Identification
Transfer a quantity of Cream,equivalent to about 0.75mg of clobetasol propionate,to a 25-mLplastic-stoppered centrifuge tube.Add 10mLof methanol,and cap.Heat in a 60

water bath for about 4minutes,remove the tube from the bath,and shake vigorously.Repeat the heating and shaking.Cool to room temperature,add 3.5mLof water,and mix.Centrifuge at about 3500rpm for about 10minutes.Transfer about 5mLof the supernatant to a 100-mLseparator,add 1g of sodium chloride and 10mLof water,and mix.Extract with 5mLof chloroform by shaking for 1minute,collect the lower layer,and evaporate with the aid of a stream of nitrogen to dryness.Dissolve the residue in about 0.5mLof chloroform to obtain the test solution.Prepare a Standard solution of
USP Clobetasol Propionate RShaving the same concentration as the test solution.The test solution so obtained responds to the
Thin-Layer Chromatographic Identification Test á201ñ,a mixture of chloroform,acetone,and alcohol (100:10:5)being used as the developing solvent.
Microbial limits á61ñ
It meets the requirements of the tests for absence of
Staphylococcus aureus,
Pseudomonas aeruginosa,
Escherichia coli,and
Salmonellaspecies,and the total aerobic microbial count does not exceed 100cfu per g.
Assay
[NOTEWhere peak responses are indicated,use peak areas.
]
Internal standard solution,Standard preparation,System suitability solution,and Chromatographic system
Proceed as directed in the
Assayunder
Clobetasol Propionate.
Mobile phase
Prepare a filtered and degassed mixture containing acetonitrile,0.05
Mmonobasic sodium phosphate (adjusted with 50%sodium hydroxide solution to a pHof 5.5),and methanol (95:85:20).Make adjustments if necessary (see
System Suitabilityunder
Chromatography á621ñ).
Assay preparation
Transfer an accurately weighed portion of Cream,equivalent to about 1.0mg of clobetasol propionate,to a 50-mLvolumetric flask.Add 10.0mLof Internal standard solutionand 15.0mLof methanol.Shake vigorously to disperse the cream,and centrifuge at about 3500rpm for about 10minutes.Filter a portion of the supernatant through a 0.45-µm filter.
Procedure
Separately inject equal volumes (about 10µL)of the
Standard preparationand the
Assay preparationinto the chromatograph,record the chromatograms,and measure the responses for the major peaks.The relative retention times are about 1.0for clobetasol propionate and 1.6for beclomethasone dipropionate.Calculate the quantity,in mg,of C
25H
32ClFO
5in the portion of Cream taken by the formula:
25C(RU/RS),
in which
Cis the concentration,in mg per mL,of
USP Clobetasol Propionate RSin the
Standard preparation,and
RUand
RSare the ratios of the clobetasol propionate peak to the internal standard peak obtained from the
Assay preparationand the
Standard preparation,respectively.