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Women have a higher rate of torsade when taking QT-prolonging medications. This higher risk can be in part explained by women having longer QTc intervals at both baseline and on-treatment compared to men. Endogenous sex hormones play a key role in the longer QTc at baseline in women. Longer on-treatment QTc may be caused by higher drug concentrations associated with dosing regimens that do not account for body size, which is on average smaller in women. Women are not, however, more sensitive to the QTc prolonging effects of drugs—the slope of the concentration–QTc relationship for drugs is not systematically higher in women. After adjusting for on-treatment QTc values, women have at least twofold the torsade risk compared to men when taking antiarrhythmic drugs. This highlights the importance of identifying other physiological factors that increase the torsade risk of QT-prolonging drugs in women.

The oral bioavailability of diclofenac potassium 50 mg administered as a soft gelatin capsule (softgel capsule), powder for oral solution (oral solution), and tablet was evaluated in a randomized, open-label, 3-period, 6-sequence crossover study in healthy adults. Plasma diclofenac concentrations were measured using a validated liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry method, and pharmacokinetic analysis was performed by noncompartmental methods. The median time to achieve peak plasma concentrations of diclofenac was 0.5, 0.25, and 0.75 hours with the softgel capsule, oral solution, and tablet formulations, respectively. The geometric mean ratio and associated 90%CI for AUCinf, and Cmax of the softgel capsule formulation relative to the oral solution formulation were 0.97 (0.95-1.00) and 0.85 (0.76-0.95), respectively. The geometric mean ratio and associated 90%CI for AUCinf and Cmax of the softgel capsule formulation relative to the tablet formulation were 1.04 (1.00-1.08) and 1.67 (1.43-1.96), respectively. In conclusion, the exposure (AUC) of diclofenac with the new diclofenac potassium softgel capsule formulation was comparable to that of the existing oral solution and tablet formulations. The peak plasma concentration of diclofenac from the new softgel capsule was 67% higher than the existing tablet formulation, whereas it was 15% lower in comparison with the oral solution formulation.

US FDA released guidelines for bioanalytical method validation in 2001 and it became the basis for guidelines such as ANVISA and EMA. Even though there is a general agreement between these guidelines in terms of evaluation of validation parameters, significant diversity exists with respect to methodology employed. Present review compares and summarizes the regulatory guidelines issued by US FDA, ANVISA and EMA for bioanalytical method validation. This review also discusses evaluation of certain validation parameters such as matrix effect, incurred sample reanalysis, various stability aspects, effect of anticoagulant counter ions, specificity in the presence of concomitant medications, and identification of pharmacokinetic repeats wherein specific guidance and general consensus amongst scientific community does not exist.

Nanoparticles (NPs) are, in general, colloidal particles, less than 1000 nm, that can be used for better drug delivery and prepared either by encapsulating the drug within a vesicle and or by dispersing the drug molecules within a matrix. Nanoparticulate drug delivery systems have been extensively studied in recent years for spatial and temporal delivery, especially in tumour and brain targeting. NPs have great promise for better drug delivery as found in both pharmaceutical and clinical research. As a drug carrier, NPs have significant advantages like better bioavailability, systemic stability, high drug loading, long blood circulation time and selective distribution in the organs/tissues with longer half life. The selective targeting of NPs can be achieved by the enhanced permeability and retention effect (EPR-effect), attaching specific ligands, or by making selective distribution due to change of the physiological conditions of specific systems like nature, pH, temperature, etc. It has been observed that drug-loaded NPs can have selective distribution to organs/tissues using different types of and proportions of polymers. The current aim of researchers is to prepare NPs that are long-lived with and that demonstrate the appropriate selective distribution for better therapy and thus improved clinical outcomes. Nanoparticulate drug delivery systems have the potential to deliver a drug to the target site with specificity and to maintain the desired concentration at the site for the intended time without untoward effects. In this review article, the methods for the preparation of NPs, their characterization, biodistribution, and pharmacokinetic characteristics are discussed.

A simple, selective, and sensitive liquid chromatographic method has been developed and validated for quantitative determination of Imatinib mesylate in rat serum. Efficient chromatographic separation has been performed on a Zorbax Extend (5 microm, 4.6 x 250 mm) double end-capped C(18) column using a mobile phase consisting of methanol and aqueous triethyl amine (pH 10.5; 1%, v/v) (60:40, v/v) in an isocratic mode at a flow rate of 1 mL/min. Simple and effective liquid-liquid extraction technique has resulted in consistent and high recoveries (90.32-95.86%) at all concentrations studied. The method has demonstrated linearity from 25 to 1600 ng/mL with a regression coefficient of 0.9995. Accuracy of the method is acceptable with intra-batch %bias between -2.34 to 3.42 and inter-batch %bias between -2.17 to 3.45. The method has demonstrated high sensitivity with lower limit of quantification of 25 ng/mL and excellent stability of Imatinib mesylate in serum. The method is found to be rapid, reliable, and suitable for in vivo pharmacokinetic study.

A new, sensitive and stability indicating liquid chromatographic method has been developed for the determination of imatinib mesylate (IM). Efficient chromatographic separation was achieved using a C18 column with simple mobile phase combination delivered in an isocratic mode and quantitation was carried out using ultraviolet detection. For the first time, a novel microwave assisted degradation procedure was employed for stress testing studies. In addition, orthogonal separation technique was applied to demonstrate selectivity of the proposed method. The method has demonstrated excellent linearity over the range of 25–1,600 ng mL−1. Moreover, the method was found to be sensitive with a low limit of detection (3.35 ng mL−1) and limit of quantitation (10.16 ng mL−1). The method has shown good and consistent recoveries (99.35–100.69%) with low intra- and inter-day relative standard deviation (RSD) (

The oral bioavailability of diclofenac potassium 50 mg administered as a soft gelatin capsule (softgel capsule), powder for oral solution (oral solution), and tablet was evaluated in a randomized, open-label, 3-period, 6-sequence crossover study in healthy adults. Plasma diclofenac concentrations were measured using a validated liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry method, and pharmacokinetic analysis was performed by noncompartmental methods. The median time to achieve peak plasma concentrations of diclofenac was 0.5, 0.25, and 0.75 hours with the softgel capsule, oral solution, and tablet formulations, respectively. The geometric mean ratio and associated 90%CI for AUCinf, and Cmax of the softgel capsule formulation relative to the oral solution formulation were 0.97 (0.95-1.00) and 0.85 (0.76-0.95), respectively. The geometric mean ratio and associated 90%CI for AUCinf and Cmax of the softgel capsule formulation relative to the tablet formulation were 1.04 (1.00-1.08) and 1.67 (1.43-1.96), respectively. In conclusion, the exposure (AUC) of diclofenac with the new diclofenac potassium softgel capsule formulation was comparable to that of the existing oral solution and tablet formulations. The peak plasma concentration of diclofenac from the new softgel capsule was 67% higher than the existing tablet formulation, whereas it was 15% lower in comparison with the oral solution formulation.

The oral bioavailability of valsartan from extemporaneous suspension and solution formulations were evaluated relative to tablet formulation in two separate open-label, randomized crossover studies in healthy adults. In both studies, the plasma concentrations of valsartan after oral administration were analyzed using validated liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) methods, and the corresponding pharmacokinetic parameters were estimated using noncompartmental analysis. The peak plasma concentration (Cmax ) and area under the concentration time-curves (AUC(0-∞) ) of valsartan from the extemporaneous suspension were higher by 1.93- and 1.56-fold, respectively, relative to the tablet formulation (P .001). The Cmax and AUC(0-∞) of valsartan from the oral solution were higher by 2.21- and 1.74-fold, respectively, relative to the tablet formulation (P .001). These results indicate that both rate and extent of absorption of valsartan are higher in the two liquid dosage forms (extemporaneous suspension and solution formulations) relative to the solid oral dosage form (tablet formulation).

Polymeric carrier systems of paclitaxel (PCT) offer advantages over only available formulation Taxol® in terms of enhancing therapeutic efficacy and eliminating adverse effects.The objective of the present study was to prepare poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) nanoparticles containing PCT using emulsion solvent evaporation technique.Critical factors involved in the processing method were identified and optimized by scientific, efficient rotatable central composite design aiming at low mean particle size and high entrapment efficiency. Twenty different experiments were designed and each formulation was evaluated for mean particle size and entrapment efficiency. The optimized formulation was evaluated for in vitro drug release, and absorption characteristics were studied using in situ rat intestinal permeability study.Amount of polymer and duration of ultrasonication were found to have significant effect on mean particle size and entrapment efficiency. First-order interactions of amount of miglyol with amount of polymer were significant in case of mean particle size, whereas second-order interactions of polymer were significant in mean particle size and entrapment efficiency. The developed quadratic model showed high correlation (R(2)0.85) between predicted response and studied factors. The optimized formulation had low mean particle size (231.68 nm) and high entrapment efficiency (95.18%) with 4.88% drug content. The optimized formulation showed controlled release of PCT for more than 72 hours. In situ absorption study showed faster and enhanced extent of absorption of PCT from nanoparticles compared to pure drug.The poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) nanoparticles containing PCT may be of clinical importance in enhancing its oral bioavailability.

A new, simple, and sensitive ion-pair reverse-phase liquid chromatographic method is developed and validated for the estimation of 1-cyclopropyl-6-fluoro-8-methoxy-7-(3-methylpiperazin-1-yl)-4-oxo-1,4-dihydro-quinoline-3-carboxylic acid (gatifloxacin) in bulk and formulations using a UV detector under isocratic conditions. The selected mobile phase consists of the aqueous phase (a 25 mM citrate buffer comprising of 10mM cationic and anionic pairing agents, pH adjusted to 3.5) and acetonitrile (52:48%, v/v). The selected wavelength is 292 nm. Retention time of gatifloxacin is 5.2 min. The linearity range is found to be 50 to 1000 ng/mL (the regression equation is area = 105.5 x concentration in ng/mL--695.8), and the regression coefficient is 0.9996. Validation results demonstrate accuracy, precision, and reproducibility (relative standard deviation < 3%) of the method. The detection and quantitation limits are found to be 6.50 and 17.38 ng/mL, respectively. The method is successfully used for the estimation of gatifloxacin in a variety of dosage forms, and the results are in good agreement with the label claims.

A stability-indicating reversed-phase liquid chromatographic method has been developed and validated for simultaneous determination of losartan potassium and ramipril. Separations were achieved using a C(18) column with mobile phase consisting of acetonitrile and (0.2% v/v, pH 2.5) aqueous trifluoroacetic acid (45:55, v/v) in isocratic mode at 1 ml/min flow rate. Column effluent was monitored at 210 nm using a UV detector. The method was validated for selectivity, linearity, accuracy, precision, sensitivity and robustness. Novel microwave-assisted forced degradation technique was employed for evaluation of selectivity. The method demonstrated excellent linearity for losartan potassium and ramipril with regression coefficients of 0.9999 and 0.9998, respectively. The linearity range was found to be 62.5-5000 ng/ml and 125-10,000 ng/ml with the mean percentage recoveries of 100.36% (±2.27) and 100.16% (±3.33) for losartan potassium and ramipril, respectively. In a robustness study, a full factorial design revealed that the analytical response remains unaffected by small variations in the critical chromatographic factors. The method was found to be sensitive with quantification limits of 44.30 and 79.93 ng/ml for losartan potassium and ramipril. The method was successfully employed for the determination of losartan potassium and ramipril in commercially available and in-house prepared tablets.

A simple and fast reversed phase liquid chromatographic method was developed for estimation of paclitaxel in commercially available parenteral formulation and nanoparticles. Separations were carried out using mobile phase consisting of acetonitrile and 20 mM potassium dihydrogen phosphate (45:55, v/v) on Lichrocart(®) C(18) analytical column at a flow rate of 1 ml/min and detection wavelength of 230 nm. The developed method exhibited linearity over an analytical range of 50-2000 ng/ml with regression equation, mean peak area= 137.58 concentration (ng/ml)+1765.94, (R(2) =0.9999). The method demonstrated selectivity with no interfering peaks eluting near the vicinity of drug peak. The method was found to be sensitive with detection and quantification limits of 7.57 ng/ml and 22.94 ng/ml. The method has shown consistent and good recoveries from parenteral formulation (100.06±0.86%) and nanoparticles (100.43±0.91%). The method was successfully employed for the analysis of in vitro release study samples of nanoparticle formulation. The method was also applied for determination of paclitaxel content in various pharmaceutical formulations.