Impact of Poloxamer 188 Material Attributes on Proteinaceous Visible Particle Formation in Liquid Monoclonal Antibody Formulations

Surfactants such as Poloxamer 188 (PX188) play an important role in controlling particle formation in biothera-peutic formulations due to interfacial stresses. This study demonstrates for the first time that hydrophobicity of PX188 is a potential critical material attribute (CMA) as far as control of visible particle (VP) formation is con-cerned. We have found that within PX188 lots satisfying pharmacopeial specifications, there is variability in material attributes such as hydrophobicity, as determined from their reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography profiles. However, it currently remains unknown how such variability in hydrophobicity of PX188 affects surfactant function and VP formation. Here, we compared the effect of seven PX188 lots in two monoclonal antibody drug product formulations under various stress conditions. Notably, proteinaceous VP formation was reduced while using a PX188 lot with higher hydrophobicity. Our findings emphasize the importance of monitoring lot-to-lot variability of PX188 and provide insight into potential CMA for improving and controlling material attributes of PX188 for use in liquid biotherapeutic formulations.(c) 2022 American Pharmacists Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

This study demonstrates the importance of hydrophobicity of Poloxamer 188 (PX188) in controlling visible particle (VP) formation in biotherapeutic formulations. The variability in hydrophobicity among different PX188 lots can affect surfactant function and VP formation. Monitoring lot-to-lot variability of PX188 is crucial for improving and controlling its material attributes in liquid biotherapeutic formulations.