing the frozen solution between -5°C and -10°C. In situ lyophilization in LTXRD showed that the CPA-MH crystallized during annealing, rapidly dehydrated during primary drying, thereby causing structural collapse. The dehydration of CPA-MH can be prevented by lowering the escaping tendency of water molecules from the crystal lattice of CPA-MH by maintaining the chamber pressure to 300, 400, or 500 mTorr. This study highlights the relationship of process parameters used during lyophilization with the solid form of lyophilized CPA.

Differential effect of buffering agents on the crystallization of gemcitabine hydrochloride in frozen solutions

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the differential effect of buffering agents on the crystallization of gemcitabine hydrochloride (GHCl) in frozen solutions. Four buffering agents, viz. citric acid (CA), malic acid (MA), succinic acid (SA) and tartaric acid (TA) were selected and their effect on GHCl crystallization was monitored using standard DSC and low temperature XRD. Onset of GHCl crystallization during heating run in DSC was measured to compare the differential effect of buffering agents. Glass transition temperature (Tg'), unfrozen water content in the freeze concentrate and crystallization propensity of the buffering agents was also determined for mechanistic understanding of the underlying effects. CA and MA inhibited while SA facilitated crystallization of GHCl even at 25 mM concentration. Increasing the concentration enhanced their effect. However, TA inhibited GHCl crystallization at concentrations <100mM and facilitated it at concentrations ≥100 mM. Lyophilization of GHCl with either SA or TA yielded elegant cakes, while CA and MA caused collapse. Tg' failed to explain the inhibitory effects of CA, MA and TA as all buffering agents lowered the Tg' of the system. Differential effect of buffering agents on GHCl crystallization could be explained by consideration of two opposing factors: (i) their own crystallization tendency and (ii) unfrozen water content in the freeze concentrate. In conclusion, it was established that API crystallization in frozen solution is affected by the type and concentration of the buffering agents.

Effects of formulation and process factors on the crystal structure of freeze-dried Myo-inositol

The objective of this study was to elucidate effects of formulation and process variables on the physical forms of freeze-dried myo-inositol. Physical properties of myo-inositol in frozen solutions, freeze-dried solids, and cooled heat-melt solids were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), thermal analysis (differential scanning calorimetry [DSC] and thermogravimetric), and simultaneous PXRD-DSC analysis. Cooling of heat-melt myo-inositol produced two forms of metastable anhydrate crystals that change to stable form (melting point 225 °C-228 °C) with transition exotherms at around 123 °C and 181 °C, respectively. Freeze-drying of single-solute aqueous myo-inositol solutions after rapid cooling induced crystallization of myo-inositol as metastable anhydrate (transition at 80 °C-125 °C) during secondary drying segment. Contrarily, postfreeze heat treatment (i.e., annealing) induced crystallization of myo-inositol dihydrate. Removal of the crystallization water during the secondary drying produced the stable-form myo-inositol anhydrate crystal. Shelf-ramp slow cooling of myo-inositol solutions resulted in the stable and metastable anhydrous crystal solids depending on the solute concentrations and the solution volumes. Colyophilization with phosphate buffer retained myo-inositol in the amorphous state. Crystallization in different process segments varies crystal form of freeze-dried myo-inositol solids.

Miscibility as a factor for component crystallization in multisolute frozen solutions

The relationship between the miscibility of formulation ingredients and their crystallization during the freezing segment of the lyophilization process was studied. The thermal properties of frozen solutions containing myo-inositol and cosolutes were obtained by performing heating scans from -70 °C before and after heat treatment at -20 °C to -5 °C. Addition of dextran 40,000 reduced and prevented crystallization of myo-inositol. In the first scan, some frozen solutions containing an inositol-rich mixture with dextran showed single broad transitions (Tg's: transition temperatures of maximally freeze-concentrated solutes) that indicated incomplete mixing of the concentrated amorphous solutes. Heat treatment of these frozen solutions induced separation of the solutes into inositol-dominant and solute mixture phases (Tg' splitting) following crystallization of myo-inositol (Tg' shifting). The crystal growth involved myo-inositol molecules in the solute mixture phase. The amorphous-amorphous phase separation and resulting loss of the heteromolecular interaction in the freeze-concentrated inositol-dominant phase should allow ordered assembly of the solute molecules required for nucleation. Some dextran-rich and intermediate concentration ratio frozen solutions retained single Tg's of the amorphous solute mixture, both before and after heat treatments. The relevance of solute miscibility on the crystallization of myo-inositol was also indicated in the systems containing glucose or recombinant human albumin.