Drug form selection in albuterol-containing metered-dose inhaler formulations and its impact on chemical and physical...

New albuterol-containing metered-dose inhaler (MDI) formulations were under development to replace chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) propellants with more environmentally friendly hydrofluoroalkane (HFA) propellants. To achieve good chemical and physical stability of MDI formulations with HFA propellants, different drug forms were evaluated in model formulations (drug, oleic acid, and one of the following: P12/P11, P12/ethanol, P12, P134a/ethanol, P134a). The effects of drug form (base versus sulfate), propellant type (P12 versus P134a), and cosolvent type (P11 or ethanol versus none) on the chemical and physical stability were examined. The chemical stability of the formulations was determined by monitoring the percent drug remaining in the formulations using HPLC. The physical stability of the formulations was followed by visually assessing the suspension appearance, and by determining the mass median diameter (MMD) of the suspended particles using laser diffraction analysis. The drug form has a great impact on the chemical and physical stability of the formulations. The sulfate formulations were chemically stable up to 12 months when stored at 30 degrees C and 40 degrees C/85% relative humidity (RH). Poor chemical stability was observed for the base formulations, except for ethanol-free formulations (P12/P11, P12, and P134a) at 30 degrees C and a P134a formulation at 40 degrees C/85% RH. The chemical instability of albuterol base formulations at 30 degrees C correlates with its solubility. The presence of a cosolvent greatly improved the dispersion characteristics of both sulfate and base formulations. The sulfate formulations in the presence of a cosolvent (P12/P11, P12/ethanol, and P134a/ethanol) showed good physical stability when stored for up to 12 months at 30 degrees C and 40 degrees C/85% RH. The physical stability of the base formulations was not acceptable due to crystal growth/agglomeration in all formulations, except for the P12/P11 formulation. The physical instability of both sulfate and base formulations not only correlates with the drug solubility, but also with particle agglomeration. In conclusion, good chemical and physical stability of albuterol-containing suspension formulations can be achieved with the appropriate choice of drug form and formulation constituents.