Elemental impurities in pharmaceutical products adding fuel to the fire

Method for determination of elemental impurities in metronidazole benzoate using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

The elemental impurities in pharmaceutical products have aroused widespread concern among respective supervising authorities and official pharmacopoeias since they are harmful and have no therapeutic effects. Metronidazole benzoate is used extensively to treat a variety of infections. However, impurities will inevitably be introduced in the manufacturing process of metronidazole benzoate. Hence, in this study, a sensitive method was developed for trace determination of elemental impurities in metronidazole benzoate active pharmaceutical ingredients by using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry in kinetic energy discrimination mode. The method was validated for system suitability, specificity, linearity, sensitivity, accuracy, and precision according to USP chapter <233> Elemental Impurities-Procedure. The method had good linearity with correlation coefficients > 0.99. The limits of detection were in the range of 0.0003-0.1411 μg/g, which was lower than the acceptable limit and indicated the high sensitivity of the method. The method was accurate with the recoveries in the range of 92%-107%. Moreover, the content of seven elemental impurities in the three batches of metronidazole benzoate active pharmaceutical ingredients by this method was originally below their limits and less than 30% of permitted daily exposure, meeting the requirement of International Council for Harmonization Q3D guidelines. Thus, this newly developed and validated method for estimating elemental impurities in metronidazole benzoate active pharmaceutical ingredients was within the permitted limit and suitable for routine use.

Product contamination during mechanochemical synthesis of praziquantel co-crystal, polymeric dispersion and cyclodextrin complex

This paper aims to evaluate the product contamination by elemental impurities during the mechanochemical synthesis of praziquantel (PZQ) co-crystal, polymeric dispersion and cyclodextrin complex by grinding. To assess that, PZQ was co-ground with malic acid (MA), Poloxamer F-127 (F-127) and hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (HPβCD) in high-energy vibrational mills using stainless steel and agate grinding tools, applying different processing time (30 and 90 min). Differential scanning calorimetry and X-ray powder diffraction confirmed the formation of the targeted products, regardless of applied processing time and grinding tool type. After digestion of the solid powder products, the levels of selected elemental impurities were analysed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The analysis revealed that the content of Mg, Ca, and V are below the limit of quantification in all samples analysed. The contents of P and Na are not related to the type of ball mill and reaction time, but to the starting materials themselves, considering that Na is found in HPβCD and MA, while P was found in F-127. The detected Si impurities in the co-ground products can be related to the use of the agate balls and jars, while the presence of Cr and Fe can be related to the use of the stainless steel grinding tools. The risk assessment showed that the oral administration of the prepared co-ground products in quantities corresponding to regular PZQ oral doses resulted in only insignificant exposure to Cr. Finally, the use of agate grinding tools should be preferred, as administration of such products results in lower Cr exposure. The presented elemental impurities did not lead to any significant drug degradation as PZQ content at the end of the six-month testing period was still in the range of 95-105 % of the initial content. Regardless, ICP-MS analysis of the elemental impurities should be considered in regular quality control procedures in the development and production of novel pharmaceutical products prepared by grinding.

Safety Assessment of Herbal Food Supplements: Elemental Profiling and Associated Risk

Increased usage of herbal food supplements by both the paediatric and adult populations prompted a health risk assessment study. The elemental profiles of 52 supplements collected in Serbia were obtained using ICP-MS. The calculated contribution to permitted daily exposure was in compliance with the guidelines for elemental impurities: up to 46.8% for Pb (infants), 67.2% for Cu (toddlers), 6.8% for As (preschool children), and 8.0% for Hg (adolescents). Hazard quotients indicated high exposure of toddlers to Cu (100.9%) and Zn (112.7%), although by only one supplement, for which hazard indices ranged from 229 to 105% (aligning from toddlers to adolescents). Based on the margin of exposure, As and Pb were not of safety concern. Conversely, the proportion of supplements exceeding the acceptable level of lifetime cancer risk due to As exposure varied from 41.9% in adolescents to 54.3% in adults. Simultaneous use of multiple supplements over a prolonged period of time could further deepen health concerns.

Elemental impurities determination in bromhexine hydrochloride injections

Elemental impurities in drug products have no therapeutic effect and may pose toxicological concerns, therefore it is urgent to assess the safety of elements especially in parenteral exposure drug. In the present work, a high throughput inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) method was developed for the quantitative determination of 31 elemental impurities in bromhexine hydrochloride injections from 9 manufactures. The method was successfully validated for linearity, accuracy, precision, stability, the LOD and the LOQ according to the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) < 233 > . All the elemental impurities determined were below the permitted daily exposure (PDE) limits proposed by the International Council for Harmonisation (ICH). However, significant differences were found between different manufactures' products for some elements, particularly for Al, As, B, Ba and Zn. Besides, discussions considering potential risks of elemental contamination were also presented.

Fabrication, characterization and efficacy evaluation of natural gum-based bioactive haemostatic gauzes with antibacterial properties

Management of uncontrolled bleeding due to traumatic injuries occurring in battlefields and road traffic accidents is a major healthcare concern, especially in developing countries like India. Since natural coagulation mechanism alone is insufficient to achieve haemostasis quickly in such cases, application of an external haemostatic product is generally required to accelerate the coagulation process. We had recently reported preliminary comparison of four natural absorbent gums, which indicated towards haemostatic potential of gum tragacanth (GT) and xanthan gum (XG). Present study involves fabrication of haemostatic dressings incorporated with different concentrations of GT or XG, along with ciprofloxacin (a broad-spectrum antibiotic) and other excipients over woven cotton gauze. Prepared gauzes were investigated for physico-chemical characteristics, in-vitro blood interaction studies, antibacterial effect and in-vivo haemostatic efficacy in Sprague Dawley rats using two bleeding models. Acute dermal toxicity studies were also carried out as per OECD guidelines. SEM studies showed that gauzes coated with XG had thin, uniform layer of coating, while in case of GT; coating was comparatively rough with insoluble particles of GT adhering over gauze surface, forming voids on the fibers. Coated gauzes exhibited optimum mechanical properties in terms of tensile strength and percent extension at break. GT coated dressings showed good fluid uptake and retention ability in-vitro. Test gauzes were non-hemolytic in nature, did not elicit any dermal toxicity on animals' skin and had the ability to protect against E. coli infection. In-vivo efficacy studies in rat femoral artery and liver laceration bleeding models indicated that gauzes coated with 4% GT were able to clot blood in least time (36.67 ± 3.33s and 40 ± 2.58s respectively) as compared to other gum combinations and commercially available dressing 'Surgispon® (103.3 ± 4.22s and 85 ± 5.62s respectively). Results of this study validate our initial findings of the potential of gum tragacanth to be developed into a suitable haemostatic product.

Rapid screening of pharmaceutical products for elemental impurities by a high-resolution portable energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometer using an efficient fundamental parameter method

In this study, a rapid screening method for elemental impurities in pharmaceutical products has been established by portable energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF) spectroscopy combined with the efficient fundamental parameter method. The proposed method has been used for the screening of 22 elemental impurities (i.e., Cd, Pb, As, Hg, Co, V, Ni, Tl, Au, Pd, Ir, Os, Rh, Ru, Se, Ag, Pt, Sb, Mo, Cu, Sn, and Cr) in the International Conference on Harmonization (ICH) Q3D guideline. The verification of results could meet the acceptance criteria for accuracy, precision and linearity in the United States Pharmacopoeia 〈233〉. On the other hand, the limit of quantitation of the proposed EDXRF method for the screening of 22 elemental impurities in pharmaceutical products could meet the concentration limits of each element at 10 g maximum daily intake based on the established permitted daily exposure to oral drugs in the ICH Q3D guideline. Our findings open up new possibilities in the rapid screening of pharmaceutical products for the detection of elemental impurities by EDXRF, which can be expected to provide a novel, nondestructive, high-throughput, portable, and sensitive platform for the process control of elemental impurities to ensure the quality and safety of drugs.

Photoexcited Nitroarenes for the Oxidative Cleavage of Alkenes

The oxidative cleavage of alkenes is an integral process that converts feedstock materials into high-value synthetic intermediates^1,2,3. The most viable method to achieve this in one chemical step is with ozone^4,5,6,7, which however poses technical and safety challenges owing to the explosive nature of ozonolysis products^8,9. Herein, we disclose an alternative approach to achieve oxidative cleavage of alkenes using nitroarenes and purple light irradiation. We demonstrate that photoexcited nitroarenes are effective ozone surrogates that undergo facile radical [3+2] cycloaddition with alkenes. The resulting "N-doped" ozonides are safe to handle and lead to the corresponding carbonyl products under mild hydrolytic conditions. These features have enabled the controlled cleavage of all types of alkenes in the presence of a broad array of commonly used organic functionalities. Furthermore, by harnessing electronic, steric, and mediated polar effects, the structural and functional diversity of nitroarenes has provided a modular platform to obtain site-selectivity in substrates containing more than one alkene.

Metallic Impurities in Pharmaceuticals: An Overview

Backgroun:

Metallic impurities are the traces of metals that can be found in finished drug products.

Description:

These metallic impurities in pharmaceutical preparations can enter from formulation ingredients, catalysts, and process equipment, containers and closures. They are not completely removed from the product by practical manufacturing techniques and should be evaluated relative to safetybased limits. They can affect drug efficacy or produce direct toxic effect on the patient.

Methods:

In this paper, an attempt has been made to review these metallic impurities including potential sources and analytical procedures to quantify these impurities. ICH guideline on these impurities and measures to control impurities has also been discussed in the paper.

Results:

The implementation of ICH Q3D guideline with the quality risk assessment approach is an important milestone to harmonize control of elements worldwide.

Conclusion:

This approach allows manufacturers to provide vital information about the contribution of impurities in the drug product.

Ayurvedic formulations containing benzoic and ascorbic acids as additives: benzene formation during storage and impact of additives on quality parameters

OBJECTIVES

Ayurvedic formulations are becoming the prior choice of people as health care supplements. The increasing demand for these formulations has led to extensive development of Ayurvedic pharmaceutical industries worldwide. The reaction between the preservatives (sodium benzoates and ascorbic acid) used in these formulations could generate benzene. Benzene is classified as class-1 human carcinogen and responsible for various short and long term health effects.

METHODS

In this study, 25 formulations (containing ascorbic acid and sodium benzoate) of various manufacturers available as over the counter products were obtained and their benzene content were determined using gas chromatograph with flame ionization detector.

RESULTS

The result showed that 64% of the formulations were free from benzene contamination whereas 36% of formulations were found to be contaminated with benzene. A simple, less time-consuming, economic, and validated gas chromatographic method for estimation of benzene in Ayurvedic formulations was also developed successfully in present study.

CONCLUSIONS

The data revealed that the level of benzene was within permissible limits, yet the presence of a carcinogen in the marketed formulations intended for internal use is an alarming situation.

ICH Q3D based elemental impurities study in liquid pharmaceutical dosage form with high daily intake - comparative analysis by ICP-OES and ICP-MS

Guideline for Elemental Impurities-Q3D of the International Conference on Harmonisation represents a new paradigm in the control of elemental impurities (EIs) in pharmaceuticals. It changes the approach toward control of EIs from the historical 'heavy metals test', to a scientific-based risk assessment and testing by modern analytical instrumentation such as inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) and inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Management of EIs related to all finished drug products must be implemented in strict compliance with the regulatory requirements of pharmaceutical industry due to their quality and safety concerns. Testing for presence of EIs from Class 1 and Class 2a in methadone hydrochloride 1 mg/ml oral solution with recommended daily intake of 150 mg methadone hydrochloride was initially performed on ICP-OES using in-house validated method according to the requirements of pharmacopoeias, in line with Q3D. During the procedure, it became apparent that ICP-OES has its own limitations, especially when it comes to testing arsenic and lead in low concentrations. ICP-MS in-house validated method was developed and employed for determination of trace concentrations of arsenic and lead, providing resourceful information that were compared and correlated to the data obtained by ICP-OES analysis. Sample preparation using microwave digestion technique was applied for the analyses by both techniques. Although the applied ICP-OES in-house method is suitable for determination of Hg, Cd, Co, V, and Ni, more sensitive technique such as ICP-MS is required for accurate determination of As and Pb concerning pharmaceuticals with high daily intakes.