Accelerating the quality control of pharmaceuticals using monolithic stationary phases: A review of recent HPLC applications

Abstract

High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) is the predominant technique in the quality control of pharmaceutical formulations. HPLC offers highly sensitive and selective analytical methods with increased robustness and separation efficiency. The majority of HPLC-based methodologies are based on the usage of particulate-based columns and cannot be applied at elevated flow rates (>2 mL/min) due to excessive back-pressure. Therefore, the typical duration of separation cycles is in the range of 5-30 min, making most assays time-consuming, especially when a lot of samples have to be analyzed in a minimum amount of time. Monolithic stationary phases for HPLC offer a very interesting alternative to conventional particulate-based columns. The size of the skeleton and the distribution of the pores of monolithic materials offer the possibility of developing efficient separation protocols at higher flow-rates due to the low pressure-drop across the column. The present review intends to cover the applications of monolithic based HPLC stationary phases in the quality control of pharmaceutical formulations, including identification of active pharmaceutical ingredient, assay, purity, dissolution, blending, and dosage uniformity, etc.