We present an in situ hydrophobic salt forming technique for the encapsulation of weakly hydrophobic, ionizable active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) into stable nanocarriers (NCs) formed via a rapid precipitation process. Traditionally, NC formation via rapid precipitation has been difficult with APIs in this class because their intermediate solubility makes achieving high supersaturation difficult during the precipitation process and the intermediate solubility causes rapid Ostwald ripening or recrystallization after precipitation. By forming a hydrophobic salt in situ, the API solubility and crystallinity can be tuned to allow for NC formation. Unlike covalent API modification, the hydrophobic salt formation modifies properties via ionic interactions, thus circumventing the need for full FDA re-approval. This technique greatly expands the types of APIs that can be successfully encapsulated in NC form. Three model API’s were investigated and successfully incorporated into NCs by forming salts with hydrophobic counter ions: cinnarizine, an antihistamine, clozapine, an antipsychotic and α-lipoic acid, a common food supplement. We focus on cinnarizine to develop the rules for the in situ nanoprecipitation of salt NCs. These rules include the pKa’s and solubilities of the API and counter ion, the effect of the salt former-to-API ratio on particle stability and encapsulation efficiency, and the control of NC size. Finally, we present results on the release rates of these ion pair APIs from the NCs.
Ribociclib (KISQALI), a cyclin‐dependent kinase 4/6 inhibitor approved for the first‐line treatment of HR+/HER2– advanced breast cancer with an aromatase inhibitor, is administered with no restrictions on concomitant gastric pH‐elevating agents or food intake. The influence of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) on ribociclib bioavailability was assessed using 1) biorelevant media solubility, 2) physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) modeling, 3) noncompartmental analysis (NCA) of clinical trial data, and 4) population PK (PopPK) analysis. This multipronged approach indicated no effect of gastric pH changes on ribociclib PK and served as a platform for supporting ribociclib labeling language, stating no impact of gastric pH‐altering agents on the absorption of ribociclib, without a dedicated drug–drug interaction trial. The bioequivalence of ribociclib exposure with or without a high‐fat meal was demonstrated in a clinical trial. Lack of restrictions on ribociclib dosing may facilitate better patient compliance and therefore clinical benefit.
The production of nanosuspensions via stirred‐media milling has proved to be an effective method to overcome bioavailability challenges of poorly water‐soluble active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs). The fine‐grinding of the APIs cinnarizine and fenofibrate was investigated. Important process parameters were varied and the influence on product quality was studied. Different challenges were identified prior to and during milling: Foaming inside the milling equipment and agglomeration of fenofibrate occurred, and a long‐term grinding experiment for cinnarizine revealed an increase in particle size, caused by ripening of the drug crystals during milling. Thus, the stability against ripening during the process is a newly identified challenge for the fine‐grinding of APIs.
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