Co-Crystallization Approach to Enhance the Stability of Moisture-Sensitive Drugs

Stability is an essential quality attribute of any pharmaceutical formulation. Poor stability can change the color and physical appearance of a drug, directly impacting the patient’s perception. Unstable drug products may also face loss of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and degradation, making the medicine ineffective and toxic. Moisture content is known to be the leading cause of the degradation of nearly 50% of medicinal products, leading to impurities in solid dose formulations. The polarity of the atoms in an API and the surface chemistry of API particles majorly influence the affinity towards water molecules. Moisture induces chemical reactions, including free water that has also been identified as an important factor in determining drug product stability. Among the various approaches, crystal engineering and specifically co-crystals, have a proven ability to increase the stability of moisture-sensitive APIs. Other approaches, such as changing the salt form, can lead to solubility issues, thus making the co-crystal approach more suited to enhancing hygroscopic stability. There are many reported studies where co-crystals have exhibited reduced hygroscopicity compared to pure API, thereby improving the product’s stability. In this review, the authors focus on recent updates and trends in these studies related to improving the hygroscopic stability of compounds, discuss the reasons behind the enhanced stability, and briefly discuss the screening of co-formers for moisture-sensitive drugs.