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During the related substances testing of mirabegron extended release tablets, an unknown peak was observed in HPLC chromatograms in a level exceeding the identification threshold. By using a strategy that combines LC-PDA/UV-MS n with mechanism-based stress studies, the unknown peak was rapidly identified as cyanomethyl mirabegron, a solution degradant that is caused by a Strecker-like reaction between the API, formaldehyde (an impurity in PEG), and HCN (an impurity in HPLC grade acetonitrile). The mechanism of the solution degradation chemistry was verified by stressing mirabegron with formaldehyde and trimethylsilyl cyanide (TMSCN, a synthetic reagent that generates HCN upon contact with water), in which the secondary amine group of mirabegron first reacts with formaldehyde to form the iminium ion intermediate; the latter then undergoes a nucleophilic attack by cyanide to yield the cyanomethyl mirabegron. The structure of the impurity was further confirmed through the synthesis of the impurity and subsequent structure characterization by 1D and 2D NMR. Due to the ubiquitous presence of formaldehyde in pharmaceutical excipients (e.g., PEG and polysorbate) and trace amount of HCN in HPLC grade acetonitrile, this type of solution degradation would likely occur in sample preparations of pharmaceutical finished products containing APIs with primary and secondary amine moieties. In a GMP environment, such an event may trigger undesirable out-of-specification (OOS) investigations; the results of this paper should help resolve such OOS investigations or even prevent these events from happening in the first place., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

A sensitive and selective liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) method has been developed for the determination of a new antimalarial bisthiazolium salt, SAR97276, in mouse plasma and red blood cells (RBCs). A drug of the same chemical series as the test drug, T2, was used as internal standard. The method involved solid phase extraction of the compound and the internal standard from the two matrices using Oasis HLB columns. LC separation was performed on a Zorbax eclipse XDB C8 column (5 microm) with a mobile phase of acetonitrile containing trimethylamine (130 microl/l, solvent A) and 2 mM ammonium formate buffer (solvent B). MS data were acquired in single ion monitoring mode at m/z 227 for SAR97276 and m/z 326 for T2. The matrix had no influence on the detection of either SAR97276 or T2. The drug/internal standard peak area ratios were linked via quadratic relationships to plasma (1.65-1322 ng/ml) and RBC concentrations (3.31-2644 ng/ml). Precision was below 14% and accuracy was 91.4-104%. Dilution of the samples had no influence on the performance of the method. Extraction recoveries of SAR97276 were > or =90% in plasma and > or =60% in RBCs. The lower limits of quantitation were 1.65 ng/ml in plasma and 3.31 ng/ml in RBCs. Stability tests under various conditions were also investigated. The method was successfully used to determine the pharmacokinetic profile of SAR97276 in healthy mouse.