The process in which different chemical

substances, drug(s) and excipients, are combined

to fabricate a final medicinal product of a desired
dosage form i.e. syrup, tablet, capsule, injectable
liquid or powder etc.
A dosage form is the physical form of a dose of a
drug intended for administration or consumption.
Pill, tablet, or capsule, liquid, aerosol or inhaler,
liquid injection, pure powder or solid crystal etc.
The route of administration for drug delivery is
dependent on the dosage form of the substance
in question.
➢ therapeutic matters as the nature of
the illness,
➢ the manner in which it is treated (locally
or through systemic action),
➢ Age
➢ anticipated condition of the patient.
For example;
➢ Persistent nausea and emesis or vomiting may make it
difficult to use an oral dosage form, and in such a case, it
may be necessary to utilize an alternate route such as
inhalational, buccal, sublingual, nasal, suppository, or
parenteral instead.
➢ Additionally, a specific dosage form may be a
requirement for certain kinds of drugs, as there may be
issues with various factors like chemical stability or
pharmacokinetics.
For example, insulin cannot be given orally because
being protein in nature it is extensively metabolized in the
GIT before reaching the blood stream and is thus
incapable of sufficiently reaching its therapeutic target
destinations.
➢ Safe and convenient delivery of accurate dosage
➢ To protect the drug substance from the destructive
influences of atmospheric oxygen or humidity
(coated tablets, sealed ampoules).
➢ To protect the drug substance from the destructive
influence of gastric acid after oral administration
(enteric-coated tablets).
➢ To conceal the bitter, salty, or offensive taste or odor
of a drug substance (capsules, coated tablets,
flavored syrups).
➢ To provide liquid preparations of substances which
are either insoluble or unstable in the desired vehicle
(suspensions).
➢ To provide clear liquid dosage forms of substances
(syrups, solutions).
➢ To provide rate-controlled drug action (various
controlled-release tablets, capsules, and
suspensions).
➢ To provide optimal drug action from topical
administration sites (ointments, creams,
transdermal patches, and ophthalmic, ear, and
nasal preparations)
➢ To provide for insertion of a drug into one of the
body’s orifices (rectal or vaginal suppositories).
➢ To provide for placement of drugs directly in
the bloodstream or body tissues (injections).
➢ To provide for optimal drug action through
inhalation therapy (inhalants and inhalation
aerosols).
➢ It can be defined as an investigation of physical
and chemical properties of a drug substance -
alone and when combined with excipients.
➢ The overall objective of preformulation testing is
to generate information useful to the formulator
in developing stable and bioavailable dosage
forms which can be mass-produced.
Data collected at the time of isolation / synthesis
of drug molecule includes such information as;
➢ gross particle size,
➢ melting point,
➢ infrared analysis,
➢ thin-layer chromatographic purity,
➢ and other such characterizations of different
laboratory-scale batches.
These data are useful in guiding, and becoming
part of, the main body of preformulation work.
The formal preformulation study should start at the point
after biological screening, when a decision is made for
further development of the compound in clinical trials.
Before embarking upon a formal program, the
preformulation scientist must consider the following:
1. The available physicochemical data (including
chemical structure, different salts available)
2. The therapeutic class of the compound and
anticipated dose
3. The supply situation and the development schedule
(i.e., the time available)
4. The availability of a stability-indicating assay
5. The nature of the information the formulator should
have or would like to have
 Isolation/ Chemical Synthesis

Pharmacological Screening

Toxicology

Preformulation Study /
Characterization

Formulation Testing

Phase-I Clinical Study

Phase-II / III Studies

Submission to regulatory authority

Characterization of drug molecule is a very
important step at the preformulation phase of
product development.
 Characterization and its impact
Determination Impacts on
Melting Point or boiling point Purity determination, dosage form design, stability tests
UV absorption spectrum Assay development
IR absorption spectrum Quantitative & qualitative tests
Assay development All qualitative & quantitative tests
Solubility Assay development, dosage form design, stability,
bioavailability
pKa (if an acid or base) and pH Salt selection, dosage form design, stability, bioavailability
solubility profiling
Partition coefficient Dosage form design, stability, bioavailability
Polymorphism Processing, stability, solubility, bioavailability
Microscopic appearance, Particle Dissolution rate, stability tests
Size, Shape & Surface area
Interaction with excipients Processing, dosage form design, stability, bioavailability
Chemical Stability Profile Pharmacological activity and toxicology
Flowability Formulation Development
Hygroscopicity Stability
1. Stability (2) pH-Solubility Profile
a. Solid State (3) Salt Forms
(1) Temperature (4) Co-solvents
(2) Light (5) Complexation
(3) Humidity (6) Prodrug
b. Solution j. Effect of pH on UV Spectra
(1) Solvent k. Ionization Constant
(2) pH l. Volatility
(3) Light m. Optical Activity
2. Solid State Compatibility n. Polymorphism Potential
a. TLC Analysis o. Solvate Formation
b. DRS Analysis (Dielectric Relaxation Spectroscopy) 4. Physico-mechanical Properties
3. Physico-chemical Properties a. Bulk and Tapped Density
a. Molecular Structure and Weight b. Compressibility
b. Color c. Photomicrograph
c. Odor 5. In Vitro Availability Properties
d. Particle size, Shape, and Crystallinity a. Dissolution of Drug Crystal
e. Melting Point b. Dissolution of Pure Drug Pellet
f. Thermal Analysis Profile c. Dissolution Analysis of Pure Drug
g. Hygroscopicity Potential d. Rat Everted Gut Technique
h. Absorbance Spectra 6. Other Studies
(1) UV a. Plasma Protein Binding
(2) IR b. Effect of Compatible Excipients on Dissolution
i. Solubility c. Kinetic Studies of Solution Degradation
(1) Water and Other Solvents d. Use of Radio-labeled Drug
Color
Unappealing to the eye or Instrumental methods
variable from batch to
batch

Record of early batches establishing “specs”

is very useful for later
production

Undesirable or variable incorporation of a dye

color in the body or coating
Unpalatable use of less soluble chemical
form (bioavailability not
compromised!)
suppressed by:
-Flavors
-Excipients
-Coating
Drug substances irritating to skin handling precautions
or
Sternutatory (sneezing)
Flavors, dyes, excipients used Stability / bioavailability
 Color Odor Taste
Off-white Pungent Acidic
Cream yellow Sulfurous Bitter
Tan Fruity Bland
Shiny Aromatic Intense
Odorless Sweet
Tasteless
Crystal Properties and Polymorphism:
More than one crystalline form with different space lattice
arrangements is called polymorphism. Polymorphs generally have
different melting points, x-ray diffraction patterns, and solubilities,
even though they are chemically identical.
➢ Differences in the dissolution rates and solubilities of different
polymorphic forms of a given drug are very commonly
observed. When the absorption of a drug is dissolution rate
limited, a more soluble and faster-dissolving form may be utilized
to improve bioavailability.
➢ For drugs prone to degradation in the solid state, the physical
form of the drug influences degradation. Selection of a
polymorph that is chemically more stable is a solution is to
selected.
➢ Different polymorphs also lead to different morphology, tensile
strength and density of powder bed which all contribute to
compression characteristics of materials.
Polymorphism also influences biopharmaceutical
behavior of the drug, A pure, more soluble A form
of Chloramphenical palmitate is more bioavailable
after oral administration as compared less soluble
pure A form and their mixtures.
Various techniques are available for the
investigation of the solid state. These include
microscopy, infrared spectrometry, single-crystal
X-ray and X-ray powder diffraction, thermal
analysis.
e.g; sulphathiazole can be composed of crystalline
rods (I), plates (II) or prisms (III).
During the pre-formulation phase, the following should be
investigated:
1. How many polymorphs exist?
2. What is the stability of each form?
3. What is the solubility of each form?
4. Decide which polymorphic form of the drug will be best suited to
processing into the desirable dosage form.
5. Prevent transitions to the unwanted polymorph(s).
Polymorphic transitions can have a profound effect on granule
processing, possibly influencing tablet hardness & dissolution rates.
Examples include:
1) The transitions between different polymorphic forms of
carbamezepine cause a reduction in granule yield, in turn
affecting tablet hardness & tablet dissolution.
2) Different etoposide polymorphs exhibit differing dissolution
rates.
3) Different polymorphic forms of chloramphenicol hydrate show
different bioavailabilities.
Conduct Monitor Does change
polymorphism polymorph forms occur which could
screening on drug during stability of affect safety
substance drug product
YES
NO
Can
different
Does the drug product performance
Establish N
polymorph acceptance
formed?
testing provide adequate control of
the polymorph ratio changes? (e.g. criteria which are O
dissolution) consistent with
YES safety & efficacy

Characterize the
N form e.g. X-Ray, Set acceptance criteria for No need to
microscopy YES
O spectroscopy
polymorph content in the drug
substance
set
acceptance
YES criteria for
YES polymorph
Do they have YES change in
different drug product
properties
Drug safety
performance Establish acceptance
NO solubility,
stability, m.p. or efficacy criteria for the
etc effected relevant performance
No
further
action
Control parameter for comparison with subsequent
batches
More direct concerns - impurity can affect:
- Stability: metal contamination in ppm
- Appearance: off-color re-crystallized white
-Toxic: aromatic amine (p-amino phenol) carcinogenic
Often remedial action simple recrystallization
Techniques used for characterizing purity are the
same as used in preformulation study :
- Thin layer chromatography (TLC)
- High-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC)
- Gas chromatography (GC)
➢ Impurity index (II) defined as the ratio of all
responses (peak areas) due to components other
than the main one to the total area response.
➢ Homogeneity index (HI) defined as the ratio of
the response (peak area) due to the main
component to the total response.
 ➢ USP Impurity Index defined as a ratio of
responses due to impurities to that response due
to a defined concentration of a standard of the
main component. (using TLC)
➢ General limit 2 % impurities
➢ All II, HI, USP II are not absolute measures of
impurity since the specific response (molecular
absorbance or extinction coefficient) due to each
impurity is assumed to be the same as that of the
main component.
More accurate analysis - identification of each
individual impurity followed by preparation of
standards for each one of them.
Other useful tools in assessment of
impurity:
- Differential Thermal Analysis (DTA)
- Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA)
- Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC)
- Powder X-Ray Diffraction (PXRD)
Effects of particle size distribution and shape
on:
➢ Chemical and physical properties of drug
substances.
➢ Bioavailability of drug substances
(griseofulvin, chlorpropamide).
➢ Flow and mixing efficiency of powders and
granules in making tablets.
➢ Fine materials tend to require more amount
of granulating liquid (cimetidine).
➢ Stability, fine materials relatively more open
to attack from atmospheric O2, heat, light,
humidity, and interacting excipients than
coarse materials.
Particle size of % Conversion
sulfacetamide + SD
(mm)

128 21.54 + 2.74

164 19.43 + 3.25
214 17.25 + 2.88
302 15.69 + 7.90
387 9.34 + 4.41

Weng and Parrott

➢ Very fine materials are difficult to handle, overcome by
creating solid solution in a carrier (water-soluble
polymer).
➢ Important to decide, maintain, and control a desired size
range.
➢ Safest - grind most new drugs with particle diameter >
100 mm (~ 140 mesh) down to ~ 10 - 40 mm (~ 325 mesh).
➢ Particles with diameter < 30 mm (~ 400 mesh), grinding is
unnecessary except needle-like => improve flow.
➢ Drawbacks to grinding:
- material losses
- static charge build-up
- aggregation => increase hydrophobicity
=> lowering dissolution rate
- polymorphic or chemical transformations
Microscopy
✓ Most rapid technique.
✓ But for quantitative size determination
requires counting large number of particles.
✓ For size ~ 1 mm upward (magnification x400).
✓ Suspending material in non-dissolving fluid
(water or mineral oil)
✓ Polarizing lens to observe birefringence =>
change in amorphous state after grinding?
Sieving
- Quantitative particle size distribution analysis.
- For size > 50 mm upward.
- Shape has strong influence on results.
Electronic means
➢ To encompass most pharmaceutical
powders ranging in size 1 - 120 mm:
➢ Blockage of electrical conductivity path
(Coulter)
- Light blockage (HIAC) [adopted by USP]
- Light scattering (Royco)
- Laser scattering (Malvern)
Other techniques

➢ Centrifugation
➢ Air suspension
➢ Sedimentation (Adreasen pipet, recording balance)

Disfavor now because of their tedious nature.

Technique Particle size (mm)

Microscopic 1 - 100
Sieve > 50
Sedimentation >1
Elutriation 1 - 50
Centrifugal < 50
Permeability >1
Light scattering 0.5 - 50

(Parrott)
 Surface areas of powders
=> increasing attention in recent years: reflect the particle
size
 Grinding operation:
particle size => surface area.
 Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) theory of adsorption
Most substances will adsorb a monomolecular layer of a
gas under certain conditions of partial pressure (of the
gas) and temperature.
Knowing the monolayer capacity of an adsorbent (i.e., the
quantity of adsorbate that can be accommodated as a
monolayer on the surface of a solid, the adsorbent) and
the area of the adsorbate molecule, the surface area
can, in principle be calculated.
Most commonly, nitrogen is used as the adsorbate at a specific
partial pressure established by mixing it with an inert gas, typically
helium. The adsorption process is carried out at liquid nitrogen
temperature (-195 oC).
It has been demonstrated that, at a partial pressure of nitrogen
attainable when it is in a 30 % mixture with an inert gas and at -
195 oC, a monolayer is adsorbed onto most solids.
Apparently, under these conditions the polarity of nitrogen is
sufficient for van de Waals forces of attraction between the
adsorbate and the adsorbents to be manifest.
The kinetic energy present under these conditions overwhelms the
intermolecular attraction between nitrogen atoms. However, it is
not sufficient to break the bonding between the nitrogen and
dissimilar atoms. The latter are most often more polar and prone
to van de Waals forces of attraction.
The nitrogen molecule does not readily enter into chemical
combinations, and thus its binding is of a nonspecific nature (I.e.,
it enters into a physical adsorption); consequently , the nitrogen
molecule is well suited for this role.
 1 = C-1 P + 1
l(Po/P - 1) lmC Po l mC

l = g of adsorbate per g of adsorbent

lm = maximum value of that l ratio for a monolayer
P = partial pressure of the adsorbate gas
Po = vapor pressure of the pure adsorbate gas
C = constant
P, Po, and C are temperature-dependent
 The values of l (g of adsorbate/g of
adsorbent) at various P values (partial
pressure of the adsorbate gas) could be
obtained from the experiment through
instrument.
 Po (vapor pressure of the pure adsorbate
gas) can be obtained from the literature.
 Plotting the term 1/[l(Po/P - 1)] against P/Po
will obtain a straight line with
slope = (C - 1)/lmC
intercept = 1/lmC
 The term C and lm can readily be obtained
 Accurately weighing the sample into an appropriate
container
 Immersing the container in liquid nitrogen
 Passing the gas over the sample
 Removing the liquid nitrogen when the adsorption is
complete (as signaled by the instrument)
 Warming the sample to about the room temperature
 Measuring (via the instrument) the adsorbated gas
released
 Performing the calibration by injecting known amounts
of adsor bated gas into the proper instrument port
 P is the product of the fraction of N2 in the gas mixture
and the ambient pressure
 At relatively large diameters, the specific
surface area is insensitive to an increase in
diameter
 At very small diameters the surface area is
comparatively very sensitive.
 Relatively high surface area most often
reflects a relatively small particle size, except
porous or strongly agglomerated mass
 Small particles (thus of high surface area)
agglomerate more readily, and often to
render the inner pores and surfaces
inaccessible to dissolution medium
 Solubility > 1 % w/v
=> no dissolution-related absorption problem
 Highly insoluble drug administered in small
doses may exhibit good absorption
 Unstable drug in highly acidic environment
of stomach, high solubility and consequent
rapid dissolution could result in a decreased
bioavailability
 The solubility of every new drug must be
determined as a function of pH over the
physiological pH range of 1 - 8
 Semi-quantitative determination:

Solvent Vigorously Examine

(fixed volume) shaking visually

Adding solute in small

incremental amounts
Undissolved
solute particles ?

No Yes
“LAW OF MASS ACTION”

Estimated solubility Total amount

added up
 Shaking at constant
Excess drug powder Ampul/vial temperature
150 mg/ml (15 %) (2-5 ml) (25 or 37 oC)
+ solvent 2 - 8 oC ?
The first few ml’s of the filtrates should be
discarded due to possible filter adsorption 48 hr

Determine the drug Membrane filter

concentration in the 0.45 mm
filtrate
72 hr
Same Determine the drug Membrane filter
concentration ? concentration in the 0.45 mm
filtrate
? hr
Solubility
Determine the drug Membrane filter
concentration in the 0.45 mm
filtrate
➢ Solubility could be overestimated due to the
presence of soluble impurities
➢ Saturation solubility is not reached in a reasonable
length of time unless the amount of solid used is
greatly in excess of that needed to saturation
➢ Many compounds in solution degrade, thus making
an accurate determination of solubility difficult
➢ Difficulty is also encountered in the determination of
solubility of metastable forms that transform to more
stable forms when exposed to solvents
 Stir in beaker Continuous
Excess drug
with distilled stirring of
powder
water suspension

Determine the
concentration Filter Measure Stirring Add
of drug in pH of
acid/base
the filtrate suspension

SOLUBILITY pH
Log aqueous solubility (mmol) 5

Indomethacin
4 (weak acid)

3 Chlorpromazine
(weak base)
2

1 Oxytetracycline
(amphoteric)

2 4 6 8 10 12 14

pH
 Poorly-soluble weakly-acidic drugs:

pH = pKa + log [(St - So)/So] (2)

 Poorly-soluble weakly-basic drugs:

pH = pKa + log [So/(St - So)] (3)

where
So = solubility of unionized free acid or base
St = total solubility (unionized + ionized)
NSAID’s alclofenac, diclofenac, fenbufen,
ibuprofen, naproxen
Weak acid pKa ~ 4, low solubility
Salt formssodium
N-(2-hydroxy ethyl) piperazinium
arginium
N-methylglucosammonium
Solubility
diclofenac (free acid) : 0.8 x 10 -5 M (25 oC)
diclofenac sodium : 24.5 mg/ml (37 oC)
Quinolones enoxacin, norfloxacin,
ciprofloxacin

Salt forms lactate, acetate, gluconate,

galacturonate, aspartate,
glutamate, etc.
Solubility
Free base : < 0.1 mg/ml (25 oC)
Salt forms : > 100 mg/ml (25 oC)
 Drug not an acidic or basic, or the acidic or basic
character not amendable to the formation of a stable
salt
 Use more soluble metastable polymorph
 Use of complexation (eg. Ribloflavin-xanthines complex)
 Use of high-energy coprecipitates that are mixtures of
solid solutions and solid dispersions (eg. Griseofulvin in
PEG 4000, 6000, and 20,000)
in PEG 4000 and 20,000 -> supersaturated solutions
in PEG 6000 -> bioavailability in human twice >
micronized drug
 Use of suitable surfactant
 Dissolution

kd << ka => “dissolution rate-limited”

kd ka ke
D Xg C, Vc
Dissolution Absorption Xc Elimination

Absorption site Central compartment

(gi-tract) (blood circulation)
 Intrinsic dissolution rate (mg/cm2/min) is
characteristics of each solid compound in a
given solvent under fixed hydrodynamic
conditions
 Intrinsic dissolution rate helps in predicting if
absorption would be dissolution rate-limited
 > 1 mg/cm2/min --> not likely to present
dissolution rate-limited absorption problems
 < 0.1 mg/cm2/min --> usually exhibit
dissolution rate-limited absorption problems
 0.1 - 1.0 mg/cm2/min --> more information is
needed before making any prediction
➢ Particulate dissolution is used to study the
influence on dissolution of particle size, surface
area, and mixing with excipients.
➢ The rate of dissolution normally increased with
a decrease in the particle size.
➢ Occasionally, however, an inverse relationship
of particle size to dissolution is encountered.
➢ This may be explained on the basis of effective
or available, rather than absolute, surface area;
and it is caused by incomplete wetting of the
powder.
➢ Incorporation of a surfactant in the dissolution
medium may provide the expected relationship.
 0.11 - 0.15 mm
Amount Dissolved (mg in 500 ml)

0.15 - 0.21 mm

0.21 - 0.30 mm
0.30 - 0.50 mm

0.50 - 0.71 mm

Time (min)
(Finholt)
 In absence of more soluble physical or
chemical form of the drug -
 Particle size reduction (most commonly
used).
 Enhanced surface area by adsorbing the
drug on an inert excipient with a high surface
area, i.e., fumed silicon dioxide.
 Comelting, coprecipitating, or triturating the
drug with some excipients.
 Incorporation of suitable surfactant.
Partition coefficient
Partition coefficient (oil/water) is a measure of a drug's
lipophilicity and an indication of its ability to cross cell
membranes.
Ratio of un-ionized drug distributed between the organic
and aqueous phases at equilibrium.
Po/w = (Coil/C water) equilibrium
It can provide an empiric handle in screening for some
biologic properties.
For drug delivery, the lipophilic / hydrophilic balance is a
contributing factor for the rate and extent of drug
absorption.
Partition coefficient data alone does not provide
understanding of in vivo absorption, but it provide a means
of characterizing the lipophilic / hydrophilic nature of the
drug.
Biological membranes, being lipoidal in nature,
the rate of drug transfer for passively absorbed
drugs is directly related to the lipophilicity of the
molecule. The partition coefficient is commonly
determined using an oil phase of octanol or
chloroform and water.
Drugs having values of P >> 1 are classified as
lipophilic, whereas those with partition
coefficients << 1 are indicative of a hydrophilic
drug.
Value of Partition coefficient may be the best
predictor of absorption rate, the effect of
dissolution rate, pKa, and solubility on absorption,
therefore, must not be neglected.
 Chloroform / water
Barbiturate % Absorbed partition coefficient

Barbital 12 + 2 0.7
Aprobarbital 17 + 2 4.0
Phenobarbital 20 + 3 4.8
Allylbarbituric acid 23 + 3 10.5
Butethal 24 + 3 11.7
Cyclobarbital 24 + 3 18.0
Pentobarbital 30 + 2 23.0
Secobarbital 40 + 3 50.7
Hexethal 44 + 3 > 100.0
(Schanker)
➢ The unionized species are more lipid-soluble
and the gastro intestinal absorption of
weakly acidic or basic drugs is related to the
fraction of unionized drug in solution.
➢ Factors affecting absorption:
- pH at the site of absorption
- Ionization constant
- Lipid solubility of unionized species
Henderson-Hasselbalch equation
For acids:
pH = pKa + log [ionized form]/[unionized form]
For bases:
pH = pKa + log [unionized form]/[ionized form]

Determination of Ionization Constant

1. Potentiometric pH-Titration
2. pH-Spectrophotometry Method
3. pH-Solubility Analysis
To study the behaviour, both in solution and solid state under
conditions typical for the handling, formulation, storage, and
administration of a drug candidate as well as stability in
presence of other excipients.
Factors affecting chemical stability critical in rational dosage
form design include;
Temperature, pH and dosage form diluents e.g.
The sterilization of parenteral products will be largely
dependent on the temperature stability of the drug. Drugs
having decreased stability at elevated temperatures cannot
be sterilized by autoclaving but must be sterilized by another
means, e.g., filtration.
Acid labile drugs intended for oral administration must be
protected from the highly acidic environment of the
stomach. Buffer selection for parenteral dosage forms will be
largely based on the stability characteristics of the drug.
To indentify stable storage conditions for drug
in the solid state.
To indentify compatible excipients for a
formulation.
In general, solid state reactions are much
slower and more difficult to interpret than
solution state reactions, and it is customary to
use stress conditions in the investigation of
stability. The data obtained under stress
conditions are then extrapolated to make a
prediction of stability under appropriate
storage conditions.
The elevated temperatures most commonly used are 40°, 50°
and 60°C in conjunction with ambient humidity.
Samples stored at the highest temperature are examined for
physical and chemical changes at weekly intervals, and any
change, when compared to an appropriate control (usually a
sample stored at 5°C), is noted.
Corroborative evidence is to be obtained by monitoring the
samples stored at lower temperatures for longer
durations. Samples stored at room temperature and at 5°C for
at least 6 months.
The data obtained at elevated temperatures is extrapolated
using the Arrhenius equation to determine the degradation
rate at a lower temperature;
Arrhenius Equation:
K = A e-Ea/R
Ea: activation energy; R: gas constant
logK = logA - (Ea/2.303RT)
Plotting the rate of reaction (K) against 1/T
allows the calculation of rate at any
temperature and therefore a prediction of
shelf-life (t90, time to 90% potency). This
forms the basis of many accelerated
stability tests.
Not all solid-state reactions are amenable
to Arrhenius treatment. Their
heterogeneous nature makes elucidation
of the kinetic order and prediction
difficult. Long-term lower temperature
studies are, therefore, an essential part of a
good stability program.
In the presence of moisture, many drug
substances hydrolyze, react with other excipients,
or oxidize. These reactions can be accelerated
by exposing the solid drug to different relative-
humidity conditions. Controlled humidity
environments can be readily obtained using
laboratory desiccators containing saturated
solutions of various salts.
Preformulation data of this nature are useful in
determining if the material should be protected
and stored in a controlled low-humidity
environment, or if the use of an aqueous-based
granulation system, in the case of a solid dosage
form, should be avoided. They may also caution
against the use of excipients that absorb moisture
significantly.
Many drug substances fade or darken on exposure to
light. Usually the extent of degradation is small and limited to
the exposed surface area. This can be controlled by using
amber glass or an opaque container or by incorporating a
dye in the product to mask the discoloration (if the only issue
is aesthetics).
Exposure of the drug substance to 400 and 900 footcandles of
illumination for 4- and 2-week periods, respectively, is
adequate to provide some idea of photosensitivity. Over
these periods, the samples should be examined frequently for
change in appearance and for chemical loss, and they
should be compared against samples stored under the same
conditions but protected from light.
The primary objective of this phase of preformulation research
is identification of conditions necessary to form a stable
solution. These studies should include the effects of pH, ionic
strength, co-solvent, light, temperature and oxygen.
Solution stability investigations usually commence with
probing experiments to confirm decay at the extremes of pH
and temperature (e.g., 0.1N HCl, water, and 0.1N NaOH all at
90°C). These intentionally degraded samples may be used to
confirm assay specificity as well as to provide estimates for
maximum rates of degradation. This initial experiment should
be followed by the generation of a complete pH-rate
profile to identify the pH of maximum stability. Aqueous
buffers are used to produce solutions over a wide range of pH
values with constant levels of drug, co-solvent and ionic
strength.s
In the tablet dosage form the drug is in intimate contact with
one or more excipients; the latter could affect the stability of
the drug. Knowledge of drug-excipient interactions is
therefore very useful to the formulator in selecting appropriate
excipients.
Example:
A typical tablet contains binders, disintegrants, lubricants, and
fillers. Compatibility screening for a new drug must consider
two or more excipients from each class. The ratio of drug to
excipient used in these tests is very much at the discretion of
the preformulation scientist.
The three techniques commonly employed in drug-excipient
compatibility screening are:
Thin-layer chromatography
Differential thermal analysis
Diffuse reflectance spectroscopy
Thin-Layer Chromatography:
This method involves storage of drug-excipient mixture both "as is"
and granulated with water at elevated temperatures.
The granulation is carried out so that the mixture contains fixed
amounts of moisture e.g. 5%.
The mixtures are sealed in ampoules to prevent any escape of
moisture at elevated temperatures.
The samples are examined periodically for appearance and
analyzed for any decomposition using thin-layer chromatography.
Unstressed samples are used as controls.
Any change in the chromatograph such as the appearance of a
new spot or a change in the Rf values of the components is
indicative of an interaction.
The technique can be quantitated if deemed necessary. If
significant interaction is noticed at elevated temperatures,
corroborative evidence must be obtained by examining mixtures
stored at lower temperatures for longer durations.
If no interaction is observed at 60 or 70°C, especially in the presence
of moisture, none can be expected at lower temperatures.
Among the advantages of thin-layer chromatography in this
application are:
➢ Evidence of degradation is unequivocal.
➢ The spots corresponding to degradation products can be eluted
for possible identification.
➢ The technique can be quantitated to obtain kinetic data.
Differential Thermal Analysis:
Thermal Analysis is useful in the investigation of
solid-state interactions. It is also useful in the
detection of eutectics.
Thermograms are generated for pure components
and their physical mixtures with other
components.
In the absence of any interaction, the
thermograms of mixtures show patterns
corresponding to those of the individual
components.
In the event that interaction occurs, this is
indicated in the thermogram of a mixture by the
appearance of one or more new peaks or the
disappearance of one or more peaks
corresponding to those of the components.
Diffuse Reflectance Spectroscopy:
Diffuse reflectance spectroscopy is gaining increasing
popularity among preformulation scientists as a tool to detect
and monitor drug-excipient interactions.
In this technique solid drugs, excipients, and their physical
mixtures are exposed to incident radiation. A portion of the
incident radiation is partly absorbed and partly reflected in a
diffuse manner.
The diffuse reflectance depends on the packing density of the
solid, its particle size, and its crystal form, among other
factors. When these factors are adequately controlled, diffuse
reflectance spectroscopy can be used to investigate physical
and chemical changes occurring on solid surfaces. A shift in
the diffuse reflectance spectrum of the drug due to the
presence of the excipient indicates physical adsorption,
whereas the appearance of a new peak indicates
chemisorption or formation of a degradation product.
 General Case of Drug Substances
Study Storage condition Minimum time period at submission
Long term 25ºC ± 2ºC/60% RH ± 5%RH 12 months
Intermediate 30ºC ± 2ºC/% 60RH ± 5%RH 06 months
Accelerated 40ºC ± 2ºC/% 75RH ± 5%RH 06 months

Drug Substances Intended for Storage in Refrigerator

Study Storage condition Minimum time period at submission
Long term 5ºC ± 3ºC 12 months
Accelerated 25ºC ± 2ºC/60% RH ± 5%RH 06 months
 Drug Substances Intended for Storage in Freezer
Study Storage condition Min time period at submission
Long term -20ºC ± 5ºC 12 months

General Case for Drug Product

Study Storage condition Minimum time period at submission
Long term 25ºC ± 2ºC/60% RH ± 5%RH 12 months
Intermediate 30ºC ± 2ºC/% 60RH ± 5%RH 06 months
Accelerated 40ºC ± 2ºC/% 75RH ± 5%RH 06 months
Dosage Form Development Chart