Analytical Quality by Design with the Lifecycle Approach: A Modern Epitome for Analytical Method Development

Increasing Analytical Quality by Designing a Thin-Layer Chromatography Scanner Method for the Determination of the Radiochemical Purity of Radiopharmaceutical Sodium Iodide 131I Oral Solution

The goal of this study was to apply the principles of analytical quality by design (AQbD) to the analytical method for determining the radiochemical purity (PQR) of the radiopharmaceutical sodium iodide 131I oral solution, utilizing thin-layer chromatography (TLC) with a radio-TLC scanner, which also enables the evaluation of product quality. For AQbD, the analytical target profile (ATP), critical quality attributes (CQA), risk management, and the method operable design region (MODR) were defined through response surface methodology to optimize the method using MINITAB® 19 software. This study encompassed the establishment of a control strategy and the validation of the method, including the assessment of selectivity, linearity, precision, robustness, detection limit, quantification limit, range, and the stability of the sample solution. Under the experimental conditions, the method parameters of the TLC scanner were experimentally demonstrated and optimized with an injection volume of 3 µL, a radioactive concentration of 10 mCi/mL, and a carrier volume of 40 µL. Statistical analysis confirmed the method's selectivity for the 131I iodide band Rf of 0.8, a radiochemical impurity IO3- Rf of 0.6, a linearity from 6.0 to 22.0 mCi/mL, and an intermediate precision with a global relative standard deviation (RSD) of 0.624%. The method also exhibited robustness, with a global RSD of 0.101%, a detection limit of 0.09 mCi/mL, and a quantification limit of 0.53 Ci/mL, meeting the prescribed range and displaying stability over time (at 0, 2, and 20 h) with a global RSD of 0.362%, resulting in consistent outcomes. The development of a method based on AQbD facilitated the creation of a design space and an operational space, with comprehensive knowledge of the method's characteristics and limitations. Additionally, throughout all operations, compliance with the acceptance criteria was verified. The method's validity was confirmed under the established conditions, making it suitable for use in the manufacturing process of sodium iodide 131I and application in nuclear medicine services.

Development of an ELISA Assay for the Determination of SARS-CoV-2 Protein Subunit Vaccine Antigen Content

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) protein subunit vaccine is one of the mainstream technology platforms for the development of COVID-19 vaccines, and most R&D units use the receptor-binding domain (RBD) or spike (S) protein as the main target antigen. The complexity of vaccine design, sequence, and expression systems makes it urgent to establish common antigen assays to facilitate vaccine development. In this study, we report the development of a double-antibody sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to determine the antigen content of SARS-CoV-2 protein subunit vaccines based on the United States Pharmacopeia <1220> and ICH (international conference on harmonization) Q14 and Q2 (R2) requirements. A monoclonal antibody (mAb), 20D8, was identified as the detection antibody based on its high RBD binding activity (EC50 = 8.4 ng/mL), broad-spectrum anti-variant neutralizing activity (EC50: 2.7−9.8 ng/mL for pseudovirus and EC50: 9.6−127 ng/mL for authentic virus), good in vivo protection, and a recognized linear RBD epitope (369−379 aa). A porcine anti-RBD polyclonal antibody was selected as the coating antibody. Assay performance met the requirements of the analytical target profile with an accuracy and precision of ≥90% and adequate specificity. Within the specification range of 70−143%, the method capability index was >0.96; the misjudgment probability was <0.39%. The method successfully detected SARS-CoV-2 protein subunit vaccine antigens (RBD or S protein sequences in Alpha, Beta, Gamma, or Delta variants) obtained from five different manufacturers. Thus, we present a new robust, reliable, and general method for measuring the antigenic content of SARS-CoV-2 protein subunit vaccines. In addition to currently marketed and emergency vaccines, it is suitable for vaccines in development containing antigens derived from pre-Omicron mutant strains.

Insights from a Box-Behnken Optimization Study of Microemulsions with Salicylic Acid for Acne Therapy

The present study brings to attention a method to develop salicylic acid-based oil in water (O/W) microemulsions using a tensioactive system based on Tween 80, lecithin, and propylene glycol (PG), enriched with a vegetable oat oil phase and hyaluronic acid. The systems were physically characterized and the Quality by design approach was applied to optimize the attributes of microemulsions using Box-Behnken modeling, combined with response surface methodology. For this purpose, a 33 fractional factorial design was selected. The effect of independent variables namely X1: Tween 80/PG (%), X2: Lecithin (%), X3: Oil phase (%) was analyzed considering their impact upon the internal structure and evaluated parameters chosen as dependent factors: viscosity, mean droplet size, and work of adhesion. A high viscosity, a low droplet size, an adequate wettability-with a reduced mechanical work-and clarity were considered as desirable for the optimal systems. It was found that the optimal microemulsion which complied with the established conditions was based on: Tween 80/PG 40%, lecithin 0.3%, oat oil 2%, salicylic acid 0.5%, hyaluronic acid 1%, and water 56.2%. The response surface methodology was considered an appropriate tool to explain the impact of formulation factors on the physical properties of microemulsions, offering a complex pattern in the assessment of stability and quality attributes for the optimized formulation.

QbD-Based UPLC Method for Quantification of Brexpiprazole in Presence of Impurities and Application to In Vitro Dissolution

Quality-by-design-based UPLC method was developed for chromatographic separation to quantify the antischizophrenic drug brexpiprazole in the presence of impurities. Research findings from pH-scouting studies were used as control variables which influence the chromatographic separation. The peak tailing and resolution are the response variables and established the design-space by DoE-study for selection of suitable chromatographic conditions. Separation was achieved with lower particle size stationary phase and buffer pH 2.0 in the mobile phase. The present method developed through C18 50 × 2.1 mm, Ethylene-Bridged-Hybrid technology column with 1.7 μm particles, mobile phase consists of pH 2.0 buffer and acetonitrile (67:33 v/v), flow rate of 0.5 mL min-1 and detection wavelength at 215 nm. The retention time of brexpiprazole is 0.6 min and all impurities were eluted within 2 min. The method linearity ranges were 20.4-61.3 μg mL-1 for assay and 0.88-6.59 μg mL-1 for dissolution with correlation-coefficients of 0.9999 and 0.9998 for assay and dissolution, respectively. The recovery values were found in between 99.3 and 100.9%. The method shows stability-indicating on the basis of noninterference of placebo, and impurities from forced-degradation studies. Method validation was carried out according to ICH guideline Q2 (R1).

Chemometrics supported optimization of a multi-attribute monitoring liquid chromatographic method for estimation of palbociclib in its dosage form: Application to a new regulatory paradigm

OBJECTIVE

The objective of present work was to develop a validated liquid chromatographic method for the estimation of palbociclib in its solid dosage forms by employing a new systematic concept.

MATERIAL AND METHOD

Risk assessment and control measures were undertaken along with chemometrics assistance to establish the robust method performance for studied analytical attributes viz. analyte retention, resolution, plate number, and tailing factor. Methanol %, flow rate, and pH were found influential on the performance of studied analytical attributes and optimized using a Box-Behnken experimental design. Monte-Carlo simulation was performed to evaluate the performance of the analytical procedure. A multi-attribute monitoring liquid chromatographic method employing methanol: 0.01M KH₂PO₄ buffer of pH 3.5 (70:30, v/v) was used with a reversed-phase column. Flow rate at 1.2mL/min and detection at 265nm monitored peak responses.

RESULT

The method efficiently separated analyte from the internal standard caffeine (resolution>16). Specificity (resolution>2.0), linearity (2-64μg/mL), accuracy (>99%) and precision (%RSD<1%) were well in accord with regulatory requirements. Further, analyte was detected at 1μg/mL and was stable over applied stress conditions.

CONCLUSION

In a nutshell, the novel approach produced an accurate method for estimation of palbociclib in tablets with optimum method performance.