Determination of rosuvastatin and ezetimibe in a combined tablet dosage form using high-performance column liquid chromatography and high-performance thin-layer chromatography.

This paper describes validated HPLC and HPTLC methods for the simultaneous determination of rosuvastatin (ROS) and ezetimibe (EZE) in a combined tablet dosage form. The isocratic RP-HPLC analysis was performed on a Chromolith C18 column (100 x 6 mm id) using 0.1% (v/v) orthophosphoric acid solution (pH 3.5)-acetonitrile (63 + 37, v/v) mobile phase at a flow rate of 1 mL/min at ambient temperature. Quantification was carried out using a photodiode array UV detector at 245 nm over the concentration range of 0.5-10 microg/mL for ROS and EZE. The HPTLC separation was carried out on an aluminum-backed sheet of silica gel 60F(254) layers using n-butyl acetate-chloroform-glacial acetic acid (1 + 8 + 1, v/v/v) mobile phase. Quantification was achieved with UV densitometry at 245 nm over a concentration range of 0.1-0.9 micro/spot for ROS and EZE. The analytical methods were validated according to International Conference on Harmonization guidelines. Low RSD values indicated good precision. Both methods were successfully applied for the analysis of the drugs in laboratory-prepared mixtures and commercial tablets. No chromatographic interference from the tablet excipients was found. These methods are simple, precise, and sensitive, and are applicable for simultaneous determination of ROS and EZE in pure powder and tablets.