Validation of a direct non-destructive quantitative analysis of amiodarone hydrochloride in Angoron® formulations using FT-Raman spectroscopy

Raman spectroscopy was applied for the direct non-destructive analysis of amiodarone hydrochloride (ADH), the active ingredient of the liquid formulation Angoron®. The FT-Raman spectra were obtained through the un-broken as-received ampoules of Angoron®. Using the most intense vibration of the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) at 1568 cm−1, a calibration model, based on solutions with known concentrations, was developed. The model was applied to the Raman spectra recorded from three as-purchased commercial formulations of Angoron® having nominal strength of 50 mg ml−1 ADH. The average value of the API in these samples was found to be 48.56 ± 0.64 mg ml−1 while the detection limit of the proposed technique was found to be 2.11 mg ml−1. The results were compared to those obtained from the application of HPLC using the methodology described in the European Pharmacopoeia and found to be in excellent agreement. The proposed analytical methodology was also validated by evaluating the linearity of the calibration line as well as its accuracy and precision. The main advantage of Raman spectroscopy over HPLC method during routine analysis is that it is considerably faster and no solvent consuming. Furthermore, Raman spectroscopy is non-destructive for the sample. However, the detection limit for Raman spectroscopy is much higher than the corresponding for the HPLC methodology.