Drug products formulated, compendial testing

For the dissolution test to be used as an effective drug product characterization and quality control tool, the method must be developed with the various end uses in mind. In some cases, the method used in the early phase of product and formulation development could be different from the final test procedure utilized for control of the product quality. Methods used for formulation screening or BA and/or bioequivalency evaluations may simply be impractical for a quality control environment. It is essential that with the accumulation of experience, the early method be critically re-evaluated and potentially simplified, giving preference to compendial apparatus and media. Hence, the final dissolution method submitted for product registration may not necessarily closely imitate the in vivo environment but should still test the key performance indicators of the formulation. 

Identification tests for pure drug substances can be different from those for formulated products. Many times, tests for the specific counterion drug substance will be performed on the active ingredient. These tests are very general and oftentimes can follow official compendial methods. 

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