Stability of extemporaneous erlotinib, lapatinib, and imatinib oral suspensions.

PURPOSE

The stability of extemporaneously prepared erlotinib, lapatinib, and imatinib oral liquid dosage forms using two commercially available vehicles when stored at 4 and 25 °C was evaluated.

METHODS

Three batches of extemporaneous oral suspensions were prepared for each drug. Erlotinib and lapatinib tablets were crushed and mixed in a 1:1 mixture of Ora-Plus:Ora-Sweet solution to yield 10- and 50-mg/mL suspensions, respectively. Imatinib tablets were crushed and mixed in Ora-Sweet solution to yield a 40-mg/mL suspension. Suspensions were stored in amber plastic bottles, and samples from each bottle were obtained on days 0, 1, 3, 7, 14, and 28.

RESULTS

Erlotinib 10-mg/mL and lapatinib 50-mg/mL oral suspensions in a 1:1 mixture of Ora-Plus and Ora-Sweet retained at least 90% of their initial concentration throughout the 28-day study when stored at 25 °C. Visual inspection revealed notable viscosity changes in the erlotinib and lapatinib suspensions stored at 4 °C for 7 days and beyond. The viscosity of these preparations increased with time and was particularly evident with the erlotinib suspension, which exhibited a puddinglike texture. Imatinib 40-mg/mL oral suspension in Ora-Sweet appeared stable for up to 14 days when stored at both 25 and 4 °C.

CONCLUSION

Erlotinib 10-mg/mL and lapatinib 50-mg/mL oral suspensions prepared from commercially available tablets were stable for at least 28 days when prepared in a 1:1 mixture of Ora-Plus:Ora-Sweet at 25 °C. Imatinib 40-mg/mL oral suspension prepared from commercially available tablets was stable for up to 14 days when prepared in Ora-Sweet and stored at 25 and 4 °C.