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Pharmaceutical Technology: Drug Stability
perfusions is helpful as a general reference, especially as such techniques are increasingly used as tools in investigative toxicology. Making less significant contributions to the overall text are new chapters discussing the toxicology of foodborne materials, solvents, and pesticides. However, with the addition of these three chapters, a separate treatment of the toxicology of pharmaceuticals would have been useful, especially since the first use of a drug by humans is based on animal toxicology data. Such a chapter would have provided a good complement to the chapter on pharmacokinetics. As with the first, this edition is well documented (over 4,800 references) and can serve as an entry point to the literature for the reader who wants a more in-depth treatment of the subject. The second edition is an expanded and improved replacement for the first edition. It provides an overview that should be read by every practicing toxicologist and metabolic and pharmaceutical chemist.
Richard A. Hiles Program Management Hazleton Laboratories America, Inc. 3301 Kinsman Blvd. Madison, WI 53704
Pharmaceutical Technology: Drug Stability. Edited by Michael H. Rubinstein. Ellis Howood: Chichester, U.K. 1989. 167 pp. 24.5 x 17 crn. ISBN 0470-21411-2. $69.95.
This publication is the third volume in a series of books in the general area of pharmaceutical technology. The book is a compilation of the papers presented at the annual Pharmaceutical Technology Conferences in Harrogate (1986), Canterbury (1987) and London (1988). The book contains 13 research papers and one review article presenting new data on techniques for enhancing drug stability. The stability techniques are not novel. Only the data presenting the application of such techniques is original. It is not the intent of this book to provide a textbook-type approach to the theoretical basis of chemical kinetics and its use in study of drug stability. The first chapter of this book presents a review on cyclodextrins and their ability to form inclusion compounds. This article addresses the improved stability and dissolution and the bioavailability of drug formulations. This article, like many other previously published, fails to address the toxicity and safety considerations of cyclodextrins after oral or parenteral administration. The various chapters of this book are so diversified that it is difficult to classify them under subgroups. The chapter on stabilization in liposomes of local anesthetics such as benzocaine and procaine does not present anything significantly new other than another application of liposomes. By contrast, the research paper on the influence of processing factors on the stability of lyophilized sodium ethacrynate is informative, methodical, and interesting. It contains a good discussion on the influence of solution cooling rate, solute concentration, and fill volume on the physical form and stability of the lyophilized drug. There are chapters on the use of colloidal/ porous silica and silica gel in drug formulation stabilization. Two papers deal with suspensions. One describes a technique to measure the pH of a suspension, thus avoiding the effect of the solids on the continuous phase. The other chapter on suspension deals with the description of a control system to monitor the growth of particles due to crystallization. The use 372 I Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences Vol. 79, No. 4, April 1990
of short and ultra-short HPLC columns for drug analysis in dissolution testing has also been described. Most of the papers follow a standard format and there is an adequate subject index. The quality of research papers published in this compilation is by no means uniform. As often happens with books which cover conference proceedings, an external flow review of the papers would have enhanced the quality of the text. This is not to say that the papers presented are not of high standard and caliber. The utility of the depth of information presented in these papers would be best judged by the individual readers depending on their previous knowledge and understanding of the subject. First-year graduate students and pharmaceutical scientists, both in academia and industry, will find this book interesting and useful as a compilation on some methods to improve drug stability in pharmaceutical products. However, it must be noted that this reviewer did not get very excited upon reading this book and the readers who constantly pursue pharmaceutical literature will not either. Nevertheless, this would be a good addition to libraries of institution and laboratories involved in pharmaceutical research. The cost of this book prohibits my recommending personal copies.
Praveen Tyle Sandoz Research Institute Sandoz Pharmaceuticals Corporation P.O. Box 83288 Lincoln, NE 68501
Current Books Gerontoklnetlcs. The Pharmacoklnetlcs of Drugs In the Elderly. By Wolfgang A. Ritschel. Telford Press: Caldwell, NJ: 1988. x + 114 pp. 24 x 16 cm. ISBN Ck936923-164. Price not given. Psychoactive Drugs, Tolerance and Sensitization. Edited by A. J. Goudie and M. W. Emmett-Oglesby.Humana Press: Clifton, NJ: 1989. xv + 600 pp. 24 x 16 cm. ISBN 0-89603-148-9. $79.50. Progress in Heterocycllc Chemistry. Edited by H. Suschitzky and E. F. V. Scriven. Pergamon: Oxford, U.K. 1989. ix + 334 pp. 23 x 15 cm. ISBN 048-0370454. $35.00. Adverse Reactions to Drug Formulation Agents: A Handbook of Exclplents. By Murray Weiner and I. Leonard Bernstein. Marcel Dekker: New York. 1989. ix + 463 pp. 24 x 16 cm. ISBN 08247-79444. $125.00. Pharmaceutlcal Dosage Forms: Disperse Systems. Vol. 2. Edited by Herbert A. Lieberman, Martin M. Rieger, and Gilbert S. Banker. Marcel Dekker: New York. 1989. xx + 690 pp. 26 x 18 cm. $125.00. Nasal Systemic Drug Delivery. By Vie W. Chien, Kenneth S.E. Su, and Shyi-Feu Chang. Marcel Dekker: New York. 1989. vii + 310 pp. 23 x 16 cm. ISBN 0-8247-8093-0. $99.75. The Muscarlnlc Receptors. Edited by Joan Heller Brown. Humana Press: Clifton, NJ: 1989. xviii + 478 pp. 24 x 16 cm. ISBN Ck 89603-15SX. $89.50. Synthesis of Optically Active Alpha-Amlno Acids. By Robert M. Williams. Pergamon: Oxford, U.K. 1989. xvii t 410 pp. 25 x 18 cm. ISBN 04835939-6. $39.50. New Therapeutic Strategies In Hypertension. Edited by Norman M. Kaplan, Barry M. Brenner, and John H. Laragh. Raven Press: New York. 1989. x 321 pp. 26 x 18 cm. ISBN 0-88167-528-3. Price not given. Natural Toxins: Characterization, Pharmacology and Therapeutics. Edited by Charlotte L. Ownby and George V. Odell. Pergamon: Oxford, U.K. 1989. xii + 211 pp. 26 x 17 cm. ISBN &0@-036139-0. Price not given. Psychopharmacology. Edited by Alan A. Boulton, Glen B. Baker, and Andrew J. Greenshaw. Humana: Clifton, NJ. 1989. xxiv + 821 pp. 24 x 16 cm. ISBN 0-89603-129-2. $99.50. Covalently Modified Antigens and Antibodies In Diagnosis and Therapy. Edited by Gerard A. Quash and John D. Rodwell. Marcel Dekker: New York. 1989. x 236 pp. 24 x 16 crn. ISBN 0624741074. $99.75. Readers: If you wlsh to revlew one of the books llsted above, contact Margaret H. Slckels, Asslstant Edltor, (202) 42S7518.
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Richard A. Hiles Program Management Hazleton Laboratories America, Inc. 3301 Kinsman Blvd. Madison, WI 53704
Pharmaceutical Technology: Drug Stability. Edited by Michael H. Rubinstein. Ellis Howood: Chichester, U.K. 1989. 167 pp. 24.5 x 17 crn. ISBN 0470-21411-2. $69.95.
This publication is the third volume in a series of books in the general area of pharmaceutical technology. The book is a compilation of the papers presented at the annual Pharmaceutical Technology Conferences in Harrogate (1986), Canterbury (1987) and London (1988). The book contains 13 research papers and one review article presenting new data on techniques for enhancing drug stability. The stability techniques are not novel. Only the data presenting the application of such techniques is original. It is not the intent of this book to provide a textbook-type approach to the theoretical basis of chemical kinetics and its use in study of drug stability. The first chapter of this book presents a review on cyclodextrins and their ability to form inclusion compounds. This article addresses the improved stability and dissolution and the bioavailability of drug formulations. This article, like many other previously published, fails to address the toxicity and safety considerations of cyclodextrins after oral or parenteral administration. The various chapters of this book are so diversified that it is difficult to classify them under subgroups. The chapter on stabilization in liposomes of local anesthetics such as benzocaine and procaine does not present anything significantly new other than another application of liposomes. By contrast, the research paper on the influence of processing factors on the stability of lyophilized sodium ethacrynate is informative, methodical, and interesting. It contains a good discussion on the influence of solution cooling rate, solute concentration, and fill volume on the physical form and stability of the lyophilized drug. There are chapters on the use of colloidal/ porous silica and silica gel in drug formulation stabilization. Two papers deal with suspensions. One describes a technique to measure the pH of a suspension, thus avoiding the effect of the solids on the continuous phase. The other chapter on suspension deals with the description of a control system to monitor the growth of particles due to crystallization. The use 372 I Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences Vol. 79, No. 4, April 1990
of short and ultra-short HPLC columns for drug analysis in dissolution testing has also been described. Most of the papers follow a standard format and there is an adequate subject index. The quality of research papers published in this compilation is by no means uniform. As often happens with books which cover conference proceedings, an external flow review of the papers would have enhanced the quality of the text. This is not to say that the papers presented are not of high standard and caliber. The utility of the depth of information presented in these papers would be best judged by the individual readers depending on their previous knowledge and understanding of the subject. First-year graduate students and pharmaceutical scientists, both in academia and industry, will find this book interesting and useful as a compilation on some methods to improve drug stability in pharmaceutical products. However, it must be noted that this reviewer did not get very excited upon reading this book and the readers who constantly pursue pharmaceutical literature will not either. Nevertheless, this would be a good addition to libraries of institution and laboratories involved in pharmaceutical research. The cost of this book prohibits my recommending personal copies.
Praveen Tyle Sandoz Research Institute Sandoz Pharmaceuticals Corporation P.O. Box 83288 Lincoln, NE 68501
Current Books Gerontoklnetlcs. The Pharmacoklnetlcs of Drugs In the Elderly. By Wolfgang A. Ritschel. Telford Press: Caldwell, NJ: 1988. x + 114 pp. 24 x 16 cm. ISBN Ck936923-164. Price not given. Psychoactive Drugs, Tolerance and Sensitization. Edited by A. J. Goudie and M. W. Emmett-Oglesby.Humana Press: Clifton, NJ: 1989. xv + 600 pp. 24 x 16 cm. ISBN 0-89603-148-9. $79.50. Progress in Heterocycllc Chemistry. Edited by H. Suschitzky and E. F. V. Scriven. Pergamon: Oxford, U.K. 1989. ix + 334 pp. 23 x 15 cm. ISBN 048-0370454. $35.00. Adverse Reactions to Drug Formulation Agents: A Handbook of Exclplents. By Murray Weiner and I. Leonard Bernstein. Marcel Dekker: New York. 1989. ix + 463 pp. 24 x 16 cm. ISBN 08247-79444. $125.00. Pharmaceutlcal Dosage Forms: Disperse Systems. Vol. 2. Edited by Herbert A. Lieberman, Martin M. Rieger, and Gilbert S. Banker. Marcel Dekker: New York. 1989. xx + 690 pp. 26 x 18 cm. $125.00. Nasal Systemic Drug Delivery. By Vie W. Chien, Kenneth S.E. Su, and Shyi-Feu Chang. Marcel Dekker: New York. 1989. vii + 310 pp. 23 x 16 cm. ISBN 0-8247-8093-0. $99.75. The Muscarlnlc Receptors. Edited by Joan Heller Brown. Humana Press: Clifton, NJ: 1989. xviii + 478 pp. 24 x 16 cm. ISBN Ck 89603-15SX. $89.50. Synthesis of Optically Active Alpha-Amlno Acids. By Robert M. Williams. Pergamon: Oxford, U.K. 1989. xvii t 410 pp. 25 x 18 cm. ISBN 04835939-6. $39.50. New Therapeutic Strategies In Hypertension. Edited by Norman M. Kaplan, Barry M. Brenner, and John H. Laragh. Raven Press: New York. 1989. x 321 pp. 26 x 18 cm. ISBN 0-88167-528-3. Price not given. Natural Toxins: Characterization, Pharmacology and Therapeutics. Edited by Charlotte L. Ownby and George V. Odell. Pergamon: Oxford, U.K. 1989. xii + 211 pp. 26 x 17 cm. ISBN &0@-036139-0. Price not given. Psychopharmacology. Edited by Alan A. Boulton, Glen B. Baker, and Andrew J. Greenshaw. Humana: Clifton, NJ. 1989. xxiv + 821 pp. 24 x 16 cm. ISBN 0-89603-129-2. $99.50. Covalently Modified Antigens and Antibodies In Diagnosis and Therapy. Edited by Gerard A. Quash and John D. Rodwell. Marcel Dekker: New York. 1989. x 236 pp. 24 x 16 crn. ISBN 0624741074. $99.75. Readers: If you wlsh to revlew one of the books llsted above, contact Margaret H. Slckels, Asslstant Edltor, (202) 42S7518.
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