Spray drying is increasingly being applied to process biopharmaceuticals, particularly monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). However, due to their protein nature, mAbs are susceptible to degradation when subjected to various stresses during a drying process. Despite extensive research in this domain, identifying the appropriate formulation composition and spray drying conditions remains a complex challenge, requiring further studies to enhance the understanding on how process and formulation parameters impact mAb stability in reconstituted solutions. This research aims to explore spray drying as technique for producing pharmaceutical mAbs-based powders intended for reconstitution and subcutaneous injection. In the initial phase of this study, using a model mAb (mAb-A), the influence of dissociated and coupled process stresses on protein stability after solution reconstitution was investigated. The findings revealed a detrimental interplay of mechanical, interfacial, and thermal/dehydration stresses on mAb-A stability, notably characterized by an increase in protein aggregation. Subsequently, in a second phase, the study delved into the impact of spray drying processing conditions, the level of excipients, and protein concentration on mAb-A aggregation in reconstituted solutions. The obtained results highlighted the critical role of formulation composition as a parameter deserving further study, specifically concerning the selection of type and concentration of stabilizers to be added in the liquid mAb-A solution to be dried.
Keywords: Drying; Monoclonal antibodies; Protein aggregation; Protein stresses; Spray drying.
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