Chromatography technology applied to the characterisation of a range of drug delivery systems including transdermal patches, capsules, inhalation devices and under-skin depots
Viscotek has successfully applied its proprietary Triple Detection gel permeation chromatography (GPC) technology to the characterisation of a range of drug delivery systems including transdermal patches, capsules, inhalation devices and under-skin depots.
The accurate and rapid characterisation of the polymers used in drug delivery systems is vital in both the R and D and production stages of these materials.
Drug delivery polymers can contain either synthetic or natural polymers, including proteins. Employing a concentration detector, viscometer, and light scattering detector in tandem; the Viscotek triple detector array (TDA) and Fipa systems have been used to determine accurate molecular weight, size and viscosity information on drug delivery polymers.
An example of the utility of triple detection GPC is shown by the accurate molecular weight determination of a polylactide sample.
Accurate knowledge of the molecular weight allowed precise calculation of the rate at which the polymer would dissolve in the body and release the active drug substance. Additionally the technique has also provided valuable confirmatory information enabling clear differentiation between the structure of a Pegylated protein and a protein, of the same molecular weight.
The TDA operates on-line, in a continuous-flow mode, and can be added directly to an existing GPC/SEC or FPLC system to provide molecular weight, size distribution and structural information.
The TDA system produces accurate results in minutes that other combinations of techniques typically take days to achieve.
