An Overview of Famotidine Polymorphs: Solid-State Characteristics, Thermodynamics, Polymorphic Transformation and Quality Control

Crystal polymorphism of pharmaceuticals has well-known profound effects on the physical, chemical, and pharmaceutical properties of drugs, which can result in changes in the solubility, stability, dissolution, bioavailability, and efficacy of drugs. In this review article, famotidine (FAM), which has a well-known trade name of PepcidA (R), was selected as a model drug. Although FAM has three polymorphs (forms A, B and C), forms A and B have been commonly discussed. The active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) in the commercial version of FAM is the metastable form B. FAM has been a concern of FDA because of the physical properties, solubilities, bioavailabilities, or bioequivalencies of the different polymorphic forms. In addition, a patent infringement suit of FAM polymorph had been made sound legal arguments in the pharmaceutical market. We review the solid-state characteristics, thermodynamics, polymorphic transformation, and quality control of FAM in drug products. In particular, pharmaceutical processes, such as grinding, compression, and heating temperature have a significant effect on the polymorphic transformation of FAM. Moreover, environmental humidity and residual water content should be well controlled to prevent polymorphic transformation of FAM during pharmaceutical processing. Several thermal and spectroscopic analytical techniques used for qualitative and quantitative determinations of polymorphic transformation of FAM after different treatments or quality control of FAM in the commercial tablets before and after the expiration dates have been discussed.