Polymorphic Crystallization Design to Prevent the Degradation of the β-Lactam Structure of a Carbapenem

The cooling crystallization of carbapenem CS-023 was performed at 25 °C in an aqueous solution. Tetrahydrate crystals (form H) were obtained. Hydrate crystals are promising drugs, but there has been problems in manufacturing such crystals. During cooling crystallization, a dissolution process at a high temperature of 70 °C was utilized. The main problem in manufacturing was that the degradation rate of CS-023 at 70 °C was high, as expressed in the half-life period of 2.97 h. Poor solvent crystallization using ethanol was observed at 25 °C. Thus, a different polymorph (Form A) was obtained. Form A comprised CS-023, 5/2 ethanol, and 1/2 H2O. Form A, containing ethanol, is not suitable as a drug. Form A was then transformed to another polymorph of hydrate crystals or tetrahydrate Form H. Another hydrate polymorph, Form B, was obtained through the solid phase transformation of Form A and further transformed to the tetrahydrate Form H, at high humidity over 80% RH. This process, which proceeded at the low temperature of 25 °C, helped to prevent the degradation of CS-023, thereby avoiding wastage. Furthermore, the solid-phase transition could be controlled with vapor composition.