1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a stable, injectable, ready-to-use solution of an antitumor anthracycline glycoside, e.g. doxorubicin (Adriamycin.sup.R), to a process for preparing such a solution, and providing the same in a sealed container, and to a method for treating tumors by the use of the ready-to-use solution.
2. Description of the Related Art
The anthracycline glycoside compounds are a well known class of compounds in the antineoplastic group of agents, of which doxorubicin is a typical, and the most widely used, representative: Doxorubicin. Anticancer Antibiotics, Federico Arcamone, 1981, Publ: Academic Press, New York, N.Y.; Adriamycin Review, EROTC International Symposium, Brussels, May, 1974, edited by M. Staquet, Publ. Eur. Press Medikon, Ghent, Belg.; Results of Adriamycin Therapy, Adriamycin Symposium at Frankfurt/Main 1974 edited by M. Ghione, J. Fetzer and H. Maier, publ.: Springer, New York, N.Y.
In the past, solutions of anthracycline glycosides have been prepared and the stability thereof has been studied. However, results of these studies have been inconsistent, and no clear parameters have emerged for maintenance of a stable anthracycline glycoside, e.g., doxorubicin, solution. Bosanquet, in a recent article entitled "Stability of solutions of antineoplastic agents during preparation and storage for in vitro assays," (Cancer Chemother. Pharmacol. 1986, 17, 1-10) reviews the field of stability studies, with particular emphasis on doxorubicin (Adriamycin.sup.R). He points out that "very little can be categorically stated about the stability of adriamycin, and a very carefully designed study is urgently required to resolve these conflicting results. "
At present, anthracycline glycoside antitumor drugs, in particular, e.g., doxorubicin, are solely available in the form of lyophilized preparations, which need to be reconstituted before administration.
Both the manufacturing and the reconstitution of such preparations expose the involved personnel (workers, pharmacists, medical personnel, nurses) to risks of contamination which are particularly serious due to the toxicity of the antitumor substances.
Indeed, the Martindale Extra Pharmacopoeia 28th edition, page 175 left column, reports on adverse effects of antineoplastic drugs and recommends that "They must be handled with great care and contact with skin and eyes avoided; they should not be inhaled. Care must be taken to avoid extravasation since pain and tissue damage may ensue".
Similarly, Scand. J. Work Environ Health vol. 10(2), pages 71-74 (1984), as well as articles in Chemistry Industry, Issue Jul. 4, 1983, page 488, and Drug-Topics-Medical-Economics-Co, Issue Feb. 7, 1983, page 99, report severe adverse effects observed in medical personnel exposed to use of cytostatic agents, including doxorubicin.
Even though the effect of long-term low-level exposure to such cytotoxic drugs is not yet completely known, there is certainly a hazard for those who regularly prepare and administer these substances in view of the fact that they are known mutagens and carcinogens in animals and implicated as carcinogens in man.
To administer a lyophilized preparation, double handling of the drug is required, the lyophilized cake having to be first reconstituted and then administered. Moreover, in some cases, the complete dissolution of the powder may require prolonged shaking because of solubilization problems. Reconstitution of a lyophilized cake or powder can result in formation of aerosol droplets which can be inhaled or can come into contact with skin or mucous membranes of those handling the solution.