Product Quality Research Institute evaluation of cascade impactor profiles of pharmaceutical aerosols: Part 2—Evaluation of a method for determining equivalence

The purpose of this article is to present the thought process, methods, and interim results of a PQRI Working Group, which was charged with evaluating the chi-square ratio test as a potential method for determining in vitro equivalence of aerodynamic particle size distribution (APSD) profiles obtained from cascade impactor measurements. Because this test was designed with the intention of being used as a tool in regulatory review of drug applications, the capability of the test to detect differences in APSD profiles correctly and consistently was evaluated in a systematic way across a designed space of possible profiles. To establish a “base line,” properties of the test in the simplest case of pairs of identical profiles were studied. Next, the test's performance was studied with pairs of profiles, where some difference was simulated in a systematic way on a single deposition site using realistic product profiles. The results obtained in these studies, which are presented in detail here, suggest that the chi-square ratio test in itself is not sufficient to determine equivalence of particle size distributions. This article, therefore, introduces the proposal to combine the chi-square ratio test with a test for impactor-sized mass based on Population Bioequivalence and describes methods for evaluating discrimination capabilities of the combined test. The approaches and results described in this article elucidate some of the capabilities and limitations of the original chi-square ratio test and provide rationale for development of additional tests capable of comparing APSD profiles of pharmaceutical aerosols.