A validated high-performance liquid chromatographic assay for determination of lumiracoxib in human plasma.

Lumiracoxib {2-[(2-fluoro-6-chlorophenyl)amino]-5-methyl-benzeneacetic acid} is a highly selective and potent cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitor, which is chemically distinct from other coxibs in that it contains a carboxylic group and is weakly acidic. In the present study, a liquid-liquid extraction-based reversed-phase HPLC method with UV detection was validated and applied for the analysis of lumiracoxib in human plasma. The analyte was separated on a reversed-phase column with acetonitrile and 0.05% trichloracetic acid in water (35:65, v/v) as mobile phase at a flow rate of 1 mL/min, and UV detection at 270 nm. The retention times for lumiracoxib and niflumic acid (internal standard) were 16.9 and 10.4 min, respectively. The validated quantitation range for lumiracoxib was 10-10,000 ng/mL. The developed procedure was applied to assess the pharmacokinetics of lumiracoxib following administration of a single oral 200 mg dose to a healthy male volunteer.