A novel stability-indicating high-performance liquid chromatographic assay method was developed and validated for quantitative determination of pramipexole dihydrochloride in bulk drugs and in pharmaceutical dosage form in the presence of degradation products. An isocratic, reversed phase HPLC method was developed to separate the drug from the degradation products, using an Ace5-C18 (250×4.6 mm, 5 µm) advance chromatography column, and 10 mmol L-1 ammonium acetate and acetonitrile (75:25 v/v) as a mobile phase. The detection was carried out at a wavelength of 260 nm. The pramipexole was subjected to stress conditions of hydrolysis (acid, base), oxidation, photolysis and thermal degradation. Degradation was observed for pramipexole in base, in acid and in 30% H2O2. The drug was found to be stable in the other stress conditions attempted. The degradation products were well resolved from the main peak. The percentage recovery of pramipexole was from (99.87 to 99.98%) in the pharmaceutical dosage form. The developed method was validated with respect to linearity, accuracy (recovery), precision, system suitability, specificity and robustness. The forced degradation studies prove the stability indicating power of the method.
pramipexole; HPLC; validation; stability; degradation
