The present study investigates the structural and pharmaceutical properties of different multicomponent crystalline forms of lamotrigine (LTG) with some pharmaceutically acceptable coformers viz. nicotinamide (1), acetamide (2), acetic acid (3), 4-hydroxy-benzoic acid (4) and saccharin (5). The structurally homogeneous phases were characterized in the solid state by DSC/TGA, FT-IR and XRD (powder and single crystal structure analysis) as well as in the solution phase. Forms 1 and 2 were found to be cocrystal hydrate and cocrystal, respectively, while in forms 3, 4 and 5, proton transfer was observed from coformer to drug. The enthalpy of formation of multicomponent crystals from their components was determined from the enthalpy of solution of the cocrystals and the components separately. Higher exothermic values of the enthalpy of formation for molecular complexes 3, 4 and 5 suggest these to be more stable than 1 and 2. The solubility was measured in water as well as in phosphate buffers of varying pH. The salt solvate 3 exhibited the highest solubility of the drug in water as well as in buffers over the pH range 7-3 while the cocrystal hydrate 1 showed the maximum solubility in a buffer of pH 2. A significant lowering of the dosage profile of LTG was observed for 1, 3 and 5 in the animal activity studies on mice.

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Solid dosage forms are by far the preferred drug delivery systems. However, these often face the problem of poor and erratic bioavailability during the drug development process. Numerous formulation strategies for drug delivery are currently under development, among which the solid forms such as polymorphs, solvates, salts, and cocrystals have been considered to be the most important for improving dissolution rate and bioavailability. Cocrystallization is a fairly new approach in pharmaceutical industry that can improve the solubility and, consequently, the bioactivity of the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) without compromising its structural integrity. Pharmaceutical cocrystals have found their place in drug delivery, primarily due to their ability to produce alternative, viable solid forms when a more standard approach of salt and polymorph formation fails to deliver the desired objectives. Over the past few years, a number of papers have been published focusing on a broad range of subjects, from traditional crystal engineering to structure-property relationships of cocrystals. The present review, however, illustrates how the cocrystalline forms of APIs have improved their in vitro dissolution rate and in vivo bioavailability, often correlating well with their improved solubility as well.

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-Purpose:The aim of the work is to study the crystallization of efavirenz to understand the preferential formation of various polymorphic forms, to establish their identity, to study the transformation between the polymorphic forms on heating and to determine their free energy. Methods: Slow crystallization from different solvents under controlled conditions was employed to prepare various crystalline forms. The TGA and DSC were used to study their thermal behavior and inter-conversion of these forms. The calorimetrically determined enthalpies of solution and solubility data are utilized to determine the transition temperatures. Results: Six polymorphic forms of efavirenz are identified and characterized completely. The TGA scans of all the forms did not show any mass loss indicating absence of hydrate or solvate. The thermally induced transformations are observed in the DSC scans of five forms II-VI indicating them to be metastable which are converted to stable higher melting forms. The melting temperature and enthalpy of fusion of lower melting (Form L ) and higher melting forms (Form H ) reveal that four of these polymorphic pairs are monotropically related. The enthalpies of solution of Form L are found to be more exothermic as compared to corresponding Form H . The transition temperature (T t ) determined using enthalpy of solution and solubility data was found to be higher than the melting of both the forms except for polymorphic pair VI L /VI H . The effect of ΔC p on transition temperature is also reported. Conclusions: The form I is found to be thermodymanically most stable but least soluble. The forms II-V are metastable and are converted irreversibly to stable forms. The enthalpy of fusion rule and virtual transition temperature provided complementary evidence for the existence of monotropy in these polymorphic pairs. However, enantiotropy is demonstrated in VI L /VL H pair and is well established in our study. Novelty: The present study reveals the thermodynamic aspects of various isolated polymorphic forms of efavirenz. Solution calorimetry along with other techniques is used to study the transformation of one form to another. The emphasis is laid on determination of transition temperature of various polymorphic pairs which has not been reported earlier.