How to mitigate nitrosamine risk with low nitrite excipients
Choosing the right nitrosamine risk mitigation strategy in a constantly evolving market – fuelled by emerging science and innovative technologies – can be challenging, especially when a development pipeline faces multiple routes of possible nitrosamine contamination. One such pathway occurs when an active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) containing a vulnerable amine reacts with nitrite under certain conditions, leading to the formation of API-based nitrosamines (1). Choosing low nitrite excipients is one tool that may reduce the risk of nitrosamine formation, especially when a vulnerable amine is present in the formulated drug product (2-5). Such an approach carries minimal risks and should form part of a holistic strategy to reduce the risk of nitrosamine formation. But why? Read on to uncover the role of low nitrite excipients in nitrosamine control and key considerations that drug manufacturers can bear in mind when planning their nitrosamine mitigation strategies.