The potential and actual impurities of CHEMICAL-X have been investigated. The materials that have been considered as possible sources of impurities are the synthesis starting materials and process intermediates, compounds arising from side reactions or related to impurities in starting materials, other process reagents and solvents, and the potential degradation products of CHEMICAL-X. The presence of these materials was investigated in typical lots of intermediates and drug substance using the regulatory HPLC method For CHEMICAL-X and other appropriate testing procedures.
The establishment of appropriate raw material specifications and in-process control testing has been shown to adequately control the occurrence of undesired impurities within suitable levels. In actual lots of CHEMICAL-X produced and exZZZned thus far, no impurities other than the related substance and residual solvents regulated by the drug substance specifications have been present at levels above the limit of quantitation of the analytical methods.
The names, structures and sources of the related substance that have been identified are summarized in Table 3.e.
The specifications for related substances in CHEMICAL-X have been established to be consistent with the ICH threshold for qualification (0.15%) for known impurities and threshold for identification (0.10%) for unknown impurities. The limit for known impurities is in all cases well below the levels qualified on the basis of general toxicity results.
Two different spectroscopic techniques are applied to provide independent confirmation of identity. An isocratic HPLC procedure is used for assay of the drug substance, and a related procedural modification with gradient elution is used for determination of all related substances except the enantiomer. The limits for related substances of not more than 0.15% fro each of 4 specified compounds and not more than 0.10% for any other single related substance correspond to the ICH qualification threshold for the 4 known impurities and the identification threshold fro unknown impurities. On that basis, no further supportive evidence fro impurity qualification is necessary. A chiral HPLC method is used for quantitative determination of the enantiomer of CHENICAL-X. The limit of not more than 0.15% that is also adopted for the enantiomer content complies with the recommended qualification threshold of ICH guidance Q3A for related substances. A particle size specification has been implemented to control both the mean size and distribution of sizes, based on experimental results obtained with tablets made from drug substance over a wide range of sizes. Inclusion od additional tests fro heavy metals, residue on ignition and residual solvents provides the necessary control over other aspects of purity to assure overt batch-to-batch consistency.