Enablement of the direct analysis of excipients in monoclonal antibody formulations through the incorporation of a wide pore C18 protein trap with hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography

Establishing and maintaining the correct formulation composition is essential for ensuring the stability of biopharmaceutical drug products. A barrier to the routine assessment of excipient concentration is the lack of convenient and robust methods for the direct analysis of solutions containing high protein concentrations. To address this need an HPLC method was developed utilizing a wide-pore C18 guard column to trap proteins in-line with a hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatographic column to separate excipients. This method allows for a simple and direct analysis of excipients such as amino acids, carboxylic acids, simple carbohydrates, and inorganic ions across multiple drug formulations and process streams containing different therapeutic antibodies. The method was successfully validated for specificity, precision, accuracy, linearity, and robustness.