Y.-H. Kiang

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.

Crystal structure, crystal morphology, and surface properties of an investigational drug

In this study we investigated the correlations between the single crystal structure, the crystal habit and morphology, and surface energetics of an investigational pharmaceutical compound. Crystal structures of both the anhydrous form (Form A) and monohydrate form (Form B) have been solved from single crystal X-ray analysis. The external morphology of Form A solid was predicted by molecular modeling using attachment energies to be thick plate-like with two dominant faces (100) and (002). The external morphology of Form B was predicted to be needle-like with a dominant face (101 ). The predicted morphologies were confirmed by optical micrographs and the Miller indices of the dominant faces were complemented by X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD) method. Contact angle measurements showed that the anhydrous form has better wettability as predicted from crystal structure and morphology.

Calculation of effective penetration depth in X-ray diffraction for pharmaceutical solids.

The use of the glancing incidence X-ray diffraction configuration to depth profile surface phase transformations is of interest to pharmaceutical scientists. The Parratt equation has been used to depth profile phase changes in pharmaceutical compacts. However, it was derived to calculate 1/e penetration at glancing incident angles slightly below the critical angle of condensed matter and is, therefore, applicable to surface studies of materials such as single crystalline nanorods and metal thin films. When the depth of interest is 50-200 microm into the surface, which is typical for pharmaceutical solids, the 1/e penetration depth, or skin depth, can be directly calculated from an exponential absorption law without utilizing the Parratt equation. In this work, we developed a more relevant method to define X-ray penetration depth based on the signal detection limits of the X-ray diffractometer. Our definition of effective penetration depth was empirically verified using bilayer compacts of varying known thicknesses of mannitol and lactose.

Quantification of compaction-induced crystallinity reduction of a pharmaceutical solid using 19F solid-state NMR and powder X-ray diffraction

19F solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) was investigated as an analytical technique to quantify the amorphous phase in a fluorine-containing pharmaceutical candidate. The crystallinity of Compound 1 was calculated using two 19F T1 relaxation-based methods. The first method employs both the pure amorphous and the crystalline reference standards while the second method is model independent and utilizes a single standard. The 19F solid-state NMR results were confirmed with powder X-ray diffraction methods. From X-ray diffraction data, two linear calibration curves were obtained from blends of crystalline and amorphous Compound 1: one is based on the total integrated intensity of selected diffraction peaks and the other on the total intensity of the amorphous halo at 2θ positions that have no interference from crystalline diffraction peaks. The crystallinity of Compound 1 after compaction calculated by both 19F solid-state NMR methods was in excellent agreement with the results from the X-ray calibration curves. 19F solid-state NMR was shown to be a powerful technique in determining the amount of amorphous phase present in a pharmaceutical solid.

Enhancing and Sustaining AMG 009 Dissolution from a Matrix Tablet Via Microenvironmental pH Modulation and Supersaturation

The objective of this study was to investigate the combined effect of pH modifiers and nucleation inhibitors on enhancing and sustaining the dissolution of AMG 009 tablet via supersaturation. Several bases and polymers were added as pH modifiers and nucleation inhibitors, respectively, to evaluate their impact on the dissolution of AMG 009 tablets. The results indicate that sodium carbonate, among the bases investigated, enhanced AMG 009 dissolution the most. HPMC E5 LV, among the nucleation inhibitors tested, was the most effective in sustaining AMG 009 supersaturation. The release of AMG 009 went from 4% for tablets which did not contain both sodium carbonate and HPMC E5 LV to 70% for the ones that did, resulting in a 17.5-fold increase in the extent of dissolution. The effect of compression force and disintegrant on the dissolution of tablets were also evaluated. The results indicate that compression force had no effect on AMG 009 release. The addition of disintegrating agents, on the other hand, decreased the dissolution of AMG 009.

Humidity induced phase transformation of poloxamer 188 and its effect on physical stability of amorphous solid dispersion of AMG 579, a PDE10A inhibitor.

Poloxamer 188, a commonly used emulsifying and solubilizing agent, was found to be the cause of crystallization of an investigational drug, AMG 579, from its amorphous solid dispersion at accelerated storage conditions. Investigation of this physical stability issue included thorough characterization of poloxamer 188 at non-ambient conditions. At 40°C, poloxamer 188 becomes deliquescent above relative humidity of 75%. Upon returning to ambient conditions, the deliquescent poloxamer 188 loses water and re-solidifies. The reversible phase transformation of poloxamer 188 may cause physical and chemical stability issues and this risk should be assessed when selecting it as an excipient for formulation development.

Structural Studies of a Non‐Stoichiometric Channel Hydrate Using High Resolution X‐ray Powder Diffraction, Solid‐State Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, and Moisture Sorption Methods

Structural investigations of a nonstoichiometric hydrate, AMG 222 tosylate, a DPP-IV inhibitor in clinical development for type II diabetes, were performed using a multitechnique approach. The moisture sorption isotherm is in good agreement with a simple Langmuir model, suggesting that the hydrate water is located in well-defined crystallographic sites, which become vacant during dehydration. Crystal structures of AMG 222 tosylate at ambient and dry conditions were determined from high-resolution X-ray diffraction using the direct space method. On the basis of these crystal structures, hydrated water is located in channels formed by the drug framework. Upon dehydration, an isostructural dehydrate is formed with the channels remaining void and accessible to water for rehydration. Kitaigorodskii packing coefficients of the solid between relative humidity of 0% and 90% indicate that the equilibrium form of AMG 222 tosylate is the fully hydrated monohydrate.

Crystal structure study and investigation of solid-state cyclization for AMG 222, a channel hydrate.

In this study, we investigate the solid-state structure and stability of AMG 222 (5-(2-[2-(2-cyano-pyrrolidin-1-yl)-2-oxo-ethylamino]-propyl)-5-(1H-tetrazol-5-yl)-10,11-dihydro-5H-dibenzo[a,d]cycloheptene-2,8 dicarboxylic acid bisdimethylamide), a small molecule DPP-IV inhibitor. Crystal structure of AMG 222 has been solved from single crystal X-ray analysis. Crystallographic data are as follows: monoclinic, P2(1) (no. 4), a=9.0327(5)Å, b=18.6177(8)Å, c=21.4927(10)Å, β=90.126(3)°, V=3614.4(3)Å(3), Z=4. Based on single crystal structure, AMG 222 is a pentahydrate with the water molecules sitting in channels formed by the drug framework. There are three distinct crystal structures of AMG 222 between 0 and 95% relative humidity (RH), namely the anhydrate, hemihydrate, and pentahydrate forms. Solid-state stability of the GMP batch showed a high level of cyclized degradation product. It was postulated that the degradation was promoted by increased amorphous content generated as a result of excessive drying that was employed to remove residual crystallization solvent. Material produced using a modified procedure using a humidified nitrogen purge had lower amorphous content and lower levels of cyclic degradation when compared to the GMP batch.

Conformational Isomerism in Solid State of AMG 853—Structure Studies Using Solid‐State Nuclear Magnetic Resonance and X‐ray Diffraction

Investigation of an additional resonance peak in the (19) F solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectrum of AMG 853, a dual antagonist of DP and CRTH2 previously in clinical development for asthma, has led to the identification of two conformational isomers coexisting in the crystal lattice in a continuous composition range between 89.7%:10.3% and 96.5%:3.5%. These two isomers differ in the chloro-flurorophenyl moiety orientation-the aromatic ring is flipped by 180° in these two isomers. The level of the minor isomer is directly measured through integration of the two peaks in the (19) F solid-state NMR spectrum. The values obtained from the NMR data are in excellent agreement with the degree of disorder of the fluorine atom in the crystal structure, refined using both single-crystal and high-resolution powder X-ray diffraction data.