Enantiospecific crystallisation behaviour of malic acid in mechanochemical reactions with vinpocetine

We report an intriguing example of enantioselectivity in the formation of new multicomponent crystalline solid containing vinpocetine and malic acid. Several experimental data sets confirmed that the multicomponent system presents a clear enantiospecific crystallisation behaviour both in the solid-state and in solution: only the system consisting of vinpocetine and L-malic acid produces a free-flowing solid consisting of a new crystalline form, while the experiments with D-malic acid produced an amorphous and often deliquescent material. The new vinpocetine-L-malic system crystallizes in the monoclinic space group of P21 and in a 1:1 molar ratio, where the two molecules are linked through intermolecular hydrogen bonds in the asymmetric unit. The vinpocetine-DL-malic system was partially crystalline (with also traces of unreacted vinpocetine) with diffraction peaks corresponding to those of vinpocetine-L-malic acid. Solid-state NMR experiments revealed strong ionic interactions in all the three systems. However, while vinpocetine-L-malic acid system was a pure and crystalline phase, the other two systems persistently showed the presence of unreacted vinpocetine. This resulted in a significant worsening of the dissolution profile with respect to the pure vinpocetine-L-malic crystalline salt, whose dissolution kinetics appeared superior.

Metal-organic framework based drug delivery systems as smart carriers for release of poorly soluble drugs hydrochlorothiazide and dapsone

Drug delivery systems (DDSs) that are derived from biocompatible carriers are attractive platforms for sustained release of drugs. In particular, sustained and controlled release of poorly soluble BCS (Biopharmaceutics Classification System) class IV drugs is important and this requires the development of new DDSs. In this work, we exploit two porous metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) MIL-100(Fe) and MIL-53(Fe) as carriers/DDSs for the release of two BCS class IV drugs hydrochlorothiazide (HCT) and dapsone (DAP). The chosen MOFs are known to possess good physicochemical stability and we realized high drug loading capacity that is attributed to the high porosity of the MOFs. The drug-encapsulated MOFs were characterized thoroughly and our results show ∼23.1% loading of HCT in MIL-100(Fe) and ∼27.6% loading of DAP in MIL-Fe(53), respectively. The release study of these drugs was carried out under simulated physiological conditions that shows sustained release of the drug molecules from the MOFs up to 72 h. Cell viability studies through MTT assays show insignificant cytotoxicity signalling biocompatibility of the proposed DDSs. Our investigations suggest MIL-100(Fe) and MIL-53(Fe) are potential DDSs for enhancing the performance of poorly soluble drugs HCT and DAP.

Sulfonic Acid Derivatives in the Production of Stable Co-Amorphous Systems for Solubility Enhancement

Co-amorphization is a promising approach to stabilize drugs in the amorphous form. Olanzapine, a poorly water-soluble drug was used in this study. Sulfonic acids (saccharin, cyclamic acid and acesulfame), free and in salt forms, were used as co-formers and compared with carboxylic acids commonly used in the preparation of co-amorphous systems. Several manufacturing techniques were tested, and the co-amorphous systems characterized by differential scanning calorimetry, X-ray powder diffraction, thermogravimetry and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. Free sulfonic acids produced co-amorphous systems with the drug, unlike their salts. Spectroscopy data suggests the formation of salts between olanzapine and the sulfonic acids, used as co-formers. The co-amorphous system produced with saccharin by solvent evaporation, showed the most notable solubility enhancement (145 times). The stability of amorphous and co-amorphous olanzapine systems was assessed upon exposure to stress conditions during storage. Amorphized olanzapine readily reconverted back to the crystalline form while sulfonic acids:olanzapine co-amorphous were stable for up to 24 weeks in low/medium humidity conditions (11-75% RH). Results highlight the potential advantages offered by sulfonic acids as co-formers to produce stable and more soluble co-amorphous olanzapine.

Crystal Engineering of Pharmaceutical Cocrystals in the Discovery and Development of Improved Drugs

The subject of crystal engineering started in the 1970s with the study of topochemical reactions in the solid state. A broad chemical definition of crystal engineering was published in 1989, and the supramolecular synthon concept was proposed in 1995 followed by heterosynthons and their potential applications for the design of pharmaceutical cocrystals in 2004. This review traces the development of supramolecular synthons as robust and recurring hydrogen bond patterns for the design and construction of supramolecular architectures, notably, pharmaceutical cocrystals beginning in the early 2000s to the present time. The ability of a cocrystal between an active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) and a pharmaceutically acceptable coformer to systematically tune the physicochemical properties of a drug (i.e., solubility, permeability, hydration, color, compaction, tableting, bioavailability) without changing its molecular structure is the hallmark of the pharmaceutical cocrystals platform, as a bridge between drug discovery and pharmaceutical development. With the design of cocrystals via heterosynthons and prototype case studies to improve drug solubility in place (2000-2015), the period between 2015 to the present time has witnessed the launch of several salt-cocrystal drugs with improved efficacy and high bioavailability. This review on the design, synthesis, and applications of pharmaceutical cocrystals to afford improved drug products and drug substances will interest researchers in crystal engineering, supramolecular chemistry, medicinal chemistry, process development, and pharmaceutical and materials sciences. The scale-up of drug cocrystals and salts using continuous manufacturing technologies provides high-value pharmaceuticals with economic and environmental benefits.

Relevance of production method on the physical stability and in vitro biopharmaceutical performances of olanzapine orodispersible film

This study assessed the relevance of the preparation process, namely solvent casting and hot-melt ram printing, on the biopharmaceutical performances of olanzapine orodispersible films (ODF) made of maltodextrins. Beside the clinical rationale, olanzapine was selected since it is subjected to polymorphism which impacts on its bioavailability. All ODF disintegrated in less than 3 min and showed content uniformity within the acceptable values. Dissolution testing in 3 mL of artificial saliva at pH = 6.8 evidenced that cast and printed ODF released after 5 min about 2% and 100%, respectively; at higher volume, a yellow precipitate was formed after disintegration of the cast ODF. At pH = 1.2, the t_85% for cast ODF was reached after about 20 min and only the 90% olanzapine was dissolved increasing the pH to 6.8. These differences were explained by DSC, TGA and X-ray diffraction data which demonstrated that the casting method, which included the preparation of an aqueous slurry, favours the conversion from Form I to a hydrated one. Since extruded ODF resulted physically stable after 30 months, this suggests the potentiality of this technique to load in ODF drugs undergoing solid-state modification after exposure to aqueous media.

Multicomponent crystals of an artemisinin derivative and cinchona alkaloids for use as antimalarial drugs

Multicomponent crystals of an artemisinin derivative and cinchona alkaloids were produced, combining two major types of antimalaria drugs with unique hydrogen bond interactions. These salts demonstrate a new category of antimalarial pharmaceuticals.

Novel solid forms of insomnia drug suvorexant with improved solubility and dissolution: accessing salts from a salt solvate route

Suvorexant (SRX) is a dual orexin receptor antagonist used for the treatment of insomnia.

Crystal structure and Hirshfeld surface analysis of 1-methyl-4-(2-methyl-10H-benzo[b]thieno[2,3-e][1,4]diazepin-4-yl)piperazin-1-ium 2,5-di-hydroxy-benzoate propan-2-ol monosolvate

The asymmetric unit of the title salt, C17H21N4S+·C7H5O4 -·C3H7OH, consists of an olanzapinium cation, an independent 2,5-di-hydroxy-benzoate anion and a solvent isopropyl alcohol mol-ecule. The central seven-membered heterocycle is in a boat conformation, while the piperazine ring displays a distorted chair conformation. The dihedral angle between the benzene and thiene rings flanking the diazepine ring is 52.58 (19)°. In the crystal, the anions and cations are connected by N-H⋯O and O-H⋯O hydrogen bonds, forming a three-dimensional network.

Mechanochemical synthesis of drug–drug and drug–nutraceutical multicomponent solids of olanzapine

Drug–drug and drug–nutraceutical multicomponent solids of an antipsychotic drug olanzapine (OLN) are prepared using mechanochemistry.

Dicarboxylic acid as a linker to improve the content of amorphous drug in drug-in-polymer film: Effects of molecular mobility, electrical conductivity and intermolecular interactions

Amorphous solid dispersion (ASD) is a well-established approach to improve the dissolution rate of the drugs with low water solubility. However, the application of the ASD was hindered by the low drug content and high risk of re-crystallization of drugs. The purpose of this research was to develop an ASD film with high content of amorphous olanzapine (OLN) for oral delivery. To overcome the high crystallization tendency of OLN in polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) films, three dicarboxylic acids (succinic acid (Suc), fumaric acid (Fum) and malic acid (Mal)) were introduced in the drug-in-polymer system as linkers between the drug and the polymer. The influence of the linkers on the re-crystallization of OLN in PVA films was evaluated by polarized light microscopy (PLM) and x-ray diffraction (XRD). Then, the possible mechanisms of crystallization inhibition were discussed based on the results of dielectric spectroscopy (DES), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR), Raman spectroscopy and molecular modeling. Finally, the effect of the linkers on the in vitro dissolution of the OLN-in-PVA films was studied in simulant saliva, and the in vivo performance of the optimal formulation was evaluated in rats. The results showed that OLN-in-PVA film have lower molecular mobility, lower electrical conductivity and stronger intermolecular interactions with the existence of Mal, which led to a better crystallization inhibition of OLN in PVA films. The re-crystallization of OLN in PVA films decreased the dissolution rate of OLN in simulant saliva. The in vivo performance of the optimal formulation was similar with that of OLN solution in rats. This study introduced a novel strategy to reduce the risk of drug re-crystallization in ASD, and also provided a deeper insight into the mechanisms of crystallization inhibition in ASD. The results will improve the judicious selection of excipients in pharmaceutical formulations.

First-line antituberculosis drug, pyrazinamide, its pharmaceutically relevant cocrystals and a salt

A few pyrazinamide (Pyz) cocrystals involving hydroxybenzoic/cinnamic acid derivatives [2,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid (24DHBA); 2,6-dihydroxybenzoic acid (26DHBA); 3,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid (35DHBA) and nutraceutical molecule ferulic acid (FRA)] and the first example of a molecular salt with p-toluenesulfonic acid (pTSA) have been prepared and characterized using various solid-state techniques. A high-temperature cocrystal polymorph of Pyz·FRA has been characterized from the endothermic peaks observed using differential scanning calorimetry. The presence of substituent groups carrying hydrogen bond donors or acceptors and their influence on supramolecular synthon formation has been investigated using a Cambridge Structural Database search. Equilibrium solubility of all the binary complexes of Pyz follows the order of their coformer solubility, i.e. Pyz+·pTSA− > Pyz·35DHBA > Pyz > Pyz·26DHBA > Pyz·24DHBA > Pyz·FRA. A twofold enhancement in solubility of Pyz+·pTSA− molecular salt compared with the parent drug suggests a potential drug formulation for the treatment of tuberculosis.

Continuous Preparation of 1:1 Haloperidol-Maleic Acid Salt by a Novel Solvent-Free Method Using a Twin Screw Melt Extruder

Salts are generally prepared by acid-base reaction in relatively large volumes of organic solvents, followed by crystallization. In this study, the potential for preparing a pharmaceutical salt between haloperidol and maleic acid by a novel solvent-free method using a twin-screw melt extruder was investigated. The pH-solubility relationship between haloperidol and maleic acid in aqueous medium was first determined, which demonstrated that 1:1 salt formation between them was feasible (pH_max 4.8; salt solubility 4.7 mg/mL). Extrusion of a 1:1 mixture of haloperidol and maleic acid at the extruder barrel temperature of 60 °C resulted in the formation of a highly crystalline salt. The effects of operating temperature and screw configuration on salt formation were also investigated, and those two were identified as key processing parameters. Salts were also prepared by solution crystallization from ethyl acetate, liquid-assisted grinding, and heat-assisted grinding and compared with those obtained by melt extrusion by using DSC, PXRD, TGA, and optical microscopy. While similar salts were obtained by all methods, both melt extrusion and solution crystallization yielded highly crystalline materials with identical enthalpies of melting. During the pH-solubility study, a salt hydrate form was also identified, which, upon heating, converted to anhydrate similar to that obtained by other methods. There were previous reports of the formation of cocrystals, but not salts, by melt extrusion. ¹H NMR and single-crystal X-ray diffraction confirmed that a salt was indeed formed in the present study. The haloperidol-maleic acid salt obtained was nonhygroscopic in the moisture sorption study and converted to the hydrate form only upon mixing with water. Thus, we are reporting for the first time a relatively simple and solvent-free twin-screw melt extrusion method for the preparation of a pharmaceutical salt that provides material comparable to that obtained by solution crystallization and is amenable to continuous manufacturing and easy scale up.

Development of micro-fibrous solid dispersions of poorly water-soluble drugs in sucrose using temperature-controlled centrifugal spinning

Solid dispersion technology represents a successful approach to addressing the bioavailability issues caused by the low aqueous solubility of many Biopharmaceutics Classification System (BCS) Class II drugs. In this study, the use of high-yield manufacture of fiber-based dispersion is explored as an alternative approach to monolith production methods. A temperature-controlled solvent-free centrifugal spinning process was used to produce sucrose-based microfibers containing the poorly water-soluble drugs olanzapine and piroxicam (both BCS Class II); these were successfully incorporated into the microfibers and the basic characteristics of fiber diameter, glassy behavior, drug loading capacity and drug-sucrose interaction assessment were measured. Scanning electron microscopy revealed that bead-free drug-loaded microfibers with homogenous morphology and diameter in the range of a few micrometers were prepared using our process. Differential scanning calorimetric and X-ray diffraction analyses showed that both drug and carrier were present in the amorphous state in the microfibers, although in the case of piroxicam-loaded microfibers, the presence of small amounts of crystalline drug was observed under polarized light microscopy and in Fourier transform infrared spectra. Drug dissolution performance was evaluated under both sink and non-sink conditions and was found to be significantly enhanced compared to the corresponding crystalline physical mixtures and pure drugs, with evidence of supersaturation behavior noted under non-sink conditions. This study has demonstrated that microfiber-based dispersions may be manufactured by the centrifugal spinning process and may possess characteristics that are favorable for the enhanced dissolution and oral absorption of drugs.

New multi-component solid forms of anti-cancer drug Erlotinib: role of auxiliary interactions in determining a preferred conformation

Erlotinib is a BCS (biopharmaceutical classification system) class II drug used for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer. There is an urgent need to obtain new solid forms of higher solubility to improve the bioavailability of the API (active pharmaceutical ingredient). In this context, cocrystals with urea, succinic acid, and glutaric acid and salts with maleic acid, adipic acid, and saccharin were prepared via wet granulation and solution crystallizations. Crystal structures of the free base (Z' = 2), cocrystals of erlotinib-urea (1:1), erlotinib-succinic acid monohydrate (1:1:1), erlotinib-glutaric acid monohydrate (1:1:1) and salts of erlotinib-adipic acid adipate (1:0.5:0.5) are determined and their hydrogen-bonding patterns are analyzed. Self recognition via the (amine) N-H...N (pyridine) hydrogen bond between the API molecules is replaced by several heterosynthons such as acid-pyridine, amide-pyridine and carboxylate-pyridinium in the new binary systems. Auxiliary interactions play an important role in determining the conformation of the API in the crystal. FT-IR spectroscopy is used to distinguish between the salts and cocrystals in the new multi-component systems. The new solid forms are characterized by powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) to confirm their unique phase identity.

Pharmaceutical cocrystals and a nitrate salt of voriconazole

Novel crystalline forms of voriconazole are identified with improved aqueous solubility. The dinitrate salt of voriconazole exhibited 10 fold higher solubility and 3 times faster dissolution rate in 0.1 N HCl medium compared to the reference drug.

Polymorphism and isostructurality in sulfonylhydrazones

Five new methyl and halogen derivatives of triaryl sulfonylhydrazone were synthesized to understand polymorphism and isostructurality upon Cl–Me and inter-halogen exchange. Conformational rigidity and sulfonamide dimer synthon control the isostructurality in this family of crystal structures.

Olanzapine solvates

Olanzapine was crystallized from 12 organic solvents alone or in mixture, by cooling in the freezer, by slow evaporation of the solvent, or by suspending olanzapine powder for some time in the solvent. All the samples thus obtained were examined by thermal analysis (differential scanning calorimetry-DSC and thermogravimetry-TG) to certify the formation of a solvate, the presence of polymorph (form 1 or 2) in the desolvated olanzapine, comparing the different profile of the thermograms, and to calculate the stoichiometry of the possible solvate. According to the DSC thermogram, the solvents can be divided into four classes: those that do not form solvates and leave olanzapine form 1 (ethyl acetate, toluene, diethyl ether, and acetone); those that form solvate and leave form 1 of olanzapine after desolvation (methanol, 1- and 2-propanol); those that after desolvation of the solvate show a polymorph transition in the thermogram indicating the presence of form 2 of olanzapine (ethanol); other solvents (tetrahydrofuran, chloroform, acetonitrile) give solvate thermograms, where this last thermal trace is only poorly evident. With few exceptions, each solvent forms solvate both when pure and in mixture (10%, v/v, in ethyl acetate). Methanol monosolvate displays complex thermogram and thermogravimetric desolvation profiles, depending on the crystallization experimental conditions, used to prepare the solvates. Dichloromethane solvate was found by X-ray diffraction analysis to be amorphous and, on heating during DSC analysis, allowed the crystallization of both form 1 and 2, with different weight ratio, according to the experimental conditions of the solvate preparation.

Structure and properties of domperidone and its succinate salt

This paper describes the structure and properties of the drug domperidone and a novel 1:1 domperidone succinate salt. The new salt is characterized by means of thermal, spectroscopic, microscopic and powder diffraction measurements. The crystal structures of the salt and, for the first time, of pure domperidone have been determined by means of single-crystal X-ray diffraction. In both structures, the piperidine ring of domperidone adopts the expected chair conformation, and supramolecular centrosymmetric R2(2)(8) motifs are formed by N-H...O hydrogen bonds between chlorine-substituted oxobenzimidazolyl groups. Further N-H...O hydrogen bonds occur between non-substituted oxobenzimidazolyl groups and the resulting C(4) motifs originates hydrogen-bonded chains, extending along the crystallographic b axis. In the salt, a single N-H...O hydrogen bond forms between the protonated nitrogen of the piperidine ring and the carboxylic O atom of the succinate ion. Two alternative and mutually exclusive positions for the nonsubstituted oxobenzimidazolyl group have also been observed; this disorder makes the hydrogen-bonded chains originating from the bicyclic group polar. The dissolution behaviour of the salt in dosage form is compared with two reference commercial products. The salt shows an increased solubility, a characteristic that could be of great advantage from a pharmaceutical view point.

Three new olanzapine structures: the acetic acid monosolvate, and the propan-2-ol and propan-2-one hemisolvate monohydrates

The crystal structures of three new solvates of olanzapine [systematic name: 2-methyl-4-(4-methylpiperazin-1-yl)-10H-thieno[2,3-b][1,5]benzodiazepine], namely olanzapine acetic acid monosolvate, C17H20N4S·C2H4O2, (I), olanzapine propan-2-ol hemisolvate monohydrate, C17H20N4S·0.5C3H8O·H2O, (II), and olanzapine propan-2-one hemisolvate monohydrate, C17H20N4S·0.5C3H6O·H2O, (III), are presented and compared with other known olanzapine forms. There is a fairly close resemblance of the molecular conformation for all studied analogues. The crystal structures are built up through olanzapine dimers, which are characterized via C-H...π interactions between the aliphatic fragment (1-methylpiperazin-4-yl) and the aromatic fragment (benzene system). All solvent (guest) molecules participate in hydrogen-bonding networks. The crystal packing is sustained via intermolecular N(host)-H···O(guest), O(guest)-H···N(host), O(guest)-H···O(guest) and C(host)-H···O(guest) hydrogen bonds. It should be noted that the solvent propan-2-ol in (II) and propan-2-one in (III) show orientational disorder. The propan-2-ol molecule lies close to a twofold axis, while the propan-2-one molecule resides strictly on a twofold axis through the carbonyl C atom. In both cases, the water molecules present positional disorder of the H atoms.

Pharmaceutical cocrystals and poorly soluble drugs

In recent years cocrystal formation has emerged as a viable strategy towards improving the solubility and bioavailability of poorly soluble drugs. In this review the success of numerous pharmaceutical cocrystals for the improvement of the solubility and dissolution rates of poorly soluble drugs is demonstrated using various examples taken from the literature. The role of crystal engineering principles in the selection of appropriate coformers and the nature of the supramolecular synthons present within the crystals are described. Evidence for improved animal pharmacokinetic data is given for several systems. A summary is provided of our current understanding of the relationship between cocrystal structure and solution phase interactions on solubility as well as those factors that influence overall cocrystal thermodynamic stability.

Quantifying homo- and heteromolecular hydrogen bonds as a guide for adduct formation

An investigation into the predictability of molecular adduct formation is presented by using the approach of hydrogen bond propensity. Along with the predictions, crystallisation reactions (1a-1j) were carried out between the anti-malarial drug pyrimethamine (1) and the acids oxalic (a), malonic (b), acetylenedicarboxylic (c), adipic (d), pimelic (e), suberic (f), azelaic acids (g), as well as hexachlorobenzene (h), 1,4-diiodobenzene (i), and 1,4-diiodotetrafluorobenzene (j); seven (1a to 1g) of these successfully formed salts. Five of these seven salts were found to be either hydrated or solvated. Hydrogen bond propensity calculations predict that hydrogen bonds between 1 and acids a-g are more likely to form rather than the H bonds involved in self-association, providing a rationale for the observation of the seven new salts. In contrast, propensity of hydrogen bonds between 1 and h-j is much smaller as compared to other bonds predicted for self-association/solvate formation, in agreement with the observed unsuccessful reactions.

Polymorphic form IV of olanzapine

2-Methyl-4-(4-methylpiperazin-1-yl)-10H-thieno[2,3-b][1,5]benzodiazepine, C(17)H(20)N(4)S, commonly known as olanzapine, is a psychotropic agent that belongs to the thienobenzodiazepine class of drugs. A new polymorph form IV was obtained upon attempted cocrystallization with nicotinamide in a 1:1 ratio from an ethyl acetate solution. Two butterfly-like molecules form centrosymmetric dimers stabilized by weak C-H···π interactions between the 4-methylpiperazin-1-yl fragment and the benzene/thiophene aromatic system. Form IV consists of a herringbone arrangement of dimers, whereas the previously reported form II has parallel dimers. Both crystal structures are sustained by an N-H···N hydrogen bond.