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Hiew TN, Solomos MA, Kafle P, Polyzois H, Zemlyanov DY, Punia A, Smith D, Schenck L, Taylor LS. The importance of surface composition and wettability on the dissolution performance of high drug loading amorphous dispersion formulations. J Pharm Sci 2024:S0022-3549(24)00428-3. [PMID: 39349295 DOI: 10.1016/j.xphs.2024.09.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2024] [Revised: 09/19/2024] [Accepted: 09/19/2024] [Indexed: 10/02/2024]
Abstract
One of the limitations with an amorphous solid dispersion (ASD) formulation strategy is low drug loading. Hydrophobic drugs have poor wettability and require a substantial amount of polymer to stabilize the amorphous drug and facilitate release. Using grazoprevir and hypromellose acetate succinate as model drug and polymer respectively, the interplay between particle surface composition, particle wettability, and release performance was investigated. A hierarchical particle approach was used where the surfaces of high drug loading ASDs generated by either solvent evaporation or co-precipitation were further modified with a secondary excipient (i.e., polymer or wetting agent). The surface-modified particles were characterized for drug release, wettability, morphology, and surface composition using two-stage dissolution studies, contact angle measurements, scanning electron microscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, respectively. Despite surface modification with hydrophilic polymers, hierarchical cPAD particles did not consistently exhibit good release performance. Contact angle measurements showed that the secondary excipient had a profound impact on particle wettability. Particles with good wettability showed improved drug release relative to particles that did not wet well, even with similar drug loadings. These observations underscore the intricate interplay between particle wettability and performance in amorphous dispersion formulations and illustrate a promising hierarchical particle approach to formulate high drug loading amorphous dispersions with improved dissolution performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tze Ning Hiew
- Department of Industrial and Molecular Pharmaceutics, College of Pharmacy, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, United States
| | - Marina A Solomos
- Oral Formulation Sciences, Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, New Jersey 07065, United States
| | - Prapti Kafle
- Oral Formulation Sciences, Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, New Jersey 07065, United States
| | - Hector Polyzois
- Department of Industrial and Molecular Pharmaceutics, College of Pharmacy, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, United States
| | - Dmitry Y Zemlyanov
- Birck Nanotechnology Center, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, United States
| | - Ashish Punia
- Analytical Research and Development, Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, New Jersey 07065, United States
| | - Daniel Smith
- Analytical Research and Development, Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, New Jersey 07065, United States
| | - Luke Schenck
- Oral Formulation Sciences, Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, New Jersey 07065, United States
| | - Lynne S Taylor
- Department of Industrial and Molecular Pharmaceutics, College of Pharmacy, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, United States.
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2
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Sakamoto N, Miyata K, Fukami T. Quabodepistat (OPC-167832), a Novel Antituberculosis Drug Candidate: Enhancing Oral Bioavailability via Cocrystallization and Mechanistic Analysis of Bioavailability in Two Cocrystals. Mol Pharm 2024; 21:358-369. [PMID: 38099729 DOI: 10.1021/acs.molpharmaceut.3c01059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2024]
Abstract
Quabodepistat (code name OPC-167832) is a novel antituberculosis drug candidate. This study aimed to discover cocrystals that improve oral bioavailability and to elucidate the mechanistic differences underlying the bioavailability of different cocrystals. Screening yielded two cocrystals containing 2,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid (2,5DHBA) or 2-hydroxybenzoic acid (2HBA). In bioavailability studies in beagle dogs, both cocrystals exhibited better bioavailability than the free form; however, the extent of bioavailability of cocrystals with 2HBA (quabodepistat-2HBA) was 1.4-fold greater than that of cocrystals with 2,5DHBA (quabodepistat-2,5DHBA). Dissolution studies at pH 1.2 yielded similar profiles for both cocrystals, although the percent dissolution differed: quabodepistat-2HBA dissolved more slowly than quabodepistat-2,5DHBA. The poor solubility of quabodepistat-2HBA is likely the primary factor limiting dissolution at pH 1.2. To identify a dissolution method that maintains the bioavailability in beagle dogs, we performed pH-shift dissolution studies that mimic the dynamic pH change from the stomach to the small intestine. Quabodepistat-2HBA demonstrated supersaturation after the pH was increased to 6.8, while quabodepistat-2,5DHBA did not demonstrate supersaturation. This result was consistent with the results of bioavailability studies in beagle dogs. We conclude that a larger quantity of orally administered quabodepistat-2HBA remained in its cocrystal form while being transferred to the small intestine compared with quabodepistat-2,5DHBA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nasa Sakamoto
- Preformulation Research Laboratory, CMC Headquarters, Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Tokushima 771-0182, Japan
- Department of Molecular Pharmaceutics, Meiji Pharmaceutical University, 2-522-1 Noshio, Kiyose, Tokyo 204-8588, Japan
| | - Kenichi Miyata
- Preformulation Research Laboratory, CMC Headquarters, Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Tokushima 771-0182, Japan
| | - Toshiro Fukami
- Department of Molecular Pharmaceutics, Meiji Pharmaceutical University, 2-522-1 Noshio, Kiyose, Tokyo 204-8588, Japan
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3
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Dhondale MR, Nambiar AG, Singh M, Mali AR, Agrawal AK, Shastri NR, Kumar P, Kumar D. Current Trends in API Co-Processing: Spherical Crystallization and Co-Precipitation Techniques. J Pharm Sci 2023; 112:2010-2028. [PMID: 36780986 DOI: 10.1016/j.xphs.2023.02.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2022] [Revised: 02/08/2023] [Accepted: 02/08/2023] [Indexed: 02/15/2023]
Abstract
Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) do not always exhibit processable physical properties, which makes their processing in an industrial setup very demanding. These issues often lead to poor robustness and higher cost of the drug product. The issue can be mitigated by co-processing the APIs using suitable solvent media-based techniques to streamline pharmaceutical manufacturing operations. Some of the co-processing methods are the amalgamation of API purification and granulation steps. These techniques also exhibit adequate robustness for successful adoption by the pharmaceutical industry to manufacture high quality drug products. Spherical crystallization and co-precipitation are solvent media-based co-processing approaches that enhances the micromeritic and dissolution characteristics of problematic APIs. These methods not only improve API characteristics but also enable direct compression into tablets. These methods are economical and time-saving as they have the potential for effectively circumventing the granulation step, which can be a major source of variability in the product. This review highlights the recent advancements pertaining to these techniques to aid researchers in adopting the right co-processing method. Similarly, the possibility of scaling up the production of co-processed APIs by these techniques is discussed. The continuous manufacturability by co-processing is outlined with a short note on Process Analytical Technology (PAT) applicability in monitoring and improving the process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Madhukiran R Dhondale
- Department of Pharmaceutical Engineering and Technology, Indian Institute of Technology (BHU), Varanasi 221005, India
| | - Amritha G Nambiar
- Department of Pharmaceutical Engineering and Technology, Indian Institute of Technology (BHU), Varanasi 221005, India
| | - Maan Singh
- Department of Pharmaceutical Engineering and Technology, Indian Institute of Technology (BHU), Varanasi 221005, India
| | - Abhishek R Mali
- Department of Pharmaceutical Engineering and Technology, Indian Institute of Technology (BHU), Varanasi 221005, India
| | - Ashish K Agrawal
- Department of Pharmaceutical Engineering and Technology, Indian Institute of Technology (BHU), Varanasi 221005, India
| | - Nalini R Shastri
- Consultant, Solid State Pharmaceutical Research, Hyderabad 500037, India
| | - Pradeep Kumar
- Wits Advanced Drug Delivery Platform Research Unit, Department of Pharmacy and Pharmacology, School of Therapeutic Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg 2193, South Africa
| | - Dinesh Kumar
- Department of Pharmaceutical Engineering and Technology, Indian Institute of Technology (BHU), Varanasi 221005, India.
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4
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Solomos MA, Punia A, Saboo S, John C, Boyce CW, Chin A, Taggart RV, Smith D, Lamm MS, Schenck L. Evaluating Spray Drying and Co-Precipitation as Manufacturing Processes for Amorphous Solid Dispersions of a Low T g API. J Pharm Sci 2023:S0022-3549(23)00062-X. [PMID: 36822272 DOI: 10.1016/j.xphs.2023.02.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2022] [Revised: 02/09/2023] [Accepted: 02/09/2023] [Indexed: 02/25/2023]
Abstract
Amorphous solid dispersions feature prominently in the approach to mitigate low bioavailability of poorly water-soluble small molecules, particularly in the early development space focusing on toxicity evaluations and clinical studies in normal healthy volunteers, where high exposures are needed to establish safety margins. Spray drying has been the go-to processing route for a number of reasons, including ubiquitous availability of equipment, the ability to accommodate small scale deliveries, and established processes for delivering single phase amorphous material. Active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) with low glass transition temperatures (Tg) can pose challenges to this approach. This study addresses multiple routes towards overcoming issues encountered with a low Tg (∼ 12 °C) API during manufacture of a spray dry intermediate (SDI). Even once formulated as an amorphous solid dispersion (ASD) with HPMCAS-LG, the Tg of the ASD was sufficiently low to require the use of non-ideal solvents, posing safety concerns and ultimately resulting in low yields with frequent process interruptions to resolve product build-up. To resolve challenges with spray drying the HPMCAS-L SDI, higher Tg polymers were assessed during spray drying, and an alternative antisolvent precipitation-based process was evaluated to generate co-precipitated amorphous dispersions (cPAD) with either HPMCAS-L or the additional higher Tg polymers. Both approaches were found to be viable alternatives to achieve single phase ASDs while demonstrating comparable in vitro and in vivo bioperformance compared to the SDI. The results of this effort offer valuable considerations for future early-stage activities for ASDs with low Tg APIs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marina A Solomos
- Process Research & Development, Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, 07033, United States.
| | - Ashish Punia
- Analytical Research & Development, Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, 07033, United States
| | - Sugandha Saboo
- Pharmaceutical Sciences, Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, 07033, United States
| | - Christopher John
- Formerly at Pharmaceutical Sciences, Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ 07033, United States; Currently at Discovery Pharmaceutics, Janssen Research and Development, Spring House, PA, 19477, United States
| | - Christopher W Boyce
- Pharmaceutical Sciences, Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, 07033, United States
| | - Alexander Chin
- Analytical Research & Development, Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, 07033, United States
| | - Robert V Taggart
- Pharmaceutical Sciences, Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, 07033, United States
| | - Daniel Smith
- Analytical Research & Development, Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, 07033, United States
| | - Matthew S Lamm
- Analytical Research & Development, Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, 07033, United States
| | - Luke Schenck
- Process Research & Development, Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, 07033, United States
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Myślińska M, Stocker MW, Ferguson S, Healy AM. A Comparison of Spray-Drying and Co-Precipitation for the Generation of Amorphous Solid Dispersions (ASDs) of Hydrochlorothiazide and Simvastatin. J Pharm Sci 2023:S0022-3549(23)00064-3. [PMID: 36805392 DOI: 10.1016/j.xphs.2023.02.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2022] [Revised: 02/13/2023] [Accepted: 02/13/2023] [Indexed: 02/19/2023]
Abstract
Co-processing of APIs, the practice of creating multi-component APIs directly in chemical processing facilities used to make drug substance, is gaining increased attention with a view to streamlining manufacturing, improving supply chain robustness and accessing enhanced product attributes in terms of stability and bioavailability. Direct co-precipitation of amorphous solid dispersions (ASDs) at the final step of chemical processing is one such example of co-processing. The purpose of this work was to investigate the application of different advanced solvent-based processing techniques - direct co-precipitation (CP) and the benchmark well-established spray-drying (SD) process - to the production of ASDs comprised of a drug with a high Tg (hydrochlorothiazide, HCTZ) or a low Tg (simvastatin, SIM) molecularly dispersed in a PVP/VA 64 or Soluplus® matrix. ASDs of the same composition were manufactured by the two different methods and were characterised using powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), modulated differential scanning calorimetry (mDSC), attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Both methods produced ASDs that were PXRD amorphous, with some differences, depending on the process used, in glass transition temperature and particle size distribution. Irrespective of manufacturing method used, all ASDs remained PXRD amorphous when subjected to high relative humidity conditions (75% RH, 25°C) for four weeks, although changes in the colour and physical characteristics were observed on storage for spray-dried systems with SIM and PVP/VA 64 copolymer. The particle morphology differed for co-precipitated compared to spray dried systems, with powder generated by the former process being comprised of more irregularly shaped particles of larger particle size when compared to the equivalent spray-dried systems which may enable more streamlined drug product processes to be used for CP materials. These differences may have implications in downstream drug product processing. A limitation identified when applying the solvent/anti-solvent co-precipitation method to SIM was the high antisolvent to solvent ratios required to effect the precipitation process. Thus, while similar outcomes may arise for both co-precipitation and spray drying processes in terms of ASD critical quality attributes, practical implications of applying the co-precipitation method and downstream processability of the resulting ASDs should be considered when choosing one solvent-based ASD production process over another.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monika Myślińska
- School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Panoz Institute, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland; SSPC, The Science Foundation Ireland Research Centre for Pharmaceuticals, Ireland; EPSRC-SFI Centre for Doctoral Training in Transformative Pharmaceutical Technologies, Ireland
| | - Michael W Stocker
- School of Chemical and Bioprocess Engineering, University College Dublin, Dublin 4, Ireland; SSPC, The Science Foundation Ireland Research Centre for Pharmaceuticals, Ireland
| | - Steven Ferguson
- School of Chemical and Bioprocess Engineering, University College Dublin, Dublin 4, Ireland; SSPC, The Science Foundation Ireland Research Centre for Pharmaceuticals, Ireland; EPSRC-SFI Centre for Doctoral Training in Transformative Pharmaceutical Technologies, Ireland; I-Form, The SFI Research Centre for Advanced Manufacturing, School of Chemical and Bioprocess Engineering, University College Dublin, Dublin 4, Ireland; National Institute for Bioprocess Research and Training, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Anne Marie Healy
- School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Panoz Institute, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland; SSPC, The Science Foundation Ireland Research Centre for Pharmaceuticals, Ireland; EPSRC-SFI Centre for Doctoral Training in Transformative Pharmaceutical Technologies, Ireland.
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Hiew TN, Saboo S, Zemlyanov DY, Punia A, Wang M, Smith D, Lowinger M, Solomos MA, Schenck L, Taylor LS. Improving Dissolution Performance and Drug Loading of Amorphous Dispersions Through a Hierarchical Particle Approach. J Pharm Sci 2022:S0022-3549(22)00583-4. [PMID: 36574837 DOI: 10.1016/j.xphs.2022.12.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2022] [Revised: 12/01/2022] [Accepted: 12/18/2022] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Co-precipitation is an emerging manufacturing strategy for amorphous solid dispersions (ASDs). Herein, the interplay between processing conditions, surface composition, and release performance was evaluated using grazoprevir and hypromellose acetate succinate as the model drug and polymer, respectively. Co-precipitated amorphous dispersion (cPAD) particles were produced in the presence and absence of an additional polymer that was either dissolved or dispersed in the anti-solvent. This additional polymer in the anti-solvent was deposited on the surfaces of the cPAD particles during isolation and drying to create hierarchical particles, which we define here as a core ASD particle with an additional water soluble component that is coating the particle surfaces. The resultant hierarchical particles were characterized using X-ray powder diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry, scanning electron microscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Release performance was evaluated using a two-stage dissolution test. XPS analysis revealed a trend whereby cPAD particles with a lower surface drug concentration showed improved release relative to particles with a higher surface drug concentration, for nominally similar drug loadings. This surface drug concentration could be impacted by whether the secondary polymer was dissolved in the anti-solvent or dispersed in the anti-solvent prior to isolating final dried hierarchical cPAD powders. Grazoprevir exposure in dogs was higher when the hierarchical cPAD was dosed, with ∼1.8 fold increase in AUC compared to the binary cPAD. These observations highlight the important interplay between processing conditions and ASD performance in the context of cPAD particles and illustrate a hierarchical particle design as a successful approach to alter ASD surface chemistry to improve dissolution performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tze Ning Hiew
- Department of Industrial and Physical Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, United States
| | - Sugandha Saboo
- Oral Formulation Sciences, Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, New Jersey 07065, United States
| | - Dmitry Y Zemlyanov
- Birck Nanotechnology Center, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, United States
| | - Ashish Punia
- Analytical Research & Development, Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, New Jersey 07065, United States
| | - Michael Wang
- Biopharmaceutics, Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, New Jersey 07065, United States
| | - Daniel Smith
- Analytical Research & Development, Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, New Jersey 07065, United States
| | - Michael Lowinger
- Oral Formulation Sciences, Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, New Jersey 07065, United States
| | - Marina A Solomos
- Process Research & Development, Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, New Jersey 07065, United States
| | - Luke Schenck
- Process Research & Development, Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, New Jersey 07065, United States
| | - Lynne S Taylor
- Department of Industrial and Physical Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, United States.
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7
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Jia W, Yawman PD, Pandya KM, Sluga K, Ng T, Kou D, Nagapudi K, Luner PE, Zhu A, Zhang S, Hou HH. Assessing the Interrelationship of Microstructure, Properties, Drug Release Performance, and Preparation Process for Amorphous Solid Dispersions Via Noninvasive Imaging Analytics and Material Characterization. Pharm Res 2022; 39:3137-3154. [PMID: 35661085 DOI: 10.1007/s11095-022-03308-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2022] [Accepted: 05/27/2022] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE The purpose of this work is to evaluate the interrelationship of microstructure, properties, and dissolution performance for amorphous solid dispersions (ASDs) prepared using different methods. METHODS ASD of GDC-0810 (50% w/w) with HPMC-AS was prepared using methods of spray drying and co-precipitation via resonant acoustic mixing. Microstructure, particulate and bulk powder properties, and dissolution performance were characterized for GDC-0810 ASDs. In addition to application of typical physical characterization tools, we have applied X-Ray Microscopy (XRM) to assess the contribution of microstructure to the characteristics of ASDs and obtain additional quantification and understanding of the drug product intermediates and tablets. RESULTS Both methods of spray drying and co-precipitation produced single-phase ASDs. Distinct differences in microstructure, particle size distribution, specific surface area, bulk and tapped density, were observed between GDC-0810 spray dried dispersion (SDD) and co-precipitated amorphous dispersion (cPAD) materials. The cPAD powders prepared by the resonant acoustic mixing process demonstrated superior compactibility compared to the SDD, while the compressibility of the ASDs were comparable. Both SDD powder and tablets showed higher in vitro dissolution than those of cPAD powders. XRM calculated total solid external surface area (SA) normalized by calculated total solid volume (SV) shows a strong correlation with micro dissolution data. CONCLUSION Strong interrelationship of microstructure, physical properties, and dissolution performance was observed for GDC-0810 ASDs. XRM image-based analysis is a powerful tool to assess the contribution of microstructure to the characteristics of ASDs and provide mechanistic understanding of the interrelationship.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Jia
- Small Molecule Pharmaceutical Sciences, Genentech Inc., 1 DNA Way, South San Francisco, California, 94080, USA
| | - Phillip D Yawman
- DigiM Solution LLC, 67 South Bedford Street, Suite 400 West, Burlington, Massachusetts, 01803, USA
| | - Keyur M Pandya
- Small Molecule Pharmaceutical Sciences, Genentech Inc., 1 DNA Way, South San Francisco, California, 94080, USA
| | - Kellie Sluga
- Small Molecule Pharmaceutical Sciences, Genentech Inc., 1 DNA Way, South San Francisco, California, 94080, USA
| | - Tania Ng
- Small Molecule Pharmaceutical Sciences, Genentech Inc., 1 DNA Way, South San Francisco, California, 94080, USA
| | - Dawen Kou
- Small Molecule Pharmaceutical Sciences, Genentech Inc., 1 DNA Way, South San Francisco, California, 94080, USA
| | - Karthik Nagapudi
- Small Molecule Pharmaceutical Sciences, Genentech Inc., 1 DNA Way, South San Francisco, California, 94080, USA
| | - Paul E Luner
- DigiM Solution LLC, 67 South Bedford Street, Suite 400 West, Burlington, Massachusetts, 01803, USA.,Triform Sciences LLC, Waterford, Connecticut, 06385, USA
| | - Aiden Zhu
- DigiM Solution LLC, 67 South Bedford Street, Suite 400 West, Burlington, Massachusetts, 01803, USA
| | - Shawn Zhang
- DigiM Solution LLC, 67 South Bedford Street, Suite 400 West, Burlington, Massachusetts, 01803, USA
| | - Hao Helen Hou
- Small Molecule Pharmaceutical Sciences, Genentech Inc., 1 DNA Way, South San Francisco, California, 94080, USA.
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8
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Frank DS, Punia A, Fahy M, Dalton C, Rowe J, Schenck L. Densifying Co-Precipitated Amorphous Dispersions to Achieve Improved Bulk Powder Properties. Pharm Res 2022; 39:3197-3208. [PMID: 36271203 DOI: 10.1007/s11095-022-03416-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2022] [Accepted: 10/11/2022] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE Precipitation of amorphous solid dispersions has gained traction in the pharmaceutical industry given its application to pharmaceuticals with varying physicochemical properties. Although preparing co-precipitated amorphous dispersions (cPAD) in high-shear rotor-stator devices allows for controlled shear conditions during precipitation, such aggressive mixing environments can result in materials with low bulk density and poor flowability. This work investigated annealing cPAD after precipitation by washing with heated anti-solvent to improve bulk powder properties required for downstream drug product processing. METHODS Co-precipitation dispersions were prepared by precipitation into pH-modified aqueous anti-solvent. Amorphous dispersions were washed with heated anti-solvent and assessed for bulk density, flowability, and dissolution behavior relative to both cPAD produced without a heated wash and spray dried intermediate. RESULTS Washing cPAD with a heated anti-solvent resulted in an improvement in flowability and increased bulk density. The mechanism of densification was ascribed to annealing over the wetted Tg of the material, which lead to collapse of the porous co-precipitate structure into densified granules without causing crystallization. In contrast, an alternative approach to increase bulk density by precipitating the ASD using low shear conditions showed evidence of crystallinity. The dissolution rate of the densified cPAD granules was lower than that of the low-bulk density dispersions, although both samples reached concentrations equivalent to that of the spray dried intermediate after 90 min dissolution. CONCLUSIONS Hot wash densification was a tenable route to produce co-precipitated amorphous dispersions with improved properties for downstream processing compared to non-densified powders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Derek S Frank
- Process Research & Development, Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA.
| | - Ashish Punia
- Analytical Research & Development, Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA
| | - Mairead Fahy
- Pharmaceutical Commercialization Technology, Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA
| | - Chad Dalton
- Formulation Sciences, Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA
| | - Jasmine Rowe
- Formulation Sciences, Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA
| | - Luke Schenck
- Process Research & Development, Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA
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9
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High Bulk-Density Amorphous Dispersions to Enable Direct Compression of Reduced Tablet Size Amorphous Dosage Units. J Pharm Sci 2022:S0022-3549(22)00409-9. [PMID: 36115592 DOI: 10.1016/j.xphs.2022.09.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2022] [Revised: 09/08/2022] [Accepted: 09/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Amorphous solid dispersions (ASDs) are an attractive option to improve the bioavailability of poorly water-soluble compounds. However, the material attributes of ASDs can present formulation and processability challenges, which are often mitigated by the addition of excipients albeit at the expense of tablet size. In this work, an ASD manufacturing train combining co-precipitation and thin film evaporation (TFE) was used to generate high bulk-density co-precipitated amorphous dispersion (cPAD). The cPAD/TFE material was directly compressed into tablets at amorphous solid dispersion loadings up to 89 wt%, representing a greater than 60% reduction in tablet size relative to formulated tablets containing spray dried intermediate (SDI). This high ASD loading was possible due to densification of the amorphous dispersion during drying by TFE. Pharmacokinetic performance of the TFE-isolated, co-precipitated dispersion was shown to be equivalent to an SDI formulation. These data highlight the downstream advantages of this novel ASD manufacturing pathway to facilitate reduced tablet size via high ASD loading in directly compressed tablets.
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10
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Frank DS, Prasad P, Iuzzolino L, Schenck L. Dissolution Behavior of Weakly Basic Pharmaceuticals from Amorphous Dispersions Stabilized by a Poly(dimethylaminoethyl Methacrylate) Copolymer. Mol Pharm 2022; 19:3304-3313. [PMID: 35985017 DOI: 10.1021/acs.molpharmaceut.2c00456] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Amorphous solid dispersions (ASDs) are a well-documented formulation approach to improve the rate and extent of dissolution for hydrophobic pharmaceuticals. However, weakly basic compounds can complicate standard approaches to ASDs due to pH-dependent solubility, resulting in uncontrolled drug release in gastric conditions and unstabilized supersaturated solutions prone to precipitation at neutral pH. This work examines the release mechanisms of amorphous dispersions containing model weakly basic pharmaceuticals posaconazole and lumefantrine from a basic poly(dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate) copolymer (Eudragit EPO) and compares their dissolution behavior with ASDs stabilized by acidic and neutral polymers to understand potential benefits to release from a basic polymeric stabilizer. It was found that dissolution of Eudragit EPO ASDs resulted in supersaturation under gastric conditions, which could be sustained upon adjustment to neutral pH. However, the dissolution behavior of Eudragit EPO ASDs was sensitive to the initial pH of the gastric media. For lumefantrine, elevated initial gastric pH resulted in precipitation of amorphous nanoparticles; for posaconazole, elevated gastric pH led to crystallization of the pharmaceutical from solution. This sensitivity to gastric pH was found to originate from the impact of Eudragit EPO on gastric pH and the solubility of each pharmaceutical in the first stage of dissolution. In total, these data illustrate benefits and liabilities for the use of Eudragit EPO for ASDs containing weak pharmaceutical bases to guide the design of robust pharmaceutical formulations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Derek S Frank
- Particle Engineering Lab, Process Research & Development, Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, New Jersey 07065, United States
| | - Prateek Prasad
- Particle Engineering Lab, Process Research & Development, Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, New Jersey 07065, United States
| | - Luca Iuzzolino
- Computational and Structural Chemistry, Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, New Jersey 07065, United States
| | - Luke Schenck
- Particle Engineering Lab, Process Research & Development, Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, New Jersey 07065, United States
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Zhang J, Liu M, Zeng Z. The antisolvent coprecipitation method for enhanced bioavailability of poorly water-soluble drugs. Int J Pharm 2022; 626:122043. [PMID: 35902056 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpharm.2022.122043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2022] [Revised: 07/13/2022] [Accepted: 07/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
In recent years, poorly water-soluble drug candidates in the drug development pipeline have been a challenging issue for the pharmaceutical industry. Many delivery systems such as nanocrystals, cocrystals, nanoparticles, and amorphous solid dispersions (ASDs) have been developed to overcome these problems. A large number of methods are utilized to realize the above delivery systems. Among all the preparation methods, the antisolvent coprecipitation method is a relatively simple, cost-effective method, offering many advantages over conventional methods. An overview of recent developments for each solubility enhancement approach using the antisolvent coprecipitation method is presented. This current review details a comprehensive overview of the antisolvent coprecipitation process and its properties, as well as the fundamentals for enhancing the solubility and bioavailability of poorly water-soluble drugs by nanotization, polymorph control with polymers and/or surfactants. Furthermore, this review also presents insights into the factors affecting the antisolvent coprecipitation process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jie Zhang
- College of Biological and Chemical Engineering, Changsha University, Changsha 410022, China; Department of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China.
| | - Minzhuo Liu
- College of Biological and Chemical Engineering, Changsha University, Changsha 410022, China
| | - Zhihong Zeng
- College of Biological and Chemical Engineering, Changsha University, Changsha 410022, China.
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Strotman NA, Schenck L. Coprecipitated Amorphous Dispersions as Drug Substance: Opportunities and Challenges. Org Process Res Dev 2021. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.oprd.1c00380] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Neil A. Strotman
- Process Research and Development, Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, New Jersey 07065, United States
| | - Luke Schenck
- Process Research and Development, Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, New Jersey 07065, United States
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Optimizing Solvent Selection and Processing Conditions to Generate High Bulk-Density, Co-Precipitated Amorphous Dispersions of Posaconazole. Pharmaceutics 2021; 13:pharmaceutics13122017. [PMID: 34959298 PMCID: PMC8705469 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics13122017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2021] [Revised: 11/22/2021] [Accepted: 11/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Co-precipitation is an emerging method to generate amorphous solid dispersions (ASDs), notable for its ability to enable the production of ASDs containing pharmaceuticals with thermal instability and limited solubility. As is true for spray drying and other unit operations to generate amorphous materials, changes in processing conditions during co-precipitation, such as solvent selection, can have a significant impact on the molecular and bulk powder properties of co-precipitated amorphous dispersions (cPAD). Using posaconazole as a model API, this work investigates how solvent selection can be leveraged to mitigate crystallization and maximize bulk density for precipitated amorphous dispersions. A precipitation process is developed to generate high-bulk-density amorphous dispersions. Insights from this system provide a mechanistic rationale to control the solid-state and bulk powder properties of amorphous dispersions.
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