Impurities compendial standards

Where the specific impnrity is unavailable or is too costly, the use of composite or degraded samples is possible. This approach involves the nse of a dirty sample of a drug substance or the creation of a mixture of impurities through the in situ forced degradation method. Both of these approaches are best nsed for qualitative uses. In each of these mixtures, the impurities are present in unknown quantities. The real benefit of this type of impnrity standard is the low cost and the ability to unequivocally identify the peak loci of the impurities. When these mixtures are used in conjunction with a compendial standard and a well-developed set of relative response factors the resnlts will meet most analytical needs. 

While compendial standards are available for some monographed article impurities, it may be difficult at times to obtain pure standards of impurities. Manufacturers of pharmaceuticals function as a potential source for obtaining reference standards of impurities, which may be synthesis precursors, process intermediates, or degradation products. The characterization and evaluation of these impurities reference standards should be constant with their intended use. In many cases, analytical procedures are developed and validated, where the response of an impurity is compared to that of the new drug substance itself. Response factor evaluation of impurities at the chosen detection wavelength is necessary to determine if a correction factor is needed (when the responses differ). Potentiometric detection, fluorescence/ chemiluminescence detection, and refractive index detection are some examples of detection modes available for compounds that may not be suitable for UV detection. 

The development of in-house standards for impurities is often necessary due to the unavailability of a compendial impurity standard. The process of developing an in-house standard is the topic for another publication. However, there are aspects that should be addressed herein. These include the establishment and maintenance of an impurity standard. The establishment of an impurity standard is a difficult process. The method that has been developed to monitor the impurity level of the drug substance is often inappropriate or insufficient to monitor the purity of the standard. The process described above to develop a procedure to monitor impurities in the drug substance must be re-evaluated... 

---