Patent Publication Number: US-2007122483-A1

Title: Fluocinolone acetonide drug substance polymorphic interconversion

Description:
PRIORITY CLAIMS  
      None  
     CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
      None  
     BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY  
      Fluocinolone acetonide, a powerful anti-inflammatory steroid, is practically insoluble in water. FA has been used in the formulation of anti-inflammatory topical products for more than 20 years. Bausch &amp; Lomb Incorporated (B &amp; L) and Control Delivery Systems (CDS) have selected Sicor—Societa Italiana Corticosteroidi S.p.A., Via Terrazzano, 77-20017 RHO (Milano), Italy, as the principal supplier for fluocinolone acetonide (FA), USP, EP.  
      Polymorphism is commonly defined as the ability of a substance to exist in two or more crystalline phases that differ in the arrangement and/or conformation of molecules in the crystal lattice. A classic example is pure carbon which can exist as graphite or diamond. Materials having the same chemical composition but dramatically differing properties. The majorities of the pharmaceutical products on the market exist in the solid form and therefore demonstrate some degree of polymorphism.  
      Physical form of pharmaceutical active agents is important for a variety of reasons. Solid state properties include: physical properties (color, dissolution); chemical properties (reactivity, stability); regulatory issues (safety, efficacy); product performance (consistency); as well as intellectual property (new products, patents).  
      In 1997, Bartolomei, et al. reported that FA appeared to exist in three different crystalline forms (referred to as A, B and C) with unique physical, thermal, and spectroscopic behavior. Bartolomei, et al. report that form B can be obtained by crystallization from hot ethanol on a water bath. The same crystallization was also used to obtain form A by crystallization from cold acetone, cold chloroform and cold methanol. Form B can be prepared by crystallization from solvents such as cold absolute ethanol, whether or not water was present. Crystallization from ethyl acetate or 2:1 acetone/hexane mixtures or by freeze drying the FA solution at room temperature resulted in formation of form C. Upon heating any of the three forms to above 210 degrees C. form B was obtained.  
      Thus it would be an improvement to the art to be able to provide drug compositions in predominately a single form without having to resort to use of organic solvents.  
      Disclosed in embodiments herein is a method of providing the same form of FA. Regardless of which form or mixture of forms are present by forming a slurry from samples of fluocinolone acetonide containing mostly Form A and little to no Form A. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       FIG. 1  is a solid-state NMR 13C CP/MAS NMR spectrograph of the primary form, mixture and secondary form of FA;  
       FIG. 2  is a solid-state NMR 13C CP/MAS NMR spectrograph of the mixture slurry and secondary form slurry after treatment according to the invention herein.  
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
      Disclosed in embodiments herein is a method of providing the same form of FA. Regardless of which form or mixture of forms are present by forming a slurry from samples of fluocinolone acetonide containing mostly Form A and little to no Form A.  
      Slurries containing drug substance in water were prepared and covered and stirred for a sufficient length of time to allow the formation of a hydrate to occur. The ratio of drug substance to water can vary depending upon the particular drug substance. Suitable ranges of drug to water in the slurry can vary between 1 and 99 percent by weight, more preferably 1 to 50 percent by weight, even more preferably between 1 and 10 percent by weight.  
      The water used for forming the slurry may be any water approved for use with pharmaceutical products. For example, sterile water for injection.  
      The slurry is allowed to mix for a time sufficient to allow the formation of a hydrate to occur. Depending upon the active, the slurry mixing time can be up to about 100 days, more preferably up to about 50 days, even more preferably up to about 21 days. The amount of time necessary for the slurry to result in formation of the desired hydrate will readily determined by one of ordinary skill in the art without undue experimentation.  
      To remove the water from the slurry any suitable method such as is known to those of ordinary skill in the art may be used. For example, the samples may be filtered and dried overnight at room temperature, dried under desiccant conditions or any other suitable method.  
      Characterization of the hydrate can be by any suitable method including, but not limited to, Chromatography, HPLC, GC, TLC; Optical Microscopy; Mass Spectrometry, MS, hyphenated methods; Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy, NMR; X-ray Diffraction, XRPD; Thermal Methods, TGA, DSC; and FTIR, Raman.  
      Solid-state NMR is a preferred method to characterize pharmaceutical solids. Its advantages include: 1.Nondestructive and noninvasive; 2.No calibration standards; 3. Particle size is not an issue; 4. Mixture analysis of solid forms and 5. Quantification of forms. In addition, regulatory authorities now recognize the importance of solid-state NMR spectroscopy and how the technique is linked to the drug development process.  
      The invention will now be explained by the following example which is intended to illustrate but not limit the invention in any way.  
     EXAMPLES  
     Example 1  
      Sample Preparation  
      Slurries containing 0.5 g FA in 10 ml of water were covered and stirred at room temperature for seven days. To remove the water, the samples were filtered and dried overnight at room temperature.  
      Experimental Conditions  
      Approximately 80-100 mg of sample was packed inside a 7 mm rotor. Magic-angle spinning (MAS) NMR spectra of fluocinolone acetonide (FA) were acquired using a Varian Unity Inova 400 operating at 399.8 and 100.5 MHz for  1 H and  13 C respectively. The spectra were acquired using cross-polarization (CP) with total sideband suppression and a spinning speed of 4 kHz. Additional acquisition and processing parameters are noted below:  
                                                   Parameter/Hardware     13 C NMR                          Probe   Varian CP/MAS                                 Spectral Width   35.3   kHz           Number of Data Points   2048           Transmitter Power   63   dB           Pulse Width   4.5   us           Recycle Delay   10   sec           Contact Time   2   ms           Number of Acquisitions   5000           Line Broadening   20   Hz           Fourier Number   8192                             Filter   Digital w/oversampling                      
 
 All spectra were externally referenced to hexamethylbenzene (HMB) ( 13 C, aliphatic peak at 17.4 ppm). 
 
     CONCLUSION  
      In this work, 13C CP/MAS NMR was used to investigate the polymorphic changes that occur in FA after exposure to water for an extended time period. The results indicate that under hydration all polymorphic forms interconvert to the same form.  
      The claims, as originally presented and as they may be amended, encompass variations, alternatives, modifications, improvements, equivalents, and substantial equivalents of the embodiments and teachings disclosed herein, including those that are presently unforeseen or unappreciated, and that, for example, may arise from applicants/patentees and others.