Comparison of HPLC, UV spectrophotometry and potentiometric titration methods for the determination of lumefantrine in pharmaceutical products

This paper describes the development and evaluation of a HPLC, UV spectrophotometry and potentiometric titration methods to quantify lumefantrine in raw materials and tablets. HPLC analyses were carried out using a Symmetry C18 column and a mobile phase composed of methanol and 0.05% trifluoroacetic acid (80:20), with a flow rate of 1.0 ml/min and UV detection at 335 nm. For the spectrophotometric analyses, methanol was used as solvent and the wavelength of 335 nm was selected for the detection. Non-aqueous titration of lumefantrine was carried out using perchloric acid as titrant and glacial acetic acid/acetic anhydride as solvent. The end point was potentiometrically determined. The three evaluated methods showed to be adequate to quantify lumefantrine in raw materials, while HPLC and UV methods presented the most reliable results for the analyses of tablets.