Nimodipine 0.02% solution contains the following excipients:
Ethanol 96%, Macrogol 400, sodium citrate, citric acid, Water for Injections Ph. Eur.
These excipients consist of properties that aim towards the proper functionality of Nimotop. They consist of inherent stabilities that cause little or no effect in the stability of the drug and they do not have any acute or chronic toxicity. The excipients are also added into the Nimodipine 0.02% solution to enhance the biological activity of the drug.
Nimodipine is a yellow crystalline substance which is insoluble in water. Insoluble drugs have poor bio-availability and they may precipitate when given via an intravenous administration. However, there is a relatively simple solubilizing approach that can be used in …show more content…
PEG has low toxicity with absorption into the body at less than 0.5%. Most importantly, PEG is a widely accepted co-solvent that is used in Nimotop 0.02% solutions. Lower molecular weight PEGs (Macrogol 400) are clear and viscous liquids with a characteristic bitter taste. Macrogol 400 is very stable in a solution and it functions to prevent microbial growth. This PEG is not only soluble in water and ethanol, but also relatively miscible with other PEGs. Therefore, Macrogol 400 is highly favored for use with other co-solvents. The resultant superior solubility in water of Nimotop may also be due to the ability of Macrogol 400 to form hydrogen bonds due to dipole-dipole interactions. Compounds with acidic hydrogen can react with oxygen of PEGs however even so, an overwhelming number of water molecules are present in aqueous solutions. Hence, reaction with Macrogol 400 only occurs to a moderate degree and this shows that it is an inherent excipient which is highly