We developed a step-by-step experimental protocol using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), dynamic vapour sorption (DVS), polarized light microscopy (PLM) and a small-scale dissolution apparatus (mu DISS Profiler) to investigate the mechanism (solid-to-solid or solution-mediated) by which crystallization of amorphous drugs occurs upon dissolution. This protocol then guided how to stabilize the amorphous formulation. Indapamide, metolazone, glibenclamide and glipizide were selected as model drugs and HPMC (Pharmacoat 606) and PVP (K30) as stabilizing polymers. Spray-dried amorphous indapamide, metolazone and glibenclamide crystallized via solution-mediated nucleation while glipizide suffered from solid-to-solid crystallization. The addition of 0.001%-0.01% (w/v) HPMC into the dissolution medium successfully prevented the crystallization of supersaturated solutions of indapamide and metolazone whereas it only reduced the crystallization rate for glibenclamide. Amorphous solid dispersion (ASD) formulation of glipizide and PVP K30, at a ratio of 50:50% (w/w) reduced but did not completely eliminate the solid-to-solid crystallization of glipizide even though the overall dissolution rate was enhanced both in the absence and presence of HPMC. Raman spectroscopy indicated the formation of a glipizide polymorph in the dissolution medium with higher solubility than the stable polymorph. As a complementary technique, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of indapamide and glibenclamide with HPMC was performed. It was revealed that hydrogen bonding patterns of the two drugs with HPMC differed significantly, suggesting that hydrogen bonding may play a role in the greater stabilizing effect on supersaturation of indapamide, compared to glibenclamide.

This study explores the effect of physical aging and/or crystallization on the supersaturation potential and crystallization kinetics of amorphous active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs). Spray-dried, fully amorphous indapamide, metolazone, glibenclamide, hydrocortisone, hydrochlorothiazide, ketoconazole, and sulfathiazole were used as model APIs. The parameters used to assess the supersaturation potential and crystallization kinetics were the maximum supersaturation concentration (C_max,app), the area under the curve (AUC), and the crystallization rate constant (k). These were compared for freshly spray-dried and aged/crystallized samples. Aged samples were stored at 75% relative humidity for 168 days (6 months) or until they were completely crystallized, whichever came first. The solid-state changes were monitored with differential scanning calorimetry, Raman spectroscopy, and powder X-ray diffraction. Supersaturation potential and crystallization kinetics were investigated using a tenfold supersaturation ratio compared to the thermodynamic solubility using the µDISS Profiler. The physically aged indapamide and metolazone and the minimally crystallized glibenclamide and hydrocortisone did not show significant differences in their C_max,app and AUC when compared to the freshly spray-dried samples. Ketoconazole, with a crystalline content of 23%, reduced its C_max,app and AUC by 50%, with C_max,app being the same as the crystalline solubility. The AUC of aged metolazone, one of the two compounds that remained completely amorphous after storage, significantly improved as the crystallization kinetics significantly decreased. Glibenclamide improved the most in its supersaturation potential from amorphization. The study also revealed that, besides solid-state crystallization during storage, crystallization during dissolution and its corresponding pathway may significantly compromise the supersaturation potential of fully amorphous APIs.