Determination of leflunomide in tablets by high performance liquid chromatography

In the present study, a reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method was validated and applied for the determination of leflunomide in tablets. Chromatographic separation of leflunomide and oxazepam as an internal standard was carried out on a C18 column (50 mm, 3 mm i.d.) using a mobile phase, consisting of methanol and water (60:40, v/v), at a flow rate of 0.5 ml min−1 and UV detection at 260 nm. The retention times for oxazepam and leflunomide were 2.6 and 5.2 min, respectively. The validated quantification range of the method was 2.7 × 10−6 to 5.5 × 10−5 M for leflunomide. The results of the developed procedure in tablets were compared with those of UV spectrophotometry to assess active leflunomide content.