Physicochemical and toxicological characterization of sucrose-bound polynuclear iron oxyhydroxide formulations

Regulatory Science Approach in Pharmaceutical Development of Follow-On Versions of Non-Biological Complex Drug Products

Scientific and technological breakthroughs in the field of Nanotechnology have been a driving force throughout the development and approval of Non-Biological Complex Drugs (NBCDs). However, the fast-growing expansion of NBCDs and the emergence of their follow-on versions have brought with them several scientific, technological, and regulatory challenges. The definition of NBCDs is still not officially recognized by the regulatory authorities, and there is no dedicated regulatory pathway addressing the particular features of NBCDs and their follow-on versions. The lack of clear and consistent regulatory guidance documents in this field, as well as, the inconsistency across different regulatory agencies, impact negatively on the acceptance and enormous potential of these drug products. Patient access to high-quality NBCDs follow-on versions may be compromised by regulatory uncertainty resulting from the use of different regulatory approaches across the globe, as well as within the same class of products. Accordingly, there is a real need to develop a specific regulatory pathway compliant with the complexity of NBCDs and their follow-on versions or, alternatively, make better use of available regulatory pathways. The main goal of the review is to deeply investigate and provide a critical overview of the regulatory landscape of NBCDs and follow-on versions currently adopted by the regulatory authorities. The dissemination of knowledge and discussion in this field can contribute to clarifying regulations, policies, and regulatory approaches to complex generics, thereby filling regulatory and scientific gaps in the establishment of therapeutic equivalence.

Bioanalytical applications of Mössbauer spectroscopy

Data on the applications of Mössbauer spectroscopy in the transmission (mainly on 57Fe nuclei) and emission (on 57Co nuclei) variants for analytical studies at the molecular level of metal-containing components in a wide range of biological objects (from biocomplexes and biomacromolecules to supramolecular structures, cells, tissues and organisms) and of objects that are participants or products of biological processes, published in the last 15 years are discussed and systematized. The prospects of the technique in its biological applications, including the developing fields (emission variant, use of synchrotron radiation), are formulated.

The bibliography includes 248 references.

Factors influencing safety and efficacy of intravenous iron-carbohydrate nanomedicines: From production to clinical practice

Iron deficiency is an important subclinical disease affecting over one billion people worldwide. A growing body of clinical records supports the use of intravenous iron-carbohydrate complexes for patients where iron replenishment is necessary and oral iron supplements are either ineffective or cannot be tolerated by the gastrointestinal tract. A critical characteristic of iron-carbohydrate drugs is the complexity of their core-shell structure, which has led to differences in the efficacy and safety of various iron formulations. This review describes parameters influencing the safety and effectiveness of iron-carbohydrate complexes during production, storage, handling, and clinical application. We summarized the physicochemical and biological assessments of commercially available iron carbohydrate nanomedicines to provide an overview of publicly available data. Further, we reviewed studies that described how subtle differences in the manufacturing process of iron-carbohydrate complexes can impact on the physicochemical, biological, and clinical outcomes of original product versus their intended copies or so-called iron "similar" products.

Comparative Evaluation of U.S. Brand and Generic Intravenous Sodium Ferric Gluconate Complex in Sucrose Injection: Physicochemical Characterization

The objective of this study was to evaluate physicochemical equivalence between brand (i.e., Ferrlecit) and generic sodium ferric gluconate (SFG) in sucrose injection by conducting a series of comparative in vitro characterizations using advanced analytical techniques. The elemental iron and carbon content, thermal properties, viscosity, particle size, zeta potential, sedimentation coefficient, and molecular weight were determined. There was no noticeable difference between brand and generic SFG in sucrose injection for the above physical parameters evaluated, except for the sedimentation coefficient determined by sedimentation velocity analytical ultracentrifugation (SV-AUC) and molecular weight by asymmetric field flow fractionation-multi-angle light scattering (AFFF-MALS). In addition, brand and generic SFG complex products showed comparable molecular weight distributions when determined by gel permeation chromatography (GPC). The observed minor differences between brand and generic SFG, such as sedimentation coefficient, do not impact their biological activities in separate studies of in vitro cellular uptake and rat biodistribution. Coupled with the ongoing clinical study comparing the labile iron level in healthy volunteers, the FDA-funded post-market studies intended to illustrate comprehensive surveillance efforts ensuring safety and efficacy profiles of generic SFG complex in sucrose injection, and also to shed new light on the approval standards on generic parenteral iron colloidal products.

Physicochemical Characterization of Iron Carbohydrate Colloid Drug Products

Iron carbohydrate colloid drug products are intravenously administered to patients with chronic kidney disease for the treatment of iron deficiency anemia. Physicochemical characterization of iron colloids is critical to establish pharmaceutical equivalence between an innovator iron colloid product and generic version. The purpose of this review is to summarize literature-reported techniques for physicochemical characterization of iron carbohydrate colloid drug products. The mechanisms, reported testing results, and common technical pitfalls for individual characterization test are discussed. A better understanding of the physicochemical characterization techniques will facilitate generic iron carbohydrate colloid product development, accelerate products to market, and ensure iron carbohydrate colloid product quality.

Stable and high-yielding intrinsic (59) Fe-radiolabeling of the intravenous iron preparations Monofer and Cosmofer

Commercial iron supplements Monofer(®) and Cosmofer(®) were intrinsically radiolabeled with (59) Fe for the purpose of tracing iron absorption in vivo. Optimized procedures aimed at introducing (59) Fe into the macromolecular construct in a form that was as chemically equivalent to the matrix iron as possible. This was determined by challenging the labeled constructs with diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (DTPA) followed by separation by size-exclusion and measurements of radioactivity and iron in the eluted fractions. The final procedures were simple and involved heating aqueous dispersions of the supplements in the presence of [(59) Fe]FeCl3 for 24 h at 95 °C for Monofer, and 85 °C for Cosmofer, resulting in radiochemical yields greater than 94%. High performance size exclusion chromatography, UV-VIS spectroscopy, and dynamic light scattering were used to show that the supplements remained unchanged after radiolabeling, underscoring the applicability of the methodology for radiolabeling commercial iron preparations.