Patent Application
20050159335
The invention relates to novel galenic forms for the parenteral administration of peptides prone to aggregation, in particular of LHRH analogues or LHRH antagonists and agonists, and processes for their preparation, and use.
EP 0 299 402 discloses the use of pharmaceutically active decapeptides such as SB-030, SB-075 (cetrorelix) and SB-088 in the form of their pharmaceutically acceptable, non-toxic acid addition salts such as hydrochlorides, hydrobromides, sulphates, phosphates, fumarates, gluconates, tannates, maleates, acetates, citrates, benzoates, succinates, alginates, pamoates, ascorbates and tartrates etc.
JP 06321800-A furthermore discloses a lyophilized peptide or protein preparation which contains gluconate salts as stabilizers. In one example, the solution contains 2.5% of magnesium gluconate, the active compounds described being, inter alia, vasopressin, LHRH and insulin.
It is known from the literature, inter alia from Powell, M. F., Pharmaceutical Research, 1258-1263(8) 1991; Dathe M. Int. J. Peptide Protein Res. 344-349(36) 1990, and Szejtli, J. Pharmaceutical Technology International 16-22, 1991, that oligopeptides, namely particularly those having a terminal acid amide function, are prone to gel formation.
EP 0 611 572 describes a preparation process for a lyophilizate of a peptide having 3-15 amino acids, according to which 100-10,000 parts by weight of the peptide are dissolved in acetic acid and treated with bulking agents such as mannitol, and then lyophilized in order to obtain a sterile-filtered lyophilizate of the peptide and to avoid gel formation.
DE A 195 42 873 describes pharmaceutical administration forms of complicated composition in the form of microparticles, according to which an ABA triblock copolymer is used whose A block is a polymer of milk [sic] and glycolic acid and whose B polymer is a polyethylene glycol chain, together with an additive from the group consisting of the serum proteins, polyamino acids, cyclodextrins, cyclodextrin derivatives, saccharides, amino sugars, amino acids, detergents or carboxylic acids and mixtures of these substances. After inclusion of small or aggregation-sensitive amounts of polypeptide, the microparticles described should also release the polypeptide continuously over a relatively long period.
DD 141 996 describes the preparation of pharmaceutical forms of native LHRH which are stable over a relatively long period and comply with the requirements for a parenterally administerable preparation. The key point here is the improvement in the shelf life of these preparations (page 2, lines 19-23). No statement is made about the filterability of the solutions. Moreover, to improve the shelf life buffer substances (also acetic acid) are also employed to establish a pH range of pH 3.5-6.5. The problem of preparing sterile lyophilizates from gel-forming peptide salts is not solved there.
EP 0 175 506 treats an aqueous solution of the peptide with 1N acetic acid and then lyophilizes it in order to obtain the acetate salt of the peptide. The subject of this application is thus the synthesis of the peptide salts.
However, it has been shown that in the case of the known acetate salts of the peptides prone to aggregation, such as the LHRH antagonists, the preparation of sterile solutions for parenteral administration by means of filtration, especially at high concentrations, is indeed possible, but aggregates can form shortly before injection after the dissolution of the lyophilizate. The aggregates then lead to a concentration-dependent lowering of the bioavailability from a peptide concentration of 0.5 mg/ml.
The problem mentioned occurs not only with injection solutions which are administered for the purpose of rapid release of active compound, but is also observed with injection preparations which exhibit delayed release. Thus peptides, incorporated in matrices which should control the release of active compound, can have an undesirably low release on account of their proneness to aggregation. Thus the bioavailability is also lowered here.
Starting from the fact that the preferred administration of pharmaceutically active peptides such as LHRH agonists and antagonists, for example antarelix and cetrorelix, is the parenteral pharmaceutical form, a need exists for the provision of stable injection preparations having acceptable bioavailability, which can be conveniently prepared, sterile-filtered and formulated. This applies in particular to injection preparations in the form of reconstituted lyophilizates of soluble peptide salts and to microparticles, microcapsules or implants.
This is all the more of importance in consideration of the varied areas of use of the LHRH antagonists, which are becoming more and more known.
A wider selection of parenterally, in particular subcutaneously, injectable, stable peptide solutions is desirable in view of the rapidly growing indication areas of this class of substance.
Pharmaceutical administration forms suitable for parenteral administration, which contain peptides prone to aggregation in dissolved or dispersed form, have now been developed which are distinguished in that the peptides are present in the form of their acetate, gluconate, glucuronate, lactate, citrates, ascorbate, benzoate or phosphate salts and that these administration forms can additionally contain one of the just-mentioned acids as free acids, and, if appropriate, further additives and excipients from the class consisting of the acids, surface-active substances, polymers, lipids or sugars.
These pharmaceutical administration forms can be present in dissolved or dispersed form in water or in aqueous solvent mixtures.
According to a further embodiment of the invention, the pharmaceutical administration forms can also be present in dissolved or dispersed form in a physiologically tolerable oil, preferably medium-chain triglycerides (neutral oils, Miglyol®) or castor oil, sesame oil, cottonseed oil, maize oil, peanut oil, olive oil or in mixtures of such oils.
The peptides employed are the LHRH antagonists antide, A-75998, ganirelix and Nal-Glu antagonist, but in particular cetrorelix, antarelix and the antagonists according to the Patents U.S. Pat. No. 5,942,493 and DE 19911771.3.
Acids employed in the excipient function are gluconic acid, glucuronic acid, galacturonic acid, glucaric acid, citric acid, ascorbic acid and amino acids.
It is thus possible to suppress the aggregation of the peptide and thus to fulfil the requirements for a preparation having good bioavailability, and thus to enrich the pharmaceutical wealth and to do so with efficient galenic technology.
It has further surprisingly been found that by the addition of gluconic, glucuronic, citric, lactic or ascorbic acid, the stability of various cetrorelix salts is moreover considerably improved.
According to the invention, the preparation and formulation of sterile-filtered, stable preparations is thus possible without problems.
It is additionally advantageous to add suitable excipients. These excipients can be acids, surface-active substances, polymers, lipids or sugars. Examples of acids are gluconic acid, glucuronic acid, galacturonic acid, glucaric acid, lactic and citric acid, ascorbic acid and amino acids. Surface-active substances employed can be polyethylene glycol 12-(hydroxy)stearate (Solutol®), polyoxyethylene ricinoleate (Cremophor®), polysorbates, poloxamers, phospholipids, lecithins or benzalkonium chloride. Suitable polymers are albumins, polyethylene glycols, cellulose derivatives, starch derivatives or polyvinylpyrrolidone. Examples of sugars are cyclodextrins and cyclodextrin derivatives. ‘Chaotropic’ substances such as urea can also serve as additives and/or excipients.
The area of use of the preparations according to the invention is in particular in the prevention and therapy of all sex hormone-dependent conditions and diseases which can be influenced by LHRH analogues, i.e. LHRH agonists and LHRH antagonists. Those to be emphasized here are:
By means of polarization microscopy, aggregation investigations were carried out on solutions of various cetrorelix salts without or with addition of excipients.
In the polarization light microscope with crossed polarizers, aggregated peptide solutions show images which are very similar to those of liquid-crystalline structures. In contrast to this, aggregate-free peptide solutions produce no such effects.
Thus the addition of gluconic acid causes an improvement in the stability of cetrorelix acetate solutions by delaying or preventing aggregation.
Further experiments concentrated on cetrorelix gluconate without or with addition of gluconic acid. The most important results are summarized in Table 2.
Cetrorelix gluconate thus offers advantages in comparison with the acetate salt. The addition of gluconic acid increases the shelf life of cetrorelix gluconate solutions.
Moreover, the stabilizing influence of glucuronic acid on cetrorelix acetate solutions and, as a further salt, also cetrorelix glucuronate, was tested for its aggregation behaviour. The results are summarized in Table 3.
Also, by the replacement of the acetate salt by a glucuronate salt, significant improvements can be achieved with respect to the aggregation stability of cetrorelix similarly to with the gluconate salt. By the addition of glucuronic acid to cetrorelix glucuronate solutions, the aggregation stability of these solutions can be even further improved.
By the addition of hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin and particularly of γ-cyclodextrin, the aggregation stability of cetrorelix acetate solutions can be significantly improved.
By the addition of hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin or of γ-cyclodextrin, the aggregation stability of cetrorelix gluconate solutions can also be significantly improved.
Also, by the addition of various types of polyvinylpyrrolidone, the aggregation stability of cetrorelix acetate solutions can be significantly improved.
Cetrorelix bulk material is dissolved in a concentration of 10 mg/ml in 30% strength acetic acid and diluted with an aqueous solution of the additives to a final concentration of 1 mg/ml of peptide in 3% acetic acid. This solution is then sterile-filtered and lyophilized (5 mg per vial).
After reconstitution of these lyophilizates, the solutions (2.5 mg/ml of cetrorelix) are investgated in the following tests for aggregate formation and release behaviour:
Some prepared batches of cetrorelix acetate lyophilizate and the corresponding test results of 2.5 mg/ml cetrorelix acetate solutions prepared therefrom are shown in Table 8a.
In the examples shown, it is evident that with a large number of the tested excipients from various groups of substances (surface-active substances, acids, amino acids, polymers, sugars, sugar alcohols, cyclodextrins, preservatives), stabilizing effects can be achieved in vitro (polarization microscopy, filterability, in-vitro release) and in vivo individually or with mixtures of these excipients. This reduced tendency to aggregate and thus improved in-vitro release of active compound also leads in the rat experiment to improved bioavailabilities of the peptide active compound and thus to reduced residual contents in the rat muscle.
Further in-vitro and in-vivo data of batches containing various cetrorelix salts without or with addition of stabilizing excipients are listed in Table 8b which follows:
Cetrorelix formulations which are less prone/slower to aggregate (better filterability/polarization microscopy) and exhibit more rapid in-vitro release in Ringer's solution precipitate after 168 h in the rat muscle experiment owing to their lower residual content of cetrorelix. A higher bioavailability is expected of such formulations.
Some results of rat muscle experiments have already been listed in Tables 8a and 8b.
In the further rat muscle experiments shown in Table 9, in addition to the residual content in the muscle, the cetrorelix content in the plasma was additionally determined. With the aid of these data too, the stabilizing influence of the excipients tested is clear.
Moreover, it was possible by the replacement of the acetate salt by other salt forms of cetrorelix to achieve an improved bioavailability and, accompanying this, a reduced residual amount in the rat muscle experiment.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100 24 451.3 | May 2000 | DE | national |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 09861009 | May 2001 | US |
| Child | 11028875 | Jan 2005 | US |
