Validated Reverse Phase HPLC Method for the Determination of Irinotecan in Pharmaceutical Dosage Forms

A simple and rapid reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) method was developed and validated for quantitative determination of irinotecan in bulk drug samples and formulations. Irinotecan was analyzed by using reverse phase cyano column (4.6 mmx25 cm, 5 microns), with mobile phase consisting of phosphate buffer: acetonitrile (75:25 v/v), pH adjusted to 2.5 with phosphoric acid. The flow rate was set 0.8 mL/min and the analysis was performed at wavelength 225 nm using Photo Diode Array (PDA) detector at ambient temperature. The method was validated and stability studies were conducted under different conditions. The retention time for irinotecan was around 5.82 minutes. The calibration curves were linear (r ≥ 0.9998) over a concentration range from 20.0 to 80.0 μg/mL. Limit of detection (LOD) and Limit of quantitation (LOQ) were 8 ng/mL and 24 ng/mL respectively. The developed method was successfully applied to estimate the amount of irinotecan in injection formulations.