Development of a novel quality by design–enabled stability‐indicating HPLC method and its validation for the quantification of nirmatrelvir in bulk and pharmaceutical dosage forms

Abstract A systematic and novel quality by design–enabled, rapid, simple, and economic stability–indicating HPLC method for quantifying nirmatrelvir (NMT) was successfully developed and validated. An analytical target profile (ATP) was established, and critical analytical attributes (CAAs) were allocated to meet the ATP requirements. The method used chromatographic separation using a Purosphere column with a 4.6 mm inner diameter × 250 mm (2.5 μm). The analysis occurred at 50°C with a flow rate of 1.2 mL/min and detection at 220 nm. A 10 μL sample was injected, and the mobile phase consisted of two components: mobile phase A, containing 0.1% formic acid in water (20%), and mobile phase B, containing 0.1% formic acid in acetonitrile (80%). The diluent was prepared by mixing acetonitrile and water at a 90:10 v/v ratio. The retention time for the analyte was determined to be 2.78 min. Accuracy exceeded 99%, and the correlation coefficient was greater than 0.999. The validated HPLC method was characterized as precise, accurate, and robust. Significantly, NMT was found to be susceptible to alkaline, acidic, and peroxide conditions during forced degradation testing. The stability‐indicating method developed effectively separated the degradation products formed during stress testing, underlining its effectiveness in stability testing and offering accuracy, reliability, and sensitivity in determining NMT.