Low temperature properties of lyophilized solutions and their influence on lyophilization cycle design: pentamidine isethionate.

Pentamidine isethionate is a lyophilized antiprotozoal drug. Its solutions, when lyophilized, have been found to exhibit a range of properties that depend on its concentration and the manner in which it is allowed to freeze. These properties were examined by Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC), freeze-drying microscopy and X-ray powder diffraction. In DSC studies, the drug exhibited eutectic behavior with a eutectic temperature of -2.8 degrees C. Freeze-drying microscopic examination of a sample of solution after cooling at about 1 degrees C/min showed that the sample dried with retention up to -4 degrees C, where melting was observed. By using the appropriate drug concentration and manipulating the freezing stage, crystallization of the drug from solution could be induced during cooling to yield a crystalline end-product.