Stable Fatty Acid Solvates of Dasatinib, a Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor: Prediction, Process, and Physicochemical Properties

Abstract

Exploration of alternate solid forms for dasatinib, a potent oncogene tyrosine kinase inhibitor classified under Biopharmaceutics Classification System (BCS) class II drugs with low water solubility and high permeability, has been performed using COSMO-RS excess enthalpy (Hex) to increase dissolution. The theoretical prediction resulted in the potential for the formation of C6–C8 fatty acid solvates with dasatinib. A crystallization process has been identified for the preparation of the predicted solvates and successfully scaled up till the 100 g level. The fatty acid solvates are completely characterized using powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, and proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR) spectroscopy. Unique powder X-ray diffraction patterns and powder indexing of C6–C8 fatty acid solvates indicate the purity of the solid phase. The red shift in the acid carbonyl stretching frequency of C6–C8 fatty acids in FT-IR spectra and the intactness of the fatty acid proton in 1H-NMR spectra provide evidence for solvate formation. The stoichiometry of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) with solvent in solvates is measured using TGA and 1H-NMR spectroscopy. Dasatinib C6–C8 fatty acid solvates were found to retain their solid form under various stress and pharmaceutical processing conditions. In addition, they exhibited improved powder dissolution over dasatinib Form H1-7 by 2.2-fold. They also showed stability at 40 °C and 75% RH for 3 months. C8 fatty acid is a USFDA GRAS listed solvent, and hence may be a viable option for drug product development.