Background: Dorzolamide hydrochloride (DRZ) is a carbonic anhydrase inhibitor used to treat glaucoma and ocular hypertension. Drug-eluting contact lenses, such as Acuvue Theravision ™ with Ketotifen, offer improved drug delivery and reduced side effects compared to eye drops. Drug-loaded nanoparticle-loaded contact lenses can sustain drug release and enhance comfort for extended wear. Objective: High buffer concentration and low pH increase the risk of damage to silica-bonded columns. Therapeutic contact lenses face challenges related to critical lens parameters, including the estimation of drug incorporation and release due to interference of lens matrix leaching. There is currently no analytical method available for estimating DRZ in contact lenses. Method: The HPLC method, which was developed and validated using ICH Q2 (R1) criteria, used a C18 column (250 mm × 4.6 mm, 5 μm) as a stationary phase and methanol:water (70:30 v/v) as the mobile phase. The detecting wavelength was 253 nm. Moreover, to support the efficiency of the developed method, the marketed formulation of DRZ eye drops, drug purity, and loading in contact lenses were analysed. The method was also employed to determine the Critical Quality Attributes (CQAs) of therapeutic contact lenses and drug release and drug leaching during the sterilization process. Result: The developed HPLC method shows Rt for DRZ at 2.881 minutes with good linearity (r2 > 0.998) between 2-32μg/mL, precision (RSD < 2%), accuracy (Recovery > 99.5%), sensitivity, and specificity for quantifying DRZ in marketed formulations and therapeutic contact lenses. The developed method is devoid of any buffer or modifier in the mobile phase, making it safer for the stationary phase. This method mitigates the interference of lens matrix leaching, which induces an overestimation of DRZ. All the result for therapeutic contact lenses was found to be closely aligned with theoretically expected results, confirming the reliability of the developed HPLC method for therapeutic contact lenses. Conclusion: This method is specific, accurate, and precise for quantifying DRZ in commercial formulations and newly developed therapeutic contact lenses. It effectively evaluates the critical quality attributes of these lenses, demonstrating their reliability for assessing their performance and ensuring quality in therapeutic applications.
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