Development of a Stable Freeze-dried Formulation of Recombinant Human Interleukin-1 Receptor Antagonist

Purpose. A formulation of recombinant human interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (rhIL-1ra) was developed that provided both acute protection during lyophilization and storage stability in the dried solid. Methods. The formulation was optimized by monitoring the impact of excipients on protein degradation which was analyzed by turbidimetry and cation-exchange HPLC. Results. The most appropriate pH was 6.5. Sodium citrate buffer provided better stability than sodium phosphate buffer. Glycine was selected as a bulking agent because the greatest protein stability was noted when this bulking agent was used in combination with an amorphous protein stabilizer. Among the amorphous stabilizers tested, sucrose protected rhIL-lra best in the presence of glycine. When the protein was freeze-dried in the presence of an inadequate mass ratio of sucrose/protein (< 0.3), the rate of degradation of rhIL-lra increased. For a formulation containing 100 mg/ml of rhIL-lra, increasing the sucrose/protein mass ratio to 0.3 greatly increased storage stability. The moisture content of the dried solid affected the storage stability to a minor degree. Three different stoppers obtained from the WEST Company did not affect the stability of rhIL-lra. Conclusions. An optimized formulation could be reconstituted without precipitation after 14 months at 30 or 50°C. At 30°C, there was no loss of native protein due to deamidation, and only a 4% loss at 50°C. These results indicated that the optimized formulation could be stored at ambient temperatures for long periods, without damage to the protein.     

Recombinant Factor VIII SQ- Inactivation Kinetics in Aqueous Solution and the Influence of Disaccharides and Sugar Alcohols

Purpose. To investigate the influence of various nonreducing disaccharides and sugar alcohols on the inactivation kinetics of recombinant factor VIII SQ (r-VIII SQ) in aqueous solution not containing albumin as a stabiliser. Methods. The stability of r-VIII SQ was followed using measurement of activity (VIII: C) and HPLC gel filtration at different temperatures. The thermal stability was investigated using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Results. The decline in VIII:C followed pseudo-first order kinetics. However, the Arrhenius plot was not linear for formulations without carbohydrate, demonstrating a distinct, reproducible curvature. The reaction rate at 5°C was faster than expected from the Arrhenius kinetics. The energy of activation (Ea) for formulations without added carbohydrates, derived from the linear part of the Arrhenius plot, varied between 77 and 86 kJ/mole in the temperature range 20–37°C. The addition of 600 mg/ml sucrose increased the Ea to 104 kJ/mole. DSC measurements showed thatTm was 64.2 ± 0.2°C for r-VIII SQ without stabiliser. This value increased linearly with increasing concentrations of carbohydrate. This stabilising effect is most probably explained by the theory of preferential hydration. Conclusions. The inactivation kinetics of r-VIII SQ in aqueous solution without addition of carbohydrates followed pseudo-first order kinetics but the Arrhenius plot was nonlinear. Sucrose and sorbitol both had highly stabilising effects on r-VIII SQ at concentrations above 300 mg/ml. The preparation containing 600 mg/ml sucrose was stable for at least 12 months at 5°C and 6 months at 25°C.     

Solid Surface Chemical and Physical Effects on the Adsorption of Recombinant Factor VIII

The adsorption of a recombinant Factor VIII to silica surfaces coated to present different hydrophilic/hydrophobic, electrostatic and steric characteristics was monitored in situ, with ellipsometry. rFVIII adsorption affinity was high for hydrophobic surfaces and hydrophilic, charged surfaces. A lower affinity was recorded between rFVIII and a neutral hydrophilic surface, with substantial reduction in rFVIII adsorption to electronically neutral surfaces presenting pendant poly[ethylene oxide] chains. We conclude that steric repulsion is a requirement for minimizing rFVIII adsorption at solid surfaces.     

Formulation Design of Acidic Fibroblast Growth Factor

The design of an aqueous formulation for acidic fibroblast growth factor (aFGF) requires an understanding of the type of compounds that can either directly or indirectly stabilize the protein. To this end, spectrophotometric turbidity measurements were initially employed to screen the ability of polyanionic ligands, less specific compounds, and variations in solution conditions (temperature and pH) to stabilize aFGF against heat-induced aggregation. It was found that in addition to the well-known protection of aFGF by heparin, a surprisingly wide variety of polyanions (including small sulfated and phosphorylated compounds) also stabilizes aFGF. These polyanionic ligands are capable of raising the temperature at which the protein unfolds by 15–30°C. Many commonly used excipients were also observed to stabilize aFGF in both the presence and the absence of heparin. High concentrations of some of these less specific agents are also able to increase the temperature of aFGF thermal unfolding by as much as 6–12°C as shown by circular dichroism and differential scanning calorimetry. Other compounds were found which protect the chemically labile cysteine residues of aFGF from oxidation. Aqueous formulations of aFGF were thus designed to contain both a polyanionic ligand that enhances structural integrity by binding to the protein and chelating agents (e.g., EDTA) to prevent metal ion-catalyzed oxidation of cysteine residues. While room-temperature storage (30°C) leads to rapid inactivation of aFGF in physiological buffer alone, several of these aFGF formulations are stable in vitro for at least 3 months at 30°C. Three aFGF topical formulations were examined in an impaired diabetic mouse model and were found to be equally capable of accelerating wound healing.     

Evaluation of Genetic Stability of Recombinant Human Factor VIII by Peptide Mapping and On-line Mass Spectrometric Analysis

Purpose. The genetic stability of a recombinant human factor VIII (rhFVIII) product expressed in Chinese hamster ovary cells (Recombinate) has been evaluated through comparisons of the protein produced at the beginning, middle and end of a typical production campaign. Methods. Recombinant human factor VIII was incubated with thrombin, the resulting four polypeptides were isolated by RP-HPLC, subjected to proteolysis with trypsin, and the peptide mixtures were resolved by RP-HPLC. Tryptic peptide mixtures were subjected to online mass spectrometric analysis using an electrospray ionization source interfaced to a quadrupole mass analyzer scanning from 1950–200 amu, and the peptide ion data were compared for three lots produced from the beginning, middle and end of a production campaign. Results. The UV elution profiles for each of the rhFVIIIa polypeptides were highly similar for factor VIII isolated from the beginning, middle and end of production. Total ion data from the peptide maps derived from three lots of rhFVIII were compared by MH¹⁺ values as a function of scan range. A total of 918 ions were analyzed for the four polypeptides of rhFVIII produced at the beginning, middle and end of a production campaign. The ions were detected at the same relative retention times, as indicated by the similar scan numbers for the three lots. Conclusions. These observations support that rhFVIII preparations produced from the beginning, middle and end of a production campaign were highly similar, and demonstrate genetic stability in the manufacturing process of Recombinate.     

The Effects of Formulation Variables on the Stability of Freeze-Dried Human Growth Hormone

Formulation often has a dramatic effect on degradation of proteins during the freeze-drying process as well as impacting on the shelf-life stability of the freeze-dried product. This research presents the results of a formulation optimization study of the in-process and shelf-life stability of freeze-dried human growth hormone (hGH). Chemical decomposition via methionine oxidation and deamidation of asparagine residues as well as irreversible aggregation were characterized by HPLC assay methodology. In-process degradation and stability of low moisture freeze-dried solids were studied at 25 and 40°C in a nominal nitrogen headspace (0.5% O₂). Formulation variables included pH, level of salts, and the nature of the lyoprotectant. Studies of the effect of shear on aggregation in solutions indicated that shear comparable to that experienced during filtration does not induce aggregation. Irreversible changes in hGH during the freeze-drying process were minimal, but chemical decomposition via methionine oxidation and asparagine deamidation and aggregation did occur on storage of the freeze-dried solid. Decomposition via methionine oxidation was significant. A combination of mannitol and glycine, where the glycine remains amorphous, provided the greatest protection against decomposition and aggregation. It is postulated that an excipient system that remains at least partially amorphous is necessary for stabilization. However, the observation that dextran 40 formulations showed poor stability toward aggregation demonstrates that an amorphous excipient system is not a sufficient condition for stability. Stability of the solid was optimal when produced from solutions in the pH range, 7–7.5, with severe aggregation being observed at high pH. The level of sodium phosphate buffer affected stability of the solid, although this relationship was complex. Freeze-drying in the presence of NaCl produced severe aggregation and precipitation during the freeze-drying process as well as acceleration of oxidation and/or deamidation.     

The Effects of Formulation Additives on the Degradation of Freeze-Dried Ribonuclease A

The stability of a freeze-dried model protein, ribonuclease A (RNase), was investigated under accelerated storage conditions at 45°C for time periods up to 60 days. Because RNase is a fairly stable molecule around pH 7, lyophilization was performed in phosphate buffers at pH 4.0 or 10.0 to accelerate degradation kinetics. Degradation was studied by measuring enzymatic activity, the concentrations of soluble monomeric RNase, soluble aggregated (polymerized) RNase, and insoluble aggregated RNase following reconstitution of the lyophilized material at different times. The presence of air in the vial headspace accelerated degradation in the solid state in all cases. When argon or nitrogen was employed in the headspace, degradation kinetics were reduced, implying that molecular oxygen was involved in the degradation process. This interpretation was supported by the observation that 0.05% (w/v) EDTA in the formulation prior to freeze-drying retarded RNase degradation dramatically. EDTA was believed to chelate cations which may have been introduced with the buffer salts in trace quantities sufficient to catalyze autoxidation reactions. Incorporation of antioxidants ascorbic acid (at pH 4.0) and POBN (a spin trap which could have functioned as an antioxidant at pH 10.0) accelerated the degradation of RNase and appeared, in both cases, to be involved in interactions with the protein molecules. Additionally, in the presence of the antioxidants RNase degradation appeared to be accelerated by light. Although there is strong support for the oxidative hypothesis, the possibility of other competing reactions cannot be discounted. These investigations demonstrate the importance of challenging the extrapolation of some of our well-established ideas concerning small molecule solution kinetics to macromolecules in the solid state.     

O-phospho-L-serine, multi-functional excipient for B domain deleted recombinant factor VIII

Factor VIII (FVIII) is an important cofactor in the blood coagulation cascade. A deficiency or dysfunction of FVIII causes hemophilia A, a life-threatening bleeding disorder. FVIII circulates in plasma as a heterodimer comprising 6 domains (heavy chain, A1-A2-B and light chain, A3-C1-C2). Replacement therapy using FVIII is the leading therapy in the management of hemophilia A. However, approximately 15% to 30% of patients develop inhibitory antibodies that neutralize the activity of the protein. Neutralizing antibodies to epitopes in the lipid binding region of FVIII are commonly identified in patients' plasma. In this report, we investigated the effect of O-phospho-L-serine (OPLS), which binds to the lipid binding region, on the immunogenicity of B domain deleted recombinant factor VIII (BDDrFVIII). Sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) studies showed that OPLS specifically bind to the lipid binding region, localized in the C2 domain of the coagulation factor. Size exclusion chromatography and fluorescence anisotropy studies showed that OPLS interfered with the aggregation of BDDrFVIII. Immunogenicity of free- vs BDDrFVIII-OPLS complex was evaluated in a murine model of hemophilia A. Animals administered subcutaneous (sc) injections of BDDrFVIII-OPLS had lower neutralizing titers compared with animals treated with BDDrFVIII alone. Based on these studies, we hypothesize that specific molecular interactions between OPLS and BDDrFVIII may improve the stability and reduce the immunogenicity of BDDrFVIII formulations.     

The Effect of Formulation Excipients on Protein Stability and Aerosol Performance of Spray-Dried Powders of a Recombinant Humanized Anti-IgE Monoclonal Antibody1

Purpose. To study the effect of trehalose, lactose, and mannitol on the biochemical stability and aerosol performance of spray-dried powders of an anti-IgE humanized monoclonal antibody. Methods. Protein aggregation of spray-dried powders stored at various temperature and relative humidity conditions was assayed by size exclusion chromatography and sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Protein glycation was determined by isoelectric focusing and affinity chromatography. Crystallization was examined by X-ray powder diffraction. Aerosol performance was assessed as the fine particle fraction (FPF) of the powders blended with coarse carrier lactose, and was determined using a multiple stage liquid impinger. Results. Soluble protein aggregation consisting of non-covalent and disulfide-linked covalent dimers and trimers occurred during storage. Aggregate was minimized by formulation with trehalose at or above a molar ratio in the range of 300:1 to 500:1 (excipient:protein). However, the powders were excessively cohesive and unsuitable for aerosol administration. Lactose had a similar stabilizing effect, and the powders exhibited acceptable aerosol performance, but protein glycation was observed during storage. The addition of mannitol also reduced aggregation, while maintaining the FPF, but only up to a molar ratio of 200:1. Further increased mannitol resulted in crystallization, which had a detrimental effect on protein stability and aerosol performance. Conclusions. Protein stability was improved by formulation with carbohydrate. However, a balance must be achieved between the addition of enough stabilizer to improve protein biochemical stability without compromising blended powder aerosol performance.     

Characterization of Murine Monoclonal Antibody to Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF-MAb) Formulation for Freeze-Drying Cycle Development

Purpose. This study was designed to characterize the formulation of protein pharmaceuticals for freeze-drying cycle development. Thermal properties of a protein formulation in a freezing temperature range are important in the development of freezing and primary drying phases. Moisture sorption properties and the relationship between moisture and stability are the bases for the design of the secondary drying phase. Methods. We have characterized the formulation of TNF-MAb for the purpose of freeze-drying cycle development. The methods include: DTA with ER probes, freeze-drying microscopy, isothermal water adsorption, and moisture optimization.Results. The DTA/ER work demonstrated the tendency to noneutectic freezing for the TNF-MAb formulation at cooling rates of –1 to –3°C/min. The probability of glycine crystallization during freezing was quite low. A special treatment, either a high subzero temperature holding or annealing could promote the maximum crystallization of glycine, which could dramatically increase the T_g' of the remaining solution. The freeze-drying microscopy further indicated that, after the product was annealed, the cake structure was fully maintained at a T_p below –25°C during primary drying. The moisture optimization study demonstrated that a drier TNF-MAb product had better stability. Conclusions. An annealing treatment should be implemented in the freezing phase in order for TNF-MAb to be dried at a higher product temperature during primary drying. A secondary drying phase at an elevated temperature was necessary in order to achieve optimum moisture content in the final product.     

Factor VIII associated with lipidic nanoparticles retains efficacy in the presence of anti‐factor VIII antibodies in hemophilia A mice

The development of inhibitory antibodies against factor VIII (FVIII) is a major challenge in hemophilia A (HA) therapy. Such antibodies develop in nearly 30% of patients receiving replacement FVIII, abrogating therapeutic efficacy. This work evaluated whether B‐domain deleted FVIII encapsulated in phosphatidylinositol containing lipid nanoparticles (PI‐BDD FVIII) could serve as an efficacious FVIII replacement therapy in the presence of inhibitors. The HA mice were given clinically relevant doses of FVIII to develop inhibitors. The efficacy of free and PI‐BDD FVIII was studied in inhibitor‐positive HA mice using a tail clip assay. Mathematical modeling of these data was conducted to evaluate the hypothesis that lipid association sterically shields the protein from inhibitor binding. The immunization protocol resulted in a mean inhibitory titer level of 198 ± 52 BU/ml. Free BDD FVIII was ineffective at controlling blood loss in inhibitor‐positive HA mice as early as 2 h post dose. In contrast, PI‐BDD FVIII treated animals retained partial hemostatic efficacy as long as 18 h post dose. Mathematical modeling supports the hypotheses that a greater fraction of lipid‐associated FVIII remains unbound to inhibitors and that PI‐BDD FVIII has lower binding affinity to inhibitors than does the free protein. In addition, the modeling approaches extend current efforts to model the impact of immunogenicity on PK and the therapeutically meaningful endpoint of efficacy, thereby addressing an important knowledge gap, particularly in the FVIII scientific literature. Clinical translation of these findings could result in a significant improvement in the quality of care of inhibitor‐positive HA patients. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Immunogenicity and pharmacokinetic studies of recombinant Factor VIII containing lipid cochleates

Replacement therapy using recombinant factor VIII (rFVIII) is currently the most common therapy for hemophilia A, a bleeding disorder caused by the deficiency of FVIII. However, 15–30% of patients develop inhibitory antibodies against administered rFVIII, which complicates the therapy. Encapsulation or association of protein with lipidic structures can reduce this immune response. Previous studies developed and characterized rFVIII-containing phosphatidylserine (PS) cochleate cylinders using biophysical techniques. It was hypothesized that these structures may provide a reduction in immunogenicity while avoiding the rapid clearance by the reticuloendothelial system (RES) previously observed with liposomal vesicles of similar composition. This study investigated in vivo behavior of the cochleates containing rFVIII including immunogenicity and pharmacokinetics in hemophilia A mice. The rFVIII-cochleate complex significantly reduced the level of inhibitory antibody developed against rFVIII following intravenous (i.v.) administration. Pharmacokinetic modeling allowed assessment of in vivo release kinetics. Cochleates acted as a delayed release delivery vehicle with an input peak of cochleates showed limited RES uptake and associated rFVIII displayed a similar disposition to the free protein upon release from the structure. Incomplete disassociation from the complex limits systemic availability of the protein. Further formulation efforts are warranted to regulate the rate and extent of release of rFVIII from cochleate complexes.     

Diamonds in the Rough: Protein Crystals from a Formulation Perspective

The focus of the present review is to address the use of protein crystals in formulation design. Although this idea has been present for some time, i.e., insulin crystals were first reported back in 1920s, macromolecular crystallization has not received as much attention as the other methods for stabilizing protein drug candidates. The prospective potential of crystalline protein formulations in light of new advances in the field of macromolecular crystallization was reviewed, and the basic concepts and the tools now available for developing protein crystals into drug formulations are introduced. In addition, formulation challenges and regulatory demands, along with examples of current applications of protein crystals, are presented.     

Predictive Screening Tools Used in High-Concentration Protein Formulation Development

This review examines the use of predictive screening approaches in high-concentration protein formulation development. In addition to the normal challenges associated with protein formulation development, for high-concentration formulations, solubility, viscosity, and physical protein degradation play major roles. To overcome these challenges, multiple formulation conditions need to be evaluated such that it is desirable to have predictive but also low-volume and high-throughput methods in order to identify optimal formulation conditions very early in development without time- and material-consuming setups. Many screening techniques have been reported for use in high-concentration formulation development, but not all fulfill the requirements mentioned previously. This review summarizes the advantages and disadvantages of different screening approaches currently used in formulation development and the correlation of predictive data to protein solubility, viscosity, and stability at high protein concentrations.     

亮氨酸拉链促进蛋白质剪接介导的双载体转凝血VIII因子基因

作者最近基于蛋白内含子 (intein) 的双载体转B区缺失型凝血VIII因子 (BDD-FVIII) 基因研究证明, 表达后的重、轻链可通过蛋白质反式剪接成为共价连接的完整BDD-FVIII分子并发挥凝血生物活性, 但存在不完全剪接的前体蛋白。本文试图通过将具有特异性强相互作用的亮氨酸拉链引入intein序列, 提高反式剪接的效率, 用双载体系统向培养的COS-7细胞共转融合intein的重链和轻链基因, 通过瞬时表达观察了细胞内BDD-FVIII的剪接和分泌至培养上清液的剪接BDD-FVIII量和生物活性。结果显示, Western blotting检测到共转基因细胞内明显增强的BDD-FVIII剪接, 表现为前体蛋白的减少; 分别用ELISA和Coatest法分析共转基因细胞培养上清液中分泌的剪接BDD-FVIII蛋白量和生物活性为 (106 ± 12) ng·mL⁻¹和 (0.89 ± 0.11) U·mL⁻¹, 明显高于无亮氨酸拉链的intein融合重链和轻链基因共转基因细胞 [ (72 ± 10) ng·mL⁻¹和 (0.62 ± 0.07) U·mL⁻¹], 而且不依赖细胞机制的蛋白质剪接反应明显增强, 表现为混合培养的转重链和轻链基因细胞上清液中增加的剪接BDD-FVIII蛋白量和生物活性 [ (36 ± 11) ng·mL⁻¹和 (0.28 ± 0.09) U·mL⁻¹]。结果表明, 亮氨酸拉链可通过增强融合于重链和轻链的intein间的相互作用提高蛋白质反式剪接的效率, 改善基于蛋白质剪接的双载体转BDD-FVIII基因的效果, 为进一步的动物体内基于蛋白质剪接的双腺相关病毒 (AAV) 载体转FVIII基因研究提供了实验依据。     

Pulse Proteolysis: An Orthogonal Tool for Protein Formulation Screening

Protein formulation stability is difficult to predict a priori and generally involves long-term stability studies. It is of interest to develop an analytical method that can predict stability trends reliably. Here, pulse proteolysis was evaluated as an analytical tool to predict solution-state stability in different formulations. Four proteins formulated in different buffer and excipient compositions were subjected to urea-induced unfolding and brief enzymatic digestion (“pulse” proteolysis), and relative resistance to proteolysis was measured by microfluidics-based capillary electrophoresis–sodium dodecyl sulfate. Biophysical properties of each formulation were measured using orthogonal biophysical techniques such as differential scanning fluorimetry, differential scanning calorimetry, dynamic light scattering, circular dichroism, and fluorescence spectroscopy. Protein stability in all formulations was monitored by size exclusion chromatography on storage at 5°C and 40°C. For all 4 proteins, formulations with greater proteolytic resistance also showed higher monomer content on thermal stability. In contrast, standard biophysical techniques showed reasonable-to-no correlation with size exclusion chromatography data. The data support the use of pulse proteolysis as an orthogonal, quantitative, and predictive tool to measure protein conformational stability and rank-order formulations.     

Multi-variate analysis of factors governing the pharmacokinetics of exogenous factor VIII in haemophiliacs

Summary The pharmacokinetics of Factor VIII was evaluated by mathematical modeling in a large-scale study in 62 haemophilia-A subjects, in whom 137 plasma Factor VIII-time curves were measured during single dose (n=87) and repeated-dose (n=47) treatments for prophylaxis or minor bleeding episodes. The pharmacokinetic parameters [mean (SD)] estimated from single-dose curves were: clearance 3.85 ml·h^–1·kg^–1, volume of distribution 58.2 ml·kg^–1, mean residence time 15.9 h. Parameters calculated from repeated-dose curves were: clearance 3.93 ml·h^–1·kg^–1, volume of distribution 61.8 ml·kg^–1, and half-life 12.2 h. In patients with mild haemophilia, pharmaco-statistical analysis revealed that the endogenous synthesis of Factor VIII was constant and was not influenced by the administration of exogenous Factor VIII. The coefficient of variation for intra-individual variability of Factor VIII kinetics (estimated according to the Standard Two-Stage method) was 20.7% in single-dose curves and 23.2% in repeated-dose curves.     

Chromatographic Methods for Quantitative Analysis of Native,Denatured, and Aggregated Basic Fibroblast Growth Factor in Solution Formulations

High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) methods were developed for evaluating stability of human recombinant basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) against denaturation and aggregation in solution formulations. Re versed-phase chromatography (RP-HPLC)-insensitive to bFGF tertiary structure-was used to measure total soluble protein; heparin affinity chromatography (HepTSK) provided quantitative analysis of native bFGF species. The folding state of bFGF was determined by fluorescence spectroscopy: Tryptophan emission, which was quenched in native protein, increased upon unfolding. Slow unfolding/refolding kinetics of bFGF in 2 M guanidine hydrochloride made possible the separation of native from denatured species by size exclusion chromatography (SEC). Although the tertiary structure affected bFGF retention times, it did not change the sample recovery by SEC. These chromatographic techniques, which quantitatively measure physical and chemical changes taking place in solution formulations, can be used in future investigations of bFGF stability.     

A High Throughput Protein Formulation Platform: Case Study of Salmon Calcitonin

Purpose  The feasibility of using high throughput spectroscopy for characterization and selection of physically stable protein formulations was studied. Materials and Methods  A hundred aqueous formulations of salmon calcitonin (sCT) were prepared using 20 buffer compositions. The solutions had pH values between 2.5 and 10.5. The stability of the sCT formulations was analyzed over 1 week by the following assays: (1) protein concentration, (2) volume control by measuring pathlength, (3) turbidity (absorbance at 350 nm), (4) intrinsic tyrosine fluorescence, (5) 1-anilino-naphthalene-8-sulfonate (ANS) fluorescence, (6) Nile Red fluorescence. Addition of the dyes (Nile Red and ANS) was used to study protein conformational changes. Results  After 1 day, 27 out of the 100 formulations of salmon calcitonin were stable. After 7 days, 12 stable sCT formulations remained. The best salmon calcitonin formulation was in 10 mM sodium acetate buffer with pH values between 3.5 and 5.5. Conclusions  The findings are in accordance with the sCT formulations that were patented and used commercially. This can be considered as a proof of concept for the high throughput protein formulation platform. Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Stability of Nonaqueous Suspension Formulations of Plasma Derived Factor IX and Recombinant Human Alpha Interferon at Elevated Temperatures

Purpose. To identify a suitable nonaqueous, parenterally acceptable suspending vehicle whereby a therapeutic protein is delivered as a stable flowable powder, making it amenable to delivery from sustained delivery systems maintained at body temperature. Methods. Formulations of plasma derived Factor IX (pdFIX) and recombinant human alpha interferon (rh-lFN) were formulated as dry powders, suspended in various vehicles (perfluorodecalin, perfluorotributylamine, methoxyflurane, polyethylene glycol 400, soybean oil, tetradecane or octanol) and stored at 37°C. Stability was assessed by size exclusion chromatography, reverse phase chromatography, ion exchange chromatography, and bioassay, and was compared to the stability of dry powder formulations stored at 37°C and –80°C. Results. PdFIX was stable when stored at 37°C as a dry powder, or when the dry powder was suspended in the pharmaceutically acceptable vehicles perfluorodecalin or perfluorotributylamine. Suspensions of the powder in other pharmaceutically/parenterally acceptable vehicles such as soybean oil or PEG 400 resulted in aggregation and loss of bioactivity. A dry powder formulation of rh-lFN suspended in perfluorodecalin was also stable at 37°C. Conclusions. This study shows the potential utility of perfluorinated hydrocarbons as nonaqueous suspending vehicles for long term in-vivo delivery of therapeutic proteins.