The present study reports novel cocrystals of telmisartan (TEL) with saccharin and glutaric acid. Crystal engineering approaches such as solution crystallization, solid-state grinding and slurry method have been utilized with the ultimate objective of improving the solubility of this BCS class II drug. The physical characterization revealed that the cocrystals are unique vis-à-vis thermal, spectroscopic and X-ray diffraction properties. Structural characterization showed that the cocrystals with saccharin and glutaric acid exist in monoclinic P2 1 /c and triclinic P1 space groups, respectively. The improved solubility of telmisartansaccharin (TEL-SAC) (nine-fold) and telmisartan-glutaric acid (two-fold) cocrystals in comparison with the free drug has been demonstrated in solubility experiments in phosphate buffer, pH 7.5. The TEL-SAC cocrystal remained stable in the aqueous medium for 6 hours as confirmed by PXRD. The AUC 0-24 of TEL-SAC and TEL-GA was found to be 2-fold and 1.4-fold increased in terms of bioavailability than pure TEL, respectively. The in vivo antihypertensive activity of TEL-SAC in DOCA salt-induced hypertensive rats showed two-fold improved efficacy, while acute toxicity studies revealed no signs of toxicity in rats even at doses of 2000 mg kg −1 of body weight (BW). The new solid phase of telmisartan with saccharin represents a promising and viable opportunity for the manufacture of a drug product with improved therapeutic outcomes.

The present study deals with the application of mechanochemical approach for the preparation of drug-drug multicomponent solid forms of three poorly soluble antihypertensive drugs (telmisartan, irbesartan and hydrochlorothiazide) using atenolol as a coformer. The resultant solid forms comprise of cocrystal (telmisartan-atenolol), coamorphous (irbesartan-atenolol) and eutectic (hydrochlorothiazide-atenolol). The study emphasizes that solid-state transformation of drug molecules into new forms is a result of the change in structural patterns, diminishing of dimers and creating new facile hydrogen bonding network based on structural resemblance. The propensity for heteromeric or homomeric interaction between two different drugs resulted into diverse solid forms (cocrystal/coamorphous/eutectics) and become one of the interesting aspects of this research work. Evaluation of these solid forms revealed an increase in solubility and dissolution leading to better antihypertensive activity in deoxycorticosterone acetate (DOCA) salt-induced animal model. Thus, development of these drug-drug multicomponent solid forms is a promising and viable approach to addressing the issue of poor solubility and could be of considerable interest in dual drug therapy for the treatment of hypertension.

Traditional herbal medicines (THMs) are gaining popularity worldwide as an alternative approach to prescription drugs for many reasons including a general perception that they are safe. But recently there have been number of reported studies that reveal adulteration of THMs with undeclared synthetic drugs, which may potentially cause serious toxic adverse effects. This paper reviews the various classes of synthetic drugs that were found to be adulterated in THMs worldwide. The main focus is to highlight newer analytical tools used to detect adulteration. Due to the advancement in hyphenated techniques like liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS) and other conventional tools, it has become possible to detect synthetic drugs and their structural analogues as adulterants even if they are present in small quantities. This review also gives an overview of health-related risks after consuming such spurious products and challenges for future perspectives to control such type of malpractices.

Liquid chromatography tandem mass chromatography (LC–MS/MS) is an important hyphenated technique for quantitative analysis of drugs in biological fluids. Because of high sensitivity and selectivity, LC–MS/MS has been used for pharmacokinetic studies, metabolites identification in the plasma and urine. This manuscript gives comprehensive analytical review, focusing on chromatographic separation approaches (column packing materials, column length and mobile phase) as well as different acquisition modes (SIM, MRM) for quantitative analysis of glucocorticoids and stimulants. This review is not meant to be exhaustive but rather to provide a general overview for detection and confirmation of target drugs using LC–MS/MS and thus useful in the doping analysis, toxicological studies as well as in pharmaceutical analysis.