HPLC Analysis of Mucinex Severe Congestion & Cough Formulation on Coresep 100 Mixed-Mode Column

Application description

Mucinex Fast-Max Severe Congestion & Cough is a combination medicine used to treat cough, stuffy nose, and chest congestion caused by allergies, the common cold, or the flu. It is a complex mixture of several active and inactive ingredients. Active ingredients of this OTC drug composition are phenylephrine, guaifenesin, and dextromethorphan. Phenylephrine is a hydrophilic basic drug, which is primarily used as a decongestant, to dilate the pupil, to increase blood pressure, and to relieve hemorrhoids. Guaifenesin is a hydrophilic neutral compound which is added to cough and cold formulations to help with coughing thick mucus it is used in combination with dextromethorphan to alleviate symptoms related to cold, flu and congestion. Dextromethorphan is a hydrophobic and basic compound, which serves as a cough suppressant in over-the-counter (OTC) medications. Guaifenesin is retained by a pure reversed-phase mechanism, and dextromethorphan is retained by a combination of reversed-phase and cations-exchange mechanisms. Inactive ingredients consist of croscarmellose sodium, FD&C blue no. 2 aluminum lake, FD&C red no. 40 aluminum lake, methacrylic acid ethyl acrylate copolymer, mica, microcrystalline cellulose, polyethylene glycol 3350, polysorbate 80, polyvinyl alcohol, povidone K29/32, sodium bicarbonate, talc, titanium dioxide. Baseline separation of active and inactive ingredients was achieved on Coresep 100 mixed-mode column. Coresep 100 column provides good retention of basic compounds without the use of ion-pairing reagents and high pH. It retains compounds of different natures by a combination of reversed-phase, cation-exchange, and anion-exclusion mechanisms. The retention time of the robust separation is controlled by the amount of ACN, buffer concentration, and buffer. Various buffers and additives to the mobile phase can be used to control retention and be suitable with a chosen detection technique. This method and HPLC column can be used to achieve highly efficient, robust baseline separation of complex mixtures.