Impact of extractables/leachables from filters on stability of protein formulations

Aqueous extractables/leachables from three sterilizing-grade filter membranes [polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), polyethersulfone (PES), and mixed cellulose ester (MCE)] were found to significantly reduce the surface tension of aqueous solutions. To evaluate the effect of these extractables/leachables from filter membranes on stability of protein formulations, model IgG2 formulations (with or without added surfactant) were spiked with different levels of filter extractables from stock solutions as a stress study. The stock solutions of extractables were created by processing the filter membranes through autoclaving and soaking steps. The IgG2 formulations were subsequently subject to agitation and temperature stress. Extractables/leachables from the filters were found to have a significant protective (PVDF, PES) and destabilizing (MCE) impact on both visible and subvisible particulates formation under agitation stress for formulations that did not contain any additional surfactant such as polysorbate 80. The impact of filter extractables/leachables on chemical stability of the antibody formulation displayed a more complicated pattern, but was generally destabilizing, causing increases in aggregation, oxidation, and acidic species. In conclusion, extractables/leachables from filter membranes may have impact on protein formulation stability and caution should be exercised during protein filtration, especially when filtering small volumes and in preformulation or high-throughput screening studies.