Impurity profiling of pharmaceuticals by thin-layer chromatography

Although there is a tendency in current pharmacopoeias for favouring HPLC, thin-layer chromatography (TLC) is still a very popular and frequently used analytical method in the pharmaceutical industry. This paper highlights the possibilities of this method in the different areas of pharmaceutical analysis like in-process and intermediate control, illustrated by impurity testing of active ingredients and final products, as well as its application in pharmaceutical research and development, based on some examples reported mainly in the last five years.