Evaluation of robot automated chromogenic substrate LAL endotoxin assay method for pharmaceutical products testing.

The robot automated chromogenic substrate LAL assay method was evaluated for endotoxin testing using three lots each of 12 pharmaceutical products. As many as 216 assays, including automated standard curve construction and sample preparation, can be performed in a single day of unattended operation. The method is linear (r greater than .99) in the range of 0 to 0.2 EU/ml. The precision of the method determined by assaying a lot of calcium gluconate for four days was 6%, 10%, and 10% for within an assay block, between assay blocks, and between assay days, respectively. Recovery of endotoxin when spiked into products ranged from 81% to 110% and was within the statistical variation (2 sigma limit) of the method. The endotoxin levels detected in a biological raw material by the chromogenic substrate assay method correlated well with that of the gel-clot LAL assay method. The endotoxin content of the majority of the pharmaceutical products tested was well below the sensitivity of both the chromogenic substrate and the gel clot LAL assay methods.