Update of Appendix 1 of the nitrosamine impurities guidance Rev. 5

Update of Appendix 1 of the nitrosamine impurities guidance

The nitrosamine Q&A document “Questions and answers for marketing authorization holders/applicants on the CHMP Opinion for the Article 5(3) of Regulation (EC) No 726/2004 referral on nitrosamine impurities in human medicinal products” of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) contains three appendices (Appendix 1-3) in its current version (15 January 2024; Rev. 20).

On 04 July 2024, EMA released an update to Appendix 1 (EMA/154403/2024 /Rev. 5). This Appendix was prepared by the Non-clinical Working Party (NcWP) and provides an overview of nitrosamines for which acceptable intake (AI) values have been established. 

nitrosamine impurities in drug substances

What's new?

In the updated Appendix 1, acceptable intake (AI) values of some solvent-related nitrosamines impurities (i.e. NDIPA, NEIPA and NMBA) have been re-evaluated according to carcinogenic potency categorisation approach (CPCA) described in Appendix 2 (Table 1).

Table 1. Re-evaluation of AI of NDIPA, NEIPA and NMBA

Nitrosamine
Previous AI (ng/day)
CPCA Category
New AI (ng/day)

N-nitroso-diisopropylamine (NDIPA)

26.5

5

1500

N-nitroso-ethylisopropylamine (NEIPA)

26.5

3

400

N-nitroso-N-methyl-4-aminobutyric acid (NMBA)

96

4

1500

Furthermore, new nitrosamine drug substance-related impurities (NDSRIs) linked to the manufacturing process of various active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) have been published (Table 2). For each of these NDSRIs, an acceptable intake has been established.

Table 2. Newly published NDSRIs AI values

NDSRI
API
CPCA Category
New AI (ng/day)

1-diphenylmethyl-4-nitrosopiperazine

Cinnarizine

3

400

3-(dimethylamino)propyl 2-[benzyl(nitroso)amino]benzoate (3-DPN)

Benzydamine

3

400

N-Nitroso-bilastine impurity 2

Bilastine

3

400

N-nitroso-caspofungin

Caspofungin

4

1500

N-Nitroso-desformyl-riociguat

Riociguat

2

100

N-nitroso-desmethyl-clarithromycin

Clarithromycin

NMI

-

N-nitroso-desmethyl-tramadol

Tramadol

1

18

N-nitroso-desvaleryl-valsartan

Valsartan

NMI

-

N-nitroso-N-desmethyl-diphenhydramine

Dimenhydrinate/ Diphenhydramine

1

18

N-nitroso-tigecycline

Tigecycline

NMI

-

N-nitroso-trandolapril

Trandolapril

5

1500

NMI = non-mutagenic impurity

Updated AI values of existing NDSRIs are shown in Table 3.

Table 3. Updated NDSRIs

NDSRI
API
CPCA Category
New AI (ng/day)

Nitroso-STG-19 (NTTP)

Sitagliptin

2

100

N-nitroso-desmethyl-citalopram

Citalopram

-

100

What is the impact on your company?

The increased acceptable intakes of solvent-related nitrosamines impurities (Table 1) can positively impact your nitrosamine risk evaluation, shifting from a ‘risk’ to a ‘no risk’ conclusion. Furthermore, detecting the impurity is less challenging due to the higher specification limit.

If your marketed medicine contains any of the APIs listed in Table 2, the potential presence of these new NDSRIs should be evaluated. If this evaluation has not yet been conducted, the nitrosamine risk evaluation should be promptly updated.

For APIs for which a risk was already identified (Table 3), it should be verified whether the updated AI values have an impact on the results of your confirmatory analysis.

Nitrosamine impurities

How can Agirad assist you?

As toxicological experts we can guide you through regulatory changes and ensure your nitrosamine risk evaluations are up-to-date and compliant. Fill in the contact form if you need help with any of the following:

  • Acceptable intake (AI) determination of the impurity according to the carcinogenicity potency categorization approach (CPCA)
  • Prediction of metabolic activation pathway(s) using Meteor® Nexus from Lhasa
  • Identification of potential analogue(s) or surrogate(s) with genotoxicity and/or carcinogenicity data including read-across justification
  • Evaluation of genotoxicity and carcinogenicity data according to ICH M7
  • Placement and monitoring of Enhanced Ames test (EAT)
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