A simple, short and stability-indicating reverse phase-ultra-performance liquid chromatography method was developed and validated for the quantitative determination of related impurities of halobetasol propionate in halobetasol propionate 0.05% cream formulation. The proposed method was developed on an ACQUITY UPLC™ BEH Phenyl (2.1 × 100 mm, 1.7 µm) column at 40°C with a mobile phase containing a gradient mixture of potassium hydrogen phosphate buffer and acetonitrile and methanol as modifiers with a runtime of 13.0 min at a monitored wavelength of 242 nm. A simple preparative method and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry-compatible UPLC method also were developed for the isolation and identification of impurities and degradation products. The drug was subjected to forced-degradation conditions and found to degrade significantly. The stability-indicating capability of the developed method is established by analyzing forced-degradation samples in which the spectral purity of halobetasol propionate is ascertained along with the separation of degradation products from the analyte peak. The developed method was validated as per International Conference on Harmonization guidelines. The developed method is precise (%relative standard deviation <2.0) and is capable of detecting and quantifying all the six impurities at a level of 0.01 and 0.03%, respectively, with respect to test concentration. The wide linearity range, sensitivity, accuracy, short retention time and simple mobile phase imply that the method is suitable for routine quantification of halobetasol propionate and its related substances.
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