Stability-indicating HPLC method development and structural elucidation of novel degradation products in posaconazole injection by LC–TOF/MS, LC–MS/MS and NMR

Stress testing was carried out under acidic, alkaline, oxidative, thermal and photolytic conditions to evaluate the intrinsic stability of posaconazole injection. A total of four degradation products were detected and the drug was found to be susceptible to oxidative and thermal degradations. Three unknown degradants formed under oxidative stress condition were isolated by preparative HPLC and unambiguously elucidated by LC–TOF/MS, LC–MS/MS, 1 H NMR, 13 C NMR and 2D NMR techniques. Based on the spectrometric and spectroscopic information, these novel degradation products were unequivocally assigned as the N-oxides of posaconazole. Probable mechanisms for the formation of the degradants were proposed. A new and selective HPLC method was developed and validated to separate, detect and quantify all the degradants in posaconazole injection.