Matthew L. Peterson

Global Nav1.7 Knockout Mice Recapitulate the Phenotype of Human Congenital Indifference to Pain

Clinical genetic studies have shown that loss of Nav1.7 function leads to the complete loss of acute pain perception. The global deletion is reported lethal in mice, however, and studies of mice with promoter-specific deletions of Nav1.7 have suggested that the role of Nav1.7 in pain transduction depends on the precise form of pain. We developed genetic and animal husbandry strategies that overcame the neonatal-lethal phenotype and enabled construction of a global Nav1.7 knockout mouse. Knockouts were anatomically normal, reached adulthood, and had phenotype wholly analogous to human congenital indifference to pain (CIP): compared to littermates, knockouts showed no defects in mechanical sensitivity or overall movement yet were completely insensitive to painful tactile, thermal, and chemical stimuli and were anosmic. Knockouts also showed no painful behaviors resulting from peripheral injection of nonselective sodium channel activators, did not develop complete Freund’s adjuvant-induced thermal hyperalgesia, and were insensitive to intra-dermal histamine injection. Tetrodotoxin-sensitive sodium current recorded from cell bodies of isolated sensory neurons and the mechanically-evoked spiking of C-fibers in a skin-nerve preparation each were reduced but not eliminated in tissue from knockouts compared to littermates. Results support a role for Nav1.7 that is conserved between rodents and humans and suggest several possibly translatable biomarkers for the study of Nav1.7-targeted therapeutics. Results further suggest that Nav1.7 may retain its key role in persistent as well as acute forms of pain.

Crystal engineering of pharmaceutical co-crystals from polymorphic active pharmaceutical ingredients

The carboxylic acid-primary amide supramolecular heterosynthon is exploited for the generation of pharmaceutical co-crystals that contain two active pharmaceutical ingredients that are polymorphic in their pure forms.

The A to Z of pharmaceutical cocrystals: a decade of fast-moving new science and patents.

From aspirin to zoledronic acid, pharmaceutical cocrystals emerged in the past decade as a promising new weapon in the arsenal of drug development. Resurgence of interest in multicomponent crystal compositions has led to significant advances in the science of cocrystal design and discovery. These advances have built upon crystal engineering, which provides a deep understanding of supramolecular interactions between molecules that govern crystal packing and physicochemical properties of crystalline materials. Concomitantly, the patent landscape of pharmaceutical cocrystals developed rapidly in the last decade. This review presents a broad survey of patents issued in the area of pharmaceutical cocrystals. In addition, the review contains analyses of key patents in the area involving compositions and methodologies. Along the way, the main events of the past decade representing a renaissance of cocrystals of pharmaceutical materials are chronicled. Future directions in the area are discussed in light of key pending patent applications and recent publications of seminal interest.

Improved Pharmacokinetics of AMG 517 Through Co-Crystallization Part 1: Comparison of Two Acids With Corresponding Amide Co-crystals

The dissolution and pharmacokinetics (PK) of two carboxylic acid co-crystals (cinnamic acid and benzoic acid) with the corresponding amide co-crystals (cinnamamide and benzamide) of AMG 517 were investigated. Powder and intrinsic dissolution studies were performed in fasted simulated intestinal fluid (FaSIF). Suspension formulations in 1% polyvinylpyrrolidone K25 in water were administered orally at 100 mg/kg to rats. The four co-crystals were found to have faster intrinsic and powder dissolution rates in FaSIF than the free base. This correlated with a 2.4- to 7.1-fold increase in the area under the concentration-time curve in rat PK investigations. When contrasting the acid to its corresponding amide co-crystal, cinnamamide shows improvement over cinnamic acid, while benzamide and benzoic acid perform similarly.

Improved pharmacokinetics of AMG 517 through co-crystallization part 2: analysis of 12 carboxylic acid co-crystals.

Intrinsic dissolution, powder dissolution, and the pharmacokinetics (PK) of 12 carboxylic acid co-crystals of AMG 517 were determined and compared. Dissolution studies were performed in fasted simulated intestinal fluid (FaSIF). A control dissolution experiment was conducted with the free base in FaSIF plus sorbic acid to compare with the AMG 517 sorbic acid co-crystal (SRA). Suspension formulations in 1% polyvinylpyrrolidone K25 in water were administered orally at 100 mg/kg to rats. All co-crystals were found to have faster intrinsic and powder dissolution rates in FaSIF as well as higher area under the concentration-time curves (AUC) in rat PK investigations compared with the free base. The control dissolution experiment indicates that the increase in dissolution rate of SRA over the free base is not due to the presence of sorbic acid in the dissolution medium. Linear correlation of dissolution rate and AUC among the 12 co-crystals was moderate, indicating that in vitro dissolution is a valuable method to predict whether a co-crystal will improve the exposure of a poorly soluble pharmaceutical ingredient; however, in vivo testing may be required to determine the extent.

Nanomedicines: From Bench to Bedside and Beyond

Advancing nanomedicines from concept to clinic requires integration of new science with traditional pharmaceutical development. The medical and commercial success of nanomedicines is greatly facilitated when those charged with developing nanomedicines are cognizant of the unique opportunities and technical challenges that these products present. These individuals must also be knowledgeable about the processes of clinical and product development, including regulatory considerations, to maximize the odds for successful product registration. This article outlines these topics with a goal to accelerate the combination of academic innovation with collaborative industrial scientists who understand pharmaceutical development and regulatory approval requirements—only together can they realize the full potential of nanomedicines for patients.

A rapid approach to the preliminary assessment of the physical stability of pharmaceutical hydrates

Pharmaceutical hydrates have been used as clinical development candidates and in marketed products. The physical stability of hydrates can pose unique challenges to their development because of their particular sensitivity to the moisture levels in their surroundings. By conducting simple experiments early during the form selection phase of a drug candidates development, a basic understanding of the thermodynamic and kinetic aspects of a hydrate forms stability can be attained that can facilitate the successful navigation of these challenges. Differential scanning calorimetry was used to determine the thermal and kinetic properties of a number of pharmaceutically relevant hydrates. The activation energy (E(a)) of dehydration and dehydration onset temperature (T(onset)) of survey compounds were compiled and analyzed. A significant number of compounds possessed both high E(a) and high T(onset) of dehydration, suggesting that these hydrate crystal forms were particularly stable. The results of these studies suggest that dehydration E(a) and dehydration T(onset) together can be used as early indicators of a crystalline hydrates physical stability and can alert to potential challenges in developing hydrate crystal forms of drug candidates.

High-throughput 96-well solvent mediated sonic blending synthesis and on-plate solid/solution stability characterization of pharmaceutical cocrystals.

A 96-well high-throughput cocrystal screening workflow has been developed consisting of solvent-mediated sonic blending synthesis and on-plate solid/solution stability characterization by XRPD. A strategy of cocrystallization screening in selected blend solvents including water mixtures is proposed to not only manipulate solubility of the cocrystal components but also differentiate physical stability of the cocrystal products. Caffeine-oxalic acid and theophylline-oxalic acid cocrystals were prepared and evaluated in relation to saturation levels of the cocrystal components and stability of the cocrystal products in anhydrous and hydrous solvents. AMG 517 was screened with a number of coformers, and solid/solution stability of the resulting cocrystals on the 96-well plate was investigated. A stability trend was observed and confirmed that cocrystals comprised of lower aqueous solubility coformers tended to be more stable in water. Furthermore, cocrystals which could be isolated under hydrous solvent blending condition exhibited superior physical stability to those which could only be obtained under anhydrous condition. This integrated HTS workflow provides an efficient route in an API-sparing approach to screen and identify cocrystal candidates with proper solubility and solid/solution stability properties.

Celecoxib sodium salt: engineering crystal forms for performance

Crystalline hydrates and propylene glycol solvates of celecoxib sodium salt (Cel-Na) were prepared and characterized with the aim of improving oral drug absorption by breaking up the H-bonding interactions present in crystals of the poorly soluble marketed form of the drug (Cel-III). The hydrate grows rapidly from aqueous alkaline solution, forming a thick slurry of thin plates. Thicker plates for structure determination were successfully grown by adding up to 1% benzyl alcohol to the solution. The structure of the pentahydrate of the sodium salt is comprised of a bilayer motif where three waters are coordinated to sodium ions in a discrete layer, while the other two waters reside in a one-dimensional channel. At a given temperature, the hydration state changes rapidly and reversibly as a function of relative humidity (RH). The hydrated salt is physically stable in a sealed vial, but reverts rapidly to the crystalline free base if exposed to ambient CO2 in air at 40% RH or higher. The propylene glycol (PG) solvate of Cel-Na exists in an anhydrous and trihydrate form. The trihydrated PG solvate of Cel-Na is physically stable above ∼15% RH and does not react measurably with CO2 at 66% RH over 4 days, making it the most suitable form for use in solid pharmaceutical formulations.

Preparation, solid state characterization, and single crystal structure analysis of N-(4-(6-(4-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)pyrimidin-4-yloxy)benzo[d]thiazol-2-yl)acetamide crystal forms

Fifteen cocrystals, four cocrystal polymorphs, one cocrystal hydrate, two free base solvates and one free base hydrate of N-(4-(6-(4-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)pyrimidin-4-yloxy)benzo[d]thiazol-2-yl)acetamide (FB) were successfully prepared by milling, solution or slurry crystallization techniques. Thirteen new crystal structures are reported. Powders were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction, thermal gravimetric analysis and differential scanning calorimetry where available. Analysis of the hydrogen bonding within the cocrystals revealed a common heterosynthon among most of the carboxylic acid cocrystals, which may be useful in future cocrystal design. Two main conformational types were observed in the crystal structures, the free base/cocrystal type and the solvate type. Calculation of the relative energies showed that there was significant overlap between both conformational types indicating that the conformational energies of either class could be easily accommodated in a crystal lattice.