ICH guidance in practice: validated stability-indicating HPLC method for simultaneous determination of ampicillin and cloxacillin in combination drug products

Ampicillin and cloxacillin were degraded together under different stress test conditions prescribed by International Conference on Harmonization. The samples so generated were used to develop a stability-indicating high performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method for the two drugs. The drugs were well separated from degradation products using a reversed-phase (C-18) column and a mobile phase comprising of acetonitrile:phosphate buffer (pH 5.0), which was delivered initially in the ratio of 15:85 (v/v) for 1 min, then changed to 30:70 (v/v) for next 14 min, and finally equilibrated back to 15:85 (v/v) from 15 to 20 min. Other HPLC parameters were: flow rate, 1 ml/min; detection wavelength, 225 nm; and injection volume, 5 microl. The method was validated for linearity, precision, accuracy, specificity and selectivity. It was also compared with the assay procedures given in British Pharmacopoeia for individual drugs. Similar results were obtained, indicating that the proposed single method allowed selective analysis of both ampicillin and cloxacillin, in the presence of their degradation products formed under a variety of stress conditions. The developed procedure was also applicable to the determination of instability of the drugs in commercial products.