Determination of tetrahydrozoline hydrochloride and fluorometholone in pharmaceutical formulations by HPLC and derivative UV spectrophotometry.

Two methods for the quantitative determination of tetrahydrozoline hydrochloride (1) and fluorometholone (2) in pharmaceutical eye drops (Efemoline) are described. The procedures are based on derivative UV spectrophotometry and HPLC. In the former method, d2A/d lambda 2 values were measured in methanol at 226 and 282 nm for 1 and 2, respectively. The relative standard deviations for the method were found to be 1.06% for 1 and 0.98% for 2. The latter method based on a reversed phase HPLC system using a Partisil 5 ODS analytical column. The mobile phase used for the separation of 1, 2 and internal standard (lidocaine) was methanol/acetonitrile/water (50:50:10 v/v) and the compounds in the eye drops were detected at 220 nm using an UV detector. The relative standard deviations for the HPLC method were determined to be 0.61% and 0.50% for 1 and 2, respectively. The proposed methods, which give thoroughly comparable data, are simple, rapid, and allow precise and accurate results and could be used for commercial formulations containing tetrahydrozoline hydrochloride and fluorometholone in combination.