N-亚硝胺类基因毒性杂质的研究进展

自“缬沙坦事件”之后，N-亚硝胺类基因毒性杂质引起了业界的广泛关注。本文概述了药物中N-亚硝胺类基因毒性杂质和相关检测方法的研究进展，以及近20年来国内外有关药物中基因毒性杂质监管指南的完善历程。N-亚硝胺类基因毒性杂质作为一类高反应活性的基因毒性杂质，主要来源于药物合成过程中发生的副反应，以及药物在储存或者运输过程中发生的氧化或还原等反应。所有的动物实验表明，N-亚硝胺类具有很强的致癌性。在理论上，所有药物都存在N-亚硝胺类杂质或被N-亚硝胺类杂质污染的风险，由于该类化合物在药物中常以痕量形式存在，在分析检测过程中药物基质干扰大，因此建立便捷、高效的分析方法是非常有必要的。     

Control and analysis of alkyl esters of alkyl and aryl sulfonic acids in novel active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs)

This article reviews current regulatory guidelines and relevant scientific literature pertaining to the control and analysis of potential genotoxic impurities (PGIs) in new active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) with specific reference to a certain sub-class of PGIs, namely alkyl esters of alkyl and aryl sulfonic acids. Sulfonic acids are very important in pharmaceutical R&D employed both as counter-ions in the formation of acid-addition salts and also as reagents and catalysts in the synthesis of new drug substances. The article reviews the evolution of analytical methodology from early studies in the mid 1970s through development of direct injection GC and HPLC methods to liquid-liquid/solid phase extraction and headspace based techniques coupled to HPLC and GC methodologies employing UV and MS detection to new derivatisation-based techniques. The paper also reflects on the significant challenges in developing robust analytical methodology capable of the trace determination of sulfonate esters, the challenges in transferring methodology from R&D to QC labs and on the cost of inappropriate limits for genotox impurities. In so doing, the authors seek to inform the debate that the control of genotoxic impurities should be driven primarily by safety and risk/benefit considerations rather than by state-of-the-art analytical and process chemistry capabilities that drive controls to levels 'as low as practicable' regardless of the risk/safety requirements.     

Strategies for the identification, control and determination of genotoxic impurities in drug substances: a pharmaceutical industry perspective

Regulations alarmed the control of genotoxic impurities in drug substances at lower level based on the threshold of toxicological concern and daily dose. This review explores the details of various regulations and guidances, toxicology assessment, identification of structural alerts, synthetic origins, different synthetic approaches for elimination or control, various analytical determination strategies and pharmaceutical industry concern towards genotoxic impurities.     

The application of structure-based assessment to support safety and chemistry diligence to manage genotoxic impurities in active pharmaceutical ingredients during drug development

Starting materials and intermediates used to synthesize pharmaceuticals are reactive in nature and may be present as impurities in the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) used for preclinical safety studies and clinical trials. Furthermore, starting materials and intermediates may be known or suspected mutagens and/or carcinogens. Therefore, during drug development due diligence need be applied from two perspectives (1) to understand potential mutagenic and carcinogenic risks associated with compounds used for synthesis and (2) to understand the capability of synthetic processes to control genotoxic impurities in the API. Recently, a task force comprised of experts from pharmaceutical industry proposed guidance, with recommendations for classification, testing, qualification and assessing risk of genotoxic impurities. In our experience the proposed structure-based classification, has differentiated 75% of starting materials and intermediates as mutagenic and non-mutagenic with high concordance (92%) when compared with Ames results. Structure-based assessment has been used to identify genotoxic hazards, and prompted evaluation of fate of genotoxic impurities in API. These two assessments (safety and chemistry) culminate in identification of genotoxic impurities known or suspected to exceed acceptable levels in API, thereby triggering actions needed to assure appropriate control and measurement methods are in place. Hypothetical case studies are presented demonstrating this multi-disciplinary approach.     

调脂药物的药学特点及生产现场检查的常见问题讨论

调脂药物是当前一致性评价及仿制药注册申报热点,其活性成分多数具有对光、湿、热敏感,存在多个手性中心与多晶型,部分溶解度较差,原料药合成及制剂工艺易产生遗传毒性杂质等特点.本文总结了调脂药物的药学特点,结合一致性评价及注册生产现场检查中主要关注点及常见问题,对调脂药物的处方工艺及质量控制进行了分析和探讨.     

药物杂质的毒理学评价要求及进展

 药物原料或制剂中的杂质可能引起临床不良反应。杂质毒理学评价是药物研究的重要内容。ICH关于药物及制剂杂质方面指导原则规定了杂质的报告、鉴定和质控限度,含量超过质控限度的杂质应进行毒理学评价。但指导原则对于研发阶段的药物杂质和遗传毒性杂质的限度未作明确要求。EMEA对于遗传毒性杂质制定了专门的指导原则,引入了毒理学担忧阈值（TTC）的概念对遗传毒性杂质限度进行控制,遗传毒性杂质每日接触量应小于1.5 μg。FDA也推荐采用TTC原则控制遗传毒性和致癌性杂质。本文结合ICH,EMEA及美国FDA等指导原则,对药物杂质毒理学评价的要求及其进展进行了综述。     

Strategies for the investigation and control of process-related impurities in drug substances

The understanding, identification, quantification and control of impurities in drug substances are essential as new molecular entities are evaluated in clinical development. As chemical processes used to produce drug substances mature from the early phases of development through registration, a concomitant maturing of process-related impurity understanding and control is required. This paper outlines strategies available to pharmaceutical scientists to aid in that understanding. Methodology aspects for impurity investigations are discussed along with an emphasis on understanding the origin and fate of impurities to guide decisions on process controls and specifications. Orthogonal analytical approaches for impurity investigations to provide a complete understanding of a drug substance impurity profile and to aid chemical process development are described. Special considerations necessary for stereochemical impurity investigations are also discussed. Considerations for control of toxic impurities include sensitive and selective analytical methodology and determination of the process capability for removing the impurity. A case study is given where routine analytical testing for a toxic impurity was not required because a high impurity rejection efficiency of the synthetic process was demonstrated. Quality assessment of starting materials from multiple sources and the impact of starting material impurities on the impurity profile of the drug substance are discussed with illustrative examples. Knowledge gained from these investigations provides a sound basis for setting specifications for impurities in key starting materials.     

Matrix deactivation: A general approach to improve stability of unstable and reactive pharmaceutical genotoxic impurities for trace analysis

Trace analysis of unstable and reactive pharmaceutical genotoxic impurities (GTIs) is a challenging task in pharmaceutical analysis. Many method issues such as insufficient sensitivity, poor precision, and unusual (too high/low) spiking recovery are often directly related to analytes’ instability. We report herein a matrix deactivation approach that chemically stabilizes these analytes for analytical method development. In contrast to the conventional chemical derivatization approach where the analytes are transformed into stable detectable species, the matrix deactivation approach chemically deactivates the hypothetical reactive species in the sample matrix. The matrix deactivation approach was developed on the premise that the instability of certain analytes at trace level is caused by reactions between the analytes and low level reactive species in the sample matrix. Thus, quenching the reactivity of the reactive species would be a key to stabilizing the unstable and reactive analytes. For example, electrophilic alkylators could be destabilized by nucleophiles or bases through either nucleophilic substitution or elimination reactions. One way to mask those reactive species is via protonation by adding acids to the diluent. Alternatively, one can use nucleophile scavengers to deplete reactive unknown species in the sample matrix completely, in analogy to the use of antioxidants and metal chelators to prevent oxidation in the analysis of compounds liable to oxidation. This paper reports the application of the matrix deactivation to the analyses of unstable and reactive pharmaceutical genotoxic impurities. Some of the methods have been used to support development of manufacturing processes for drug substances and a recent regulatory filing.     

Control and analysis of alkyl and benzyl halides and other related reactive organohalides as potential genotoxic impurities in active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs)

This paper continues the review of the relevant scientific literature associated with the control and analysis of potential genotoxic impurities (PGIs) in active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs). The initial review [D.P. Elder, A. Teasdale, A.M. Lipczynski, J. Pharm. Biomed. Anal. 46 (2008) 1-8.] focused on the specific class of sulfonate esters but in this instance reference is made to the analysis of alkyl and benzyl halides and other related reactive organohalide alkylating agents. Such reactive materials are commonly employed in pharmaceutical research and development as raw materials, reagents and intermediates in the chemical synthesis of new drug substances. Consequently a great deal of attention and effort is extended by the innovative and ethical pharmaceutical industry to ensure that appropriate and practicable control strategies are established during drug development to ensure residues of such agents, as potential impurities in new drug substances, are either eliminated or minimized to such an extent so as to not present a significant safety risk to volunteers and patients in clinical trials and beyond. The reliable trace analysis of such reactive organohalides is central to such control strategies and invariably involves a state-of-the-art combination of high-resolution separation science techniques coupled to sensitive and selective modes of detection. This article reports on the most recent developments in the regulatory environment, overall strategies for the control of alkylating agents and the latest developments in analysis culminating in a literature review of analytical approaches. The literature is sub-categorized by separation technique (gas chromatography (GC), high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), thin layer chromatography (TLC) and capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE)) and further tabulated by API type and impurity with brief method details and references. As part of this exercise, a selection of relevant pharmacopoeial monographs was also reviewed. The continued reliance on relatively non-specific and insensitive TLC methodologies in several monographs was noteworthy.     

原料药中基因毒性杂质控制的研究进展

目的介绍原料药(active pharmaceutical ingredient,API)中基因毒性杂质控制的法规要求、评估方法和控制方法。方法通过学习欧美法规发展历史,理解国际高端市场对基因毒性杂质控制的监管期望,提出原料药中基因毒性杂质风险评估方法。结果与结论企业基于半定量评估,结合清除研究数据,建立科学的控制策略,使实际工艺中所有可能涉及的基因毒性杂质风险得到明确鉴别和控制,是达到监管期望的有效途径。     

Quantitative assessment of cumulative carcinogenic risk for multiple genotoxic impurities in a new drug substance

In pharmaceutical development, significant effort is made to minimize the carcinogenic potential of new drug substances (NDS). This involves appropriate genotoxicity and carcinogenicity testing of the NDS, and understanding the genotoxic potential of its impurities. Current available guidance recommends the use of the threshold of toxicological concern (TTC) for a single impurity where mutagenicity but no carcinogenicity information exists. Despite best efforts, the presence of more than one genotoxic impurity in an NDS may occur at trace levels. This paper repeats the analysis performed by others for a single genotoxic compound, but also uses statistical simulations to assess the impact on cancer risk for a mixture of genotoxic compounds. In summary, with the addition of multiple impurities all controlled to the TTC, an increase in cancer risk was observed. This increase is relatively small when considering the conservative assumptions of the TTC. If structurally similar compounds had an assumed strong correlation (+/-10-fold from the first randomly selected impurity) in cancer potency, the resulting cancer risk was not negatively impacted. Findings based on probabilistic analysis here can be very useful in making appropriate decisions about risk management of multiple genotoxic impurities measured in the final drug substance.     

Analytical control of process impurities in Pazopanib hydrochloride by impurity fate mapping

Understanding the origin and fate of organic impurities within the manufacturing process along with a good control strategy is an integral part of the quality control of drug substance. Following the underlying principles of quality by design (QbD), a systematic approach to analytical control of process impurities by impurity fate mapping (IFM) has been developed and applied to the investigation and control of impurities in the manufacturing process of Pazopanib hydrochloride, an anticancer drug approved recently by the U.S. FDA. This approach requires an aggressive chemical and analytical search for potential impurities in the starting materials, intermediates and drug substance, and experimental studies to track their fate through the manufacturing process in order to understand the process capability for rejecting such impurities. Comprehensive IFM can provide elements of control strategies for impurities. This paper highlights the critical roles that analytical sciences play in the IFM process and impurity control. The application of various analytical techniques (HPLC, LC–MS, NMR, etc.) and development of sensitive and selective methods for impurity detection, identification, separation and quantification are highlighted with illustrative examples. As an essential part of the entire control strategy for Pazopanib hydrochloride, analytical control of impurities with ‘meaningful’ specifications and the ‘right’ analytical methods is addressed. In particular, IFM provides scientific justification that can allow for control of process impurities up-stream at the starting materials or intermediates whenever possible.     

原料药国际注册中基因毒性杂质的法规解读

遗传毒素是一类极富挑战性的杂质,并已被证明即便在低浓度条件下依然具有毒性。因此美国和欧盟的药品监管机构以及人用药品注册技术要求国际协调会（ICH）都特别指定了它们在原料药和成品药中的限量。通过解析原料药在美国和欧盟注册中涉及到的关于基因毒性杂质控制的法规,为中国制药企业提供相关技术指导以推动中国药品出口事业的增长。     

On-line H/D exchange LC-MS strategy for structural elucidation of pharmaceutical impurities

Structural elucidation of pharmaceutical impurities in drug substances and drug products is an important task in pharmaceutical analysis in various phases of drug development. Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) technologies play a key role in this task owing to their general attributes of superior selectivity, sensitivity and speed. Full scan and product ion scan analysis, providing molecular weight information and fragmentation data, respectively, offer rich structural information and allow proposal of candidate structures rather quickly. However, these proposed structures often lack certainty especially when dealing with structural isomers. On-line hydrogen/deuterium (H/D) exchange by LC-MS using D2O as the mobile phase component is a powerful tool for identifying active hydrogen atoms, thus constituting a simple strategy for distinguishing between isomeric structures which are sometimes difficult by product ion spectral data or accurate mass data. This review describes the typical experimental setup we use routinely in the laboratories for performing H/D exchange LC-MS experiments in conjunction with representative applications of the strategy in structural elucidation of pharmaceutical impurities.     

A long‐time stability study of 50 drug substances representing common drug classes of pharmaceutical use

For assurance of the quality of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) used for manufacturing medicines, the analytical requirements of the European Pharmacopoeia serve as a guideline and have a binding character. Within a particular timeframe, an API is considered to comply with predefined specifications. If applicable, it can be used for the manufacturing of a finished pharmaceutical product. The objective of the study presented here was to assess the long‐term stability of 50 drug substances with an age of 20–30 years or even older in some cases. The substances are part of a collection of old pharmaceuticals at the Institute for Pharmacy in Würzburg, Germany, and represent commonly used drug classes containing β‐blockers, β‐sympathomimetic drugs, anticholinergics, anti‐infectives, non‐steroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs, antipsychotics, antihistaminic drugs, and one antiarrhythmic drug. The content and the degradation profile of the items were determined by means of potentiometric titration and liquid chromatography techniques based on pharmacopoeial approaches for impurity profiling covering all process and degradation related substances. The results of the study show that 44 out of 49 tested substances still complied with specifications of the current pharmacopoeias. For metipranolol, which is not monographed in any pharmacopoeia, a small degradation by hydrolysis was observed. In one lot of ampicillin sodium, atenolol, atropine, penbutolol, and salbutamol, at least one impurity did not meet the acceptance criteria, respectively. Some impurities were not related to degradation. However, a surprisingly high chemical stability of the old drug substances was revealed after more than two decades of storage.     

An evaluation of the sensitivity of the Ames assay to discern low-level mutagenic impurities

Low level impurities often reside in active pharmaceutical ingredients (API). Some of these impurities are potentially genotoxic since reactive intermediates are used in the synthetic route for the production of API. Routine mutagenicity testing is conducted in support of clinical trials with the intent to identify genotoxic hazards associated with API. Depending on the amount of impurity present in the API tested, the potency of the impurities and the relative sensitivity of the Ames assay, it is possible that mutagenicity associated with the presence of genotoxic impurities could also be detected while testing API. Therefore, we evaluated published data and generated new information to understand the sensitivity of the Ames assay. Based on a literature survey of approximately 450 mutagens, it was estimated that 85% of mutagens are detected at concentrations of 250 microg/plate or less. Based on this estimate, most mutagens should be detected in an Ames assay testing API concentrations up to 5000 microg/plate if present at a 5% or greater concentration. Data from experiments where several direct and indirect-acting mutagens were spiked into representative API further support the literature-based evaluation. Some limitations of this approach, including toxicity of API and competing metabolism are discussed.     

Near infrared spectroscopy in the development of solid dosage forms

The use of near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy has rapidly grown partly due to demands of process analytical applications in the pharmaceutical industry. Furthermore, newest regulatory guidelines have advanced the increase of the use of NIR technologies. The non-destructive and non-invasive nature of measurements makes NIR a powerful tool in characterization of pharmaceutical solids. These benefits among others often make NIR advantageous over traditional analytical methods. However, in addition to NIR, a wide variety of other tools are naturally also available for analysis in pharmaceutical development and manufacturing, and those can often be more suitable for a given application. The versatility and rapidness of NIR will ensure its contribution to increased process understanding, better process control and improved quality of drug products. This review concentrates on the use of NIR spectroscopy from a process research perspective and highlights recent applications in the field.     

Influence of physical factors on the accuracy of calibration models for NIR spectroscopy

The quality of pharmaceutical drugs is strongly influenced by a number of physical and chemical factors that require careful control during the production process in order to ensure that the end-product will meet the specifications. Near infrared spectroscopy has proved effective for monitoring changes in such factors and is currently the most widely used technique for controlling drug manufacturing processes. In this work, the authors determined an active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) throughout its production process. The influence of particle size, galenic form, compaction pressure and coating thickness on NIR spectra was evaluated with a view to developing effective methodologies for constructing simple, accurate calibration methods affording API quantization at different stages of a drug production process. All calibration models were constructed from data for laboratory samples alone and NIR calibration models for determining the API determination by using product weights as reference values. The proposed models were validated by application to samples obtained at three stages of a drug manufacturing process and comparison of the predicted values with HPLC reference values. The RSEP values thus obtained never exceeded 1.5%.     

Eliminating pharmaceutical impurities: Recent advances in detection techniques

The elimination of organic impurities to produce highly pure drug substances is an important goal of process chemistry. For the detection of general impurities, hyphenated techniques (eg, liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry [LC-MS]) play a critical role in rapid structural identification (qualitative detection) and in understanding the mechanisms of formation of the impurities, enabling informed decisions to control and eliminate the impurities resulting from the chemical process where possible. Concern regarding genotoxic impurities (GTIs), which must typically be controlled at low parts-per-million limits, continues to increase, and significant advances have been achieved in recent years for the selective and sensitive quantitation (quantitative detection) of such impurities. Conventional detection techniques, such as ultraviolet (UV) detection, are often inadequate for the detection of potentially minute quantities of GTIs; therefore, various advanced MS-based detection strategies, either stand-alone or in conjunction with chemical approaches, are playing an increasing role in this field. The primary aim of this review is to highlight recent advances in qualitative and quantitative detection of impurities at trace levels, with a particular focus on GTIs.     

Understanding Pharmaceutical Quality by Design

This review further clarifies the concept of pharmaceutical quality by design (QbD) and describes its objectives. QbD elements include the following: (1) a quality target product profile (QTPP) that identifies the critical quality attributes (CQAs) of the drug product; (2) product design and understanding including identification of critical material attributes (CMAs); (3) process design and understanding including identification of critical process parameters (CPPs), linking CMAs and CPPs to CQAs; (4) a control strategy that includes specifications for the drug substance(s), excipient(s), and drug product as well as controls for each step of the manufacturing process; and (5) process capability and continual improvement. QbD tools and studies include prior knowledge, risk assessment, mechanistic models, design of experiments (DoE) and data analysis, and process analytical technology (PAT). As the pharmaceutical industry moves toward the implementation of pharmaceutical QbD, a common terminology, understanding of concepts and expectations are necessary. This understanding will facilitate better communication between those involved in risk-based drug development and drug application review.