Statistical assessment of dissolution and drug release profile similarity using a model-dependent approach

A general multivariate procedure for assessing the similarity of dissolution and drug release profiles was developed. A mathematical model is fit to the data, and Hotelling's T(2) test is used to calculate the joint confidence region around the vector of differences between least-squares estimates of the parameters in the model. The method of Lagrange multipliers is used to determine if this confidence region is enclosed within a predetermined similarity region, and profile similarity is claimed if this is the case. The first-order, Gompertz, logistic, second-order, and Weibull models were fit to the in vitro extended-release profile of pseudoephedrine HCl from an asymmetric membrane (AM) film-coated osmotic tablet. The first-order model was selected because of its simplicity and because it was the best-fitting model according to a modified form of Akaike's Information Criterion. A nonlinear response surface model was also developed so that the formulator could calculate how much of the AM film coat should be applied in order to obtain the desired drug release profile. The usefulness of this model-dependent procedure was further demonstrated during an analytical method transfer exercise, where it was used to compare the drug release profiles obtained by two independent laboratories; additional research is required, however, before the appropriate acceptance criteria for demonstrating profile similarity can be recommended.