Stability of apomorphine hydrochloride in aqueous sodium bisulphite solutions

Apomorphine (Apo), a dopamine receptor agonist used extensively in clinical research, is known to be chemically unstable. The authors have used a high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method to study the long-term stability of pharmaceutical preparations of R(-) Apomorphine hydrochloride (ApoHCI) for parenteral use. In a concentration of 1 mg/ml, ApoHCI in aqueous solutions of sodium metabisulphite (0.125%), kept at 4 degrees and shielded from light, was found to be stable for up to six months. On the other hand, solutions of 0.1 mg/ml were found to decompose after only three weeks, showing extraneous peaks in the HPLC. However, the blue-green discoloration, characteristic of Apo degradation, was only apparent after six weeks storage. The rapidity of the HPLC method used, its reproducibility and sensitivity make it suitable for quality control studies of pharmaceutical preparations of ApoHCI intended for clinical research.