Degradation studies on lurasidone hydrochloride using validated reverse phase HPLC and LC–MS/MS

The research aims to develop and validate a stability-indicating reverse phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) method for Lurasidone hydrochloride, an antipsychotic drug derived from benzisothiazole derivatives.A Binary Gradient HPLC System with a PDA detector, C18 column (4.6 x 100 mm, 2.5 mm), and a Shimadzu 8040 series triple quadrupole mass analyzer with an electron spray ionizer was used for the LC-MS/MS analysis.The method was linear in the concentration range of 10-50 μg/mL with a correlation coefficient (r²) of 0.999. The limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) were 0.091 μg/mL and 0.275 μg/mL, respectively. Validation included accuracy, percentage recovery, robustness, system suitability, and interday and intraday precision. Forced degradation studies were conducted in acid, alkali, oxidative, neutral, and photolytic conditions after 1, 2, and 6 hours, and in oxidative conditions for 24 hours. Degraded products were evaluated on LC-MS (100 m/z to 550 m/z). Lurasidone was more susceptible to alkali hydrolysis, with fragmentation peaks at 109, 166, 220, and 317 m/z. and possible fragmentation pattern was also evaluated.This method is used for routine quality control analysis as a stability-indicating method of Lurasidone hydrochloride in pharmaceuticals, and the LC-MS data is used for evaluating stability and identifying drug intermediates.