Development of a lyophilized formulation for (R,R)-formoterol (L)-tartrate

(R,R)-formoterol is a beta-agonist for inhalation. Aqueous instability suggested the need for a reconstitutable lyophilized dosage form. The objective of these studies was to devise a stable, rapid-dissolving, therapeutically compatible dosage form. The effects of diluents and residual moisture on the stability of thermally stressed formoterol formulations were investigated. Drug and various excipients (acetate, lactose, and mannitol) were lyophilized and placed in humidity chambers (0 to 90% relative humidity) at 25 to 50 degrees C. Stability was characterized by time-dependent changes using HPLC, pH, and XRD. Residual moisture were determined by Karl Fisher methods. Regression models were developed to quantify the effects of formulation and environmental variation on drug stability. Solid-state instability was observed as a function of high residual moisture and diluent type. Although the residual moisture in mannitol formulations were typically below 1%, the degradation rate (50 degrees C) varied from 2 to 10 mcg/day, which was 1.3- to 20-fold high than observed for lactose formulations under the same relative humidity conditions. At high relative humidity, the presence of acetate significantly increased the degradation rate (p < 0.04). The critical residual moisture content for lactose formulations was 3%. The amount of lactose was optimized by evaluating the degradation over the temperature range 25 to 50 degrees C. Mannitol and acetate were shown to be unsuitable excipients, and an optimal lactose amount was 50 mg for vials containing 50 mcg of drug.