The original synthesis of glycopyrrolate (NVA237) was
revised and
shortened into an essentially one-pot process. Without isolating the
intermediates, their purification became obsolete, thereby increasing
the possibility of the carry over of impurities. For that reason,
the actual, potential, and theoretical impurities of the starting
materials cyclopentyl mandelic acid and 1-methyl-pyrrolidin-3-ol as
well as byproducts which may occur during the synthesis were thoroughly
investigated; furthermore, their transformation to possible impurities
in the drug substance along the new synthetic route was performed
to exclude them as actual impurities in the drug substance with certainty.
The question is raised how detailed such investigationwhich
are fairly manageable for a simple product like glycopyrrolateneed
to be.