HPLC methods for the determination of simvastatin and atorvastatin

We review high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) methods for the determination of two major statins used in clinical treatment – simvastatin and atorvastatin – in various fields of application, including bio-analytical assays, pharmaceutical assays and environmental applications.Statin molecules are known to be susceptible to interconversion of the lactone and acidic forms, so it is necessary to consider this phenomenon during method development. We highlight liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) methods, as they have become a method of choice in bio-analytical and environmental applications. We compare the methods from the point of view of sensitivity. We discuss selection of the precursor ion for performing selected reaction monitoring (SRM) in MS detection and sample preparation.