Enhancing crystalline properties of a cardiovascular active pharmaceutical ingredient using a process analytical technology based crystallization feedback control strategy

Pharmaceutical regulatory bodies require minimal presence of solvent in an active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) after crystallization. From a processing point of view bigger crystals with minimal agglomeration and uniform size distribution are preferred to avoid solvent inclusion and for improved downstream processing. The current work addresses these issues encountered during the production of the potential anti-arrhythmic cardiovascular drug, AZD7009. This paper demonstrates that by applying the automated direct nucleation control (ADNC) approach problems with agglomeration and solvent inclusion were resolved. This model free approach automatically induces temperature cycles in the system, with the number of cycles, temperature range and adaptive heating and cooling rates determined to maintain the number of particles in the system, as measured by a focused beam reflectance measurement (FBRM) probe, within a constant range during the crystallization. The ADNC approach was able to produce larger and more uniform crystals and also removed the residual solvent trapped between the crystals compared to the typical crystallization operation using linear cooling profile. The results illustrate the application of process analytical technologies, such as FBRM and ATR-UV–vis spectroscopy, for the design of optimal crystallization operating conditions for the production of pharmaceuticals, and demonstrate that the ADNC approach can be used for rapid crystallization development for APIs exhibiting problems with agglomeration and solvent inclusion.

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