ICH/FDA Guidelines-Compliant Validated Stability-Indicating HPLC-UV Method for the Determination of Axitinib in Bulk and Dosage Forms

Abstract

Background: Axitinib (AXT) is a member of the new generation of the kinase inhibitor indicated for the treatment of advanced renal cell carcinoma. Its therapeutic benefits depend on assuring the good-quality of its dosage forms in terms of content and stability of the pharmaceutically active ingredient. Objective: This study was devoted to the development of a simple, sensitive and accurate stabilityindicating high-performance liquid chromatographic method with ultraviolet detection (HPLC-UV) for the determination of AXT in its bulk and dosage forms. Methods: Waters HPLC system was used. The chromatographic separation of AXT, internal standard (olaparib), and degradation products were performed on the Nucleosil CN column (250 × 4.6 mm, 5 μm). The mobile phase consisted of water:acetonitrile:methanol (40:40:20, v/v/v) with a flow rate of 1 ml/min, and the UV detector was set at 225 nm. AXT was subjected to different accelerated stress conditions and the degradation products, when any, were completely resolved from the intact AXT. Results: The method was linear (r = 0.9998) in the concentration range of 5-50 μg/ml. The limits of detection and quantitation were 0.85 and 2.57 μg/ml, respectively. The accuracy of the method, measured as recovery, was in the range of 98.0-103.6% with relative standard deviations in the range of 0.06-3.43%. The results of stability testing revealed that AXT was mostly stable in neutral and oxidative conditions; however, it was unstable in alkaline and acidic conditions. The kinetics of degradation were studied, and the kinetic rate constants were determined. The proposed method was successfully applied for the determination of AXT in bulk drug and dosage forms. Conclusions: A stability-indicating HPLC-UV method was developed and validated for assessing AXT stability in its bulk and dosage forms. The method met the regulatory requirements of the International Conference on Harmonization (ICH) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The results demonstrated that the method would have great value when applied in quality control and stability studies for AXT.