Physicochemical Stability of Extemporaneously Prepared Oral Suspension of Fluconazole 50 mg/mL in SuspendIt™

Abstract

Abstract Background There is a lack of an age-appropriate formulation of fluconazole. The extemporaneous preparation of an oral suspension with an extended beyond-use-date may represent a good therapeutic alternative for the paediatric population. Methods A fluconazole 50 mg/mL oral suspension was prepared and evenly distributed into twenty amber plastic bottles: ten bottles were stored in controlled room temperature (25 °C) whereas the remainder ten bottles were stored in refrigerated temperature (5 °C). The physical characteristics (colour/appearance, odor, pH and density) and chemical characteristics [fluconazole concentration using Ultra High Performance Liquid Chromatography (UPLC)] of the oral suspension were tested at nine pre-determined time-points over a period of 182 days. Results The density, pH and mean concentration of the oral suspension did not change significantly. The recovery of fluconazole ranged from 92.67 % to 98.79 % (5 °C) and from 94.31 % to 100.02 % (25 °C), both within the specification limits. Conclusions A palatable, sugar-free formula was developed for fluconazole 50 mg/mL in the oral suspending vehicle SuspendIt™ to allow an easy and rapid extemporaneous preparation in the hospital setting. The beyond-use-date of the formula was determined using a valid, stability-indicating analytical method and it was concluded that the extemporaneously prepared oral suspension is stable for 6 months at refrigerated and controlled room temperature.