PROCESS FOR THE PREPARATION OF FLUTICASONE PROPIONATE FORM I

Abstract

The invention relates to a novel crystallisation process for preparing fluticasone propionate as crystalline form 1 polymorph with controlled particle size and suitable for micronisation. Said process comprises the step of dissolving fluticasone propionate in acetone or in a mixture of acetone and water and then adding this solution to water or to a mixture of water 10 and acetone, thereby causing fluticasone propionate to crystallise out of the solution as crystalline form.

Claims

1. A process for preparing fluticasone propionate as crystalline polymorphic form 1, the process comprising: dissolving fluticasone propionate in a solvent to form a solution, and then adding the solution to a non-solvent, thereby causing fluticasone propionate to crystallise out of the solution as crystalline form 1; wherein the solvent comprises acetone and from 0% to 10% water, based on the volume of the solvent; and wherein the non-solvent comprises water and from 0% to 35% acetone, based on the volume of the non-solvent.

2. A process according to claim 1, wherein fluticasone propionate is dissolved in the solvent in an amount between 30 and 50 grams per litre of solvent.

3. A process according to claim 1, wherein fluticasone propionate is dissolved in a first defined volume of the solvent to form a solution, and the solution is then added to a second defined volume of the non-solvent; a ratio of the first defined volume to the second defined volume being between 1:0.65 and 1:1.35.

4. A process according to claim 2, wherein fluticasone propionate is dissolved in a first defined volume of the solvent to form a solution, and the solution is then added to a second defined volume of the non-solvent; a ratio of the first defined volume to the second defined volume being between 1:0.65 and 1:1.35.

5. A process according to claim 1, wherein said adding the solution takes place at a temperature between about 10 C. and about 40 C.

6. A process according to claim 1, wherein said adding the solution takes place over a period of between about 10 minutes and about 6 hours.

7. A process according to claim 5, wherein said adding the solution takes place over a period of between about 10 minutes and about 6 hours.

8. A process according to claim 1, wherein said adding the solution occurs via a pump in the form of pulsed aliquots.

9. A process according to claim 1, wherein said adding the solution occurs over a period of between about 10 minutes and about 6 hours via a pump in the form of pulsed aliquots.

10. A process according to claim 1, wherein once the step of adding the solution to the non-solvent is completed, a slurry forms and the slurry is stirred over a period of between 0 and about 12 hours, followed by filtration of the slurry to recover fluticasone propionate as crystalline form 1 and drying of the recovered fluticasone propionate.

11. A process according to claim 5, wherein once the step of adding the solution to the non-solvent is completed, a slurry forms and the slurry is stirred over a period of between 0 and about 12 hours, followed by filtration of the slurry to recover fluticasone propionate as crystalline form 1 and drying of the recovered fluticasone propionate.

12. A process according to claim 7, wherein once the step of adding the solution to the non-solvent is completed, a slurry forms and the slurry is stirred over a period of between 0 and about 12 hours, followed by filtration of the slurry to recover fluticasone propionate as crystalline form 1 and drying of the recovered fluticasone propionate.

13. A process according to claim 8, wherein once the step of adding the solution to the non-solvent is completed, a slurry forms and the slurry is stirred over a period of between 0 and about 12 hours, followed by filtration of the slurry to recover fluticasone propionate as crystalline form 1 and drying of the recovered fluticasone propionate.

14. Fluticasone propionate form 1, wherein said fluticasone propionate form 1 is obtained by a process according to according to claim 1, wherein said fluticasone propionate form 1 has a median particle size of between 5 microns and 35 microns.

15. Fluticasone propionate form 1, wherein said fluticasone propionate form 1 is obtained in the form of particles by a process according to according to claim 1, wherein said particles do not exhibit agglomeration.

16. Fluticasone propionate form 1, wherein said fluticasone propionate form 1 is obtained in the form of particles by a process according to according to claim 1, wherein said particles are between 5 and 200 microns in length, and have a width of between 3 and 30 microns.

Description

FIGURES

[0029] FIG. 1 of 10: Effect of acetone % in the anti-solvent mixture on the volume median diameter D[v, 0.5] for a reverse anti-solvent process.

[0030] FIG. 2 of 10: Crystals of fluticasone propionate obtained from example 1.

[0031] FIG. 3 of 10: Crystals of fluticasone propionate obtained from example 2.

[0032] FIG. 4 of 10: PXRD patterns for Example 2 product (top line) and reference fluticasone propionate form 1 pattern for comparison (bottom line).

[0033] FIG. 5 of 10: Crystals of fluticasone propionate obtained from example 3.

[0034] FIG. 6 of 10: PXRD pattern for example 3 product (top line) and reference fluticasone propionate form 1 pattern for comparison (bottom line).

[0035] FIG. 7 of 10: Crystals of fluticasone propionate obtained from example 4.

[0036] FIG. 8 of 10: PXRD pattern for example 4 product (top line) and reference fluticasone propionate form 1 pattern for comparison (bottom line).

[0037] FIG. 9 of 10: Crystals of fluticasone propionate obtained from example 5.

[0038] FIG. 10 of 10: PXRD pattern for example 5 product (top line) and reference fluticasone propionate form 1 pattern for comparison (bottom line).

EXAMPLES

Example 1: Re-Crystallisation of Fluticasone Propionate Using a Standard Anti-Solvent Process

[0039] 1.0 g of fluticasone propionate [S-(fluoromethyl)-6,9-difluoro-11-17-dihydroxy-16-methyl-3-oxoandrosta-1,4-diene-173 carbothioate, 17-propionate] obtained from a commercial source was mixed with 25 mL acetone. The mixture was heated to 40 C., and then cooled to 20 C. 25 mL water was added to the solution at approximately 20 C. Crystallisation of the product was observed during the addition. The slurry was filtered under vacuum, and the isolated solid was dried in an oven at 50 C. under 0.9 bar vacuum, yielding fluticasone propionate Form 1. Crystals obtained from this experiment are shown in FIG. 2.

Example 2: Re-Crystallisation of Fluticasone Propionate Using the Reverse Anti-Solvent Process of the Present Invention

[0040] 7.5 g of fluticasone propionate [S-(fluoromethyl)-6,9-difluoro-11-17-dihydroxy-16-methyl-3-oxoandrosta-1,4-diene-173-carbothioate, 17-propionate] obtained from a commercial source was mixed with 225 mL acetone. The mixture was heated to 40 C., and then cooled to 10 C. The chilled solution was added to a separate agitated vessel containing 225 mL water at 40 C. over a period of 10 minutes. Crystallisation of the product was observed during the addition. The mixture was cooled down to 20 C. and held at that temperature for 12 hours. The slurry was filtered under vacuum, and the isolated solid was dried in an oven at 50 C. under 0.9 bar vacuum, yielding 6.94 g of fluticasone propionate 30 (92.4% theoretical yield).

[0041] Crystals obtained from this experiment are shown in FIG. 3.

Powder X-Ray Diffraction Data

[0042] The powder X-ray diffraction pattern was determined using a Bruker-AXS Ltd. D4 powder X-ray diffractometer fitted with an automatic sample changer, a theta-theta goniometer, automatic beam divergence slit, and a PSD Vantec-1 detector. The sample was prepared for analysis by mounting on a low background cavity silicon wafer specimen mount. The peaks obtained were aligned against a silicon reference standard. The specimen was rotated whilst being irradiated with copper K-alphal X-rays (wavelength=1.5406 Angstroms) with the X-ray tube operated at 40 kV/35 mA. The analyses were performed with the goniometer running in continuous mode set for a 0.2 second count per 0.0180 step over a two theta range of 20 to 550. Characteristic diffraction angles for the two known polymorphs of fluticaseon propionate, as reported in EU Patent EP 0 937 100 B1, are as indicated below in table 1:

TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Poly- Primary morph Peaks () Secondary peaks () Form 1 7.9 10.0 11.5 12.4 13.1 14.9 15.8 Form 2 7.6 9.8 13.0 13.6 15.2

[0043] A PXRD pattern of the product obtained from this experiment, shown to match that of form 1 for fluticasone propionate, is shown in FIG. 4.

Example 3: Re-Crystallisation of Fluticasone Propionate Using the Reverse Anti-Solvent Process of the Present Invention

[0044] 10 g of fluticasone propionate [S-(fluoromethyl)-6,9-difluoro-11-17-dihydroxy-16-methyl-3-oxoandrosta-1,4-diene-17-carbothioate, 17-propionate] obtained from a commercial source was mixed with 200 mL acetone. The mixture was heated to 40 C., and then cooled to 10 C. The chilled solution was added to a separate agitated vessel containing 200 mL water at 10 C. over a period of 10 minutes. Crystallisation of the product was observed during the addition. The mixture was heated to 20 C. and held at that temperature for 12 hours. The slurry was filtered under vacuum, and the isolated solid was dried in an oven at 50 C. under 0.9 bar vacuum, yielding 9.33 g of fluticasone propionate (93.3% theoretical yield).

[0045] Crystals obtained from this experiment are shown in FIG. 5.

[0046] A PXRD pattern from the product, shown to match that of form 1 for fluticasone propionate, is shown in FIG. 6.

Example 4: Re-Crystallization of Fluticasone Propionate Using the Reverse Anti-Solvent Process of the Present Invention

[0047] 9 g of fluticasone propionate [S-(fluoromethyl)-6,9-difluoro-11-17-dihydroxy-16-methyl-3-oxoandrosta-1,4-diene-17-carbothioate, 17-propionate] obtained from a commercial source was mixed with 270 mL acetone. The mixture was heated to 40 C., and then cooled to 10 C. The chilled solution was added to a separate agitated vessel containing 175 mL water and 75 mL acetone at 10 C. over a period of 6 hours. Crystallisation of the product was observed during the addition. The mixture was heated to 20 C. and held at that temperature for 12 hours. The slurry was filtered under vacuum, and the isolated solid was dried in an oven at 50 C. under 0.9 bar vacuum, yielding 8.56 g of fluticasone propionate (95.1% theoretical yield).

[0048] Crystals obtained from this experiment are shown in FIG. 7.

[0049] A PXRD pattern from the product, shown to match that of form 1 for fluticasone propionate, is shown in FIG. 8.

Example 5: Re-Crystallization of Fluticasone Propionate Using the Reverse Anti-Solvent Process of the Present Invention

[0050] 9 g of fluticasone propionate [S-(fluoromethyl)-6,9-difluoro-11-17-dihydroxy-16-methyl-3-oxoandrosta-1,4-diene-17-carbothioate, 17-propionate] obtained from a commercial source was mixed with 162 mL acetone and 18 mL water. The mixture was heated to 40 C., and then cooled to 10 C. The chilled solution was added to a separate agitated vessel containing 270 mL water at 10 C. over a period of 6 hours. Crystallisation of the product was observed during the addition. The mixture was heated to 20 C. and filtered under vacuum.

[0051] i solid was dried in an oven at 50 C. under 0.9 bar vacuum, yielding 7.56 of fluticasone propionate (84.0% theoretical yield).

[0052] Crystals obtained from this experiment are shown in FIG. 9.

[0053] A PXRD pattern from the product, shown to match that of form 1 for fluticasone propionate, is shown in FIG. 10.

Example 6: Re-Crystallisation of Fluticasone Propionate Using the Reverse Anti-Solvent Process of the Present Invention

[0054] 0.958 Kg of fluticasone propionate [S-(fluoromethyl)-6,9-difluoro-11-17-dihydroxy-16-methyl-3-oxoandrosta-1,4-diene-17-carbothioate, 17-propionate] obtained from a commercial source was mixed with 24.7 L acetone. The mixture was heated to 35 C., and then cooled to 20 C. The solution was added to a separate agitated vessel containing 24 L water at 20 C. over a period of 2 hours. Crystallisation of the product was observed during the addition. The mixture was held at 20 C. for 1 hour with agitation. The slurry was filtered under vacuum, and the isolated solid was dried in an oven at 75 C. under 0.9 bar vacuum, yielding 0.85 Kg of fluticasone propionate (88.3% theoretical yield).

Example 7: Re-Crystallisation of Fluticasone Propionate Using the Reverse Antisolvent Process of the Present Invention

[0055] 2.50 Kg of fluticasone propionate [S-(fluoromethyl)-6,9-difluoro-11-17-dihydroxy-16-25 methyl-3-oxoandrosta-1,4-diene-17-carbothioate, 17-propionate] obtained from a commercial source was mixed with 62.5 L acetone. The mixture was heated to 35 C., and then cooled to 20 C. The solution was added to a separate agitated vessel containing 47 L water and 15.5 L acetone at 20 C. over a period of 2 hours. Crystallisation of the product was observed during the addition. The mixture was held at 20 C. for 1 hour with agitation. The slurry was filtered under vacuum, and the isolated solid was dried in an oven at 75 C. under 0.9 bar vacuum, yielding 2.26 Kg of fluticasone propionate (90.4% theoretical yield).

Example 8: Re-Crystallisation of Fluticasone Propionate Using the Reverse Anti-Solvent Process of the Present Invention

[0056] 9.5 Kg of fluticasone propionate [S-(fluoromethyl)-6,9-difluoro-11-17-dihydroxy-16-methyl-3-oxoandrosta-1,4-diene-173-carbothioate, 17-propionate] obtained from a commercial source was mixed with 237.5 L acetone. The mixture was heated to 35 C., and then cooled to 20 C. The solution was added to a separate agitated vessel containing 237.5 L water at 20 C. over a period of 4 hours. Crystallisation of the product was observed during the addition. The mixture was held at 20 C. for 4 hours with agitation. The slurry was filtered under vacuum, and the isolated solid was dried in an agitated dryer at 75 C. under 0.9 bar vacuum, yielding 8.5 Kg of fluticasone propionate (89.2% theoretical yield).

Example 9: Re-Crystallisation of Fluticasone Propionate Using the Reverse Anti-Solvent Process of the Present Invention

[0057] 2.50 Kg of fluticasone propionate [S-(fluoromethyl)-6,9-difluoro-11-17-dihydroxy-16-methyl-3-oxoandrosta-1,4-diene-171-carbothioate, 17-propionate] obtained from a commercial source was mixed with 56.25 L acetone and 6.25 L water. The mixture was heated to 35 C., and then cooled to 20 C. The solution was added to a separate agitated vessel containing 40.6 L water and 21.9 L acetone at 20 C. over a period of 1 hour. Crystallisation of the product was observed during the addition. The mixture was held at 20 C. for 1 hour with agitation. The slurry was filtered under vacuum, and the isolated solid was dried in an oven at 75 C. under 0.9 bar vacuum, yielding 2.15 Kg of fluticasone propionate (86.0% theoretical yield).

Example 10: Particle Size Data as Measured by Laser Diffraction

[0058] The following particle size assays for crystallised and micronized fluticasone propionate were used in this experiment:

Particle Size Method for Recrystallised FP:

[0059] The particle size distribution was measured on the Malvern Mastersizer 2000 laser diffraction system equipped with a Hydro 2000S liquid dispersion unit and flow cell. The sample was prepared by adding 15 drops of Tween 80 to crystallised fluticasone propionate within the glass 4 dram vial and mixing into a paste using a spatula, until all of the powder is wetted out and a smooth, uniform paste is achieved. Then the paste is added to the Hydro 2000S containing dispersant (0.1% Tween 80 in deionised water) using a spatula. When the obscuration target is achieved (20%5%) the sample is left to stir within the Hydro 2000S for 1 minute to allow the particles to wet out, disperse and ensure a stable obscuration is achieved. Measurement is initiated after 1 minute of stirring.

Particle Size Method for Micronised FP:

[0060] The particle size distribution was measured on the Sympatec HELOS laser diffraction system (with R1 optical module giving a measuring range of 0.1/0.18-35 m) together with SUCELL dispersing module. 100 mg of micronised sample is weighed into a 4-dram vial and 15 drops (approximately 0.5 mL) of Tween 80 is added from a 3 ml wide-tipped pipette to the powder. The mixture is then carefully stirred into a paste until all the particles are wetted out and a uniform smooth mixture is achieved. Then the paste is added to the SUCELL containing dispersant (0.025% Tween 80 in deionised water) using a spatula. Once the optical concentration target is achieved (10-15%) then a measurement is taken.

[0061] The particle size data expressed as D[v, 0.1], D[v, 0.5] and D[v, 0.9] obtained from examples 2-9 are summarized below in Table 2. D[v, 0.1], D[v, 0.5] and D[v, 0.9] represent the 10.sup.th percentile volume diameter; 50.sup.th percentile volume diameter; and 90.sup.th percentile volume diameter respectively. In general the n.sup.th percentile volume diameter is defined so that n % of the particles have a volume equivalent particle diameter smaller than or equal to the n.sup.th percentile diameter. In the case of D[v, 0.5], it coincides with the median value.

TABLE-US-00002 TABLE 2 Batch D[v, 0.1] (m) D[v, 0.5] (m) D[v, 0.9] (m) Example 2 2.5 6.7 15.7 Example 3 2.1 5.1 11.357 Example 4 15.4 55.1 135.9 Example 5 2.1 5.9 15.2 Example 6 2.0 5.3 12.4 Example 7 3.4 11.4 32.1 Example 8 1.3 2.8 5.6 Example 9 6.2 22.5 53.4

[0062] This experiment shows that the particle size distribution varies through variations in solvent composition.

Example 11: Particle Size Data Before and after Micronisation

[0063] Particles were micronized using a JetPharma MC150 (6 inch spiral jet mill) using the following conditions: [0064] Feed rate: 15 g/min [0065] Mill pressure: 3.5 bar [0066] Venturi Pressure: 5.5 bar [0067] Micronisation scale: 0.5 Kg.

[0068] The micronisation comparison of Examples 8 and 9 showing the impact of ingoing particle size on micronisation output is summarized in Table 3 below:

TABLE-US-00003 TABLE 3 Ingoing particle size Post-micronisation particle size Batch D[v, 0.5] (m) D[v, 0.5] (m) Example 8 2.8 2.3 Example 9 22.5 4.0

Example 12: Product Recovery after Micronisation

[0069] An additional and significant advantage of the particles resulting from the process according to the present invention is the increased yield in micronized fluticasone propionate due to lower loss of product in the jet milling chamber, compared to micronisation input obtained from a conventional anti-solvent process such as the one described in Example 1. Several batches crystallised by either conventional anti-solvent techniques (as described in Example 1) or reverse anti-solvent techniques according to the present invention (as described Examples 2-9) were micronized, and the results summarised on Table 4 below show that the percentage of product collected after micronisation was on average much higher for reverse anti-solvent product batches than for conventional anti-solvent ones. Additionally, a much lower portion of product was left in the mill chamber if the product had originated from reverse anti-solvent.

TABLE-US-00004 TABLE 4 Summary of product recovery after micronisation for anti-solvent and reverse anti-solvent batches. % batch left in % batch Crystallization technique mill chamber recovered Conventional anti-solvent technique 10.6 53 Conventional anti-solvent technique 13.9 46.5 Conventional anti-solvent technique 5.5 35.6 Conventional anti-solvent technique 8.5 59.2 Reverse anti-solvent according to 2.1 63.1 present invention Reverse anti-solvent according to 2.2 78.9 present invention Reverse anti-solvent according to 3.7 43.7 present invention Reverse anti-solvent according to 1.0 63.1 present invention Reverse anti-solvent according to 1.0 81 present invention