Abstract
Solid formulations of monoclonal antibodies present several advantages, such as improved stability and increased shelf-life as well as simpler storage and transportation. In this study, we present a gentle drying technology for monoclonal antibodies, applying the water soluble 2-hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (HP-β-CD) as matrix, to prepare a solid reconstitution dosage form. High-speed electrospinning of an aqueous infliximab-containing HP-β-CD solution was carried out at 25 °C resulting in fibers with an average diameter of 2.5 μm. The mAb-loaded electrospun fibers were successful to preserve the stability of infliximab in solid form. The results of size exclusion chromatography and gel electrophoresis indicated no significant increase in aggregate formation during the electrospinning process compared to the initial matrix solution. The binding activity of infliximab was preserved during electrospinning compared to the reference liquid formulation. Due to the enhanced surface area, excellent reconstitution capability, i.e. clear solution within 2 min without any vigorous mixing, could be achieved in a small-scale reconstitution test. The results of this work demonstrate that high-speed electrospinning is a very promising technique to manufacture the solid formulation of monoclonal antibodies for applications such as fast reconstitutable powders.