Dissolution Behavior of Weakly Basic Pharmaceuticals from Amorphous Dispersions Stabilized by a Poly(dimethylaminoethyl Methacrylate) Copolymer. 2022

Derek S Frank, and Prateek Prasad, and Luca Iuzzolino, and Luke Schenck
Particle Engineering Lab, Process Research & Development, Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, New Jersey 07065, United States.

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.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D008689 Methacrylates Acrylic acids or acrylates which are substituted in the C-2 position with a methyl group. Methacrylate
D011108 Polymers Compounds formed by the joining of smaller, usually repeating, units linked by covalent bonds. These compounds often form large macromolecules (e.g., BIOPOLYMERS; PLASTICS). Polymer
D005079 Excipients Usually inert substances added to a prescription in order to provide suitable consistency to the dosage form. These include binders, matrix, base or diluent in pills, tablets, creams, salves, etc. Excipient,Stabilizing Agent,Stabilizing Agents,Suspending Agent,Suspending Agents,Agent, Stabilizing,Agent, Suspending,Agents, Stabilizing,Agents, Suspending
D000078102 Lumefantrine A fluorene derivative that is used in combination with ARTEMETHER for the treatment of MALARIA (see ARTEMETHER-LUMEFANTRINE DRUG COMBINATION). 9H-Fluorene-4-methanol, 2,7-dichloro-9-((4-chlorophenyl)methylene)-alpha-((dibutylamino)methyl)-, (Z)-,Benflumetol,Benflumetol, (+)-isomer,Benflumetol, (+-)-isomer,Benflumetol, (-)-isomer
D012995 Solubility The ability of a substance to be dissolved, i.e. to form a solution with another substance. (From McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms, 6th ed) Solubilities
D065546 Drug Liberation Release of drugs from DOSAGE FORMS into solution. Drug Dissolution,Drug Release,Dissolution, Drug,Liberation, Drug,Release, Drug

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