A comparison of analytical methods for the content and purity of cefradine

Two HPLC methods such as cefadroxil and cefalexin methods were compared in their performance for the quantitative analysis of the content and purity of beta-lactamic antibiotic, cefradine, for six bulk drug samples. Between the two methods, the cefadroxil method prescribed by the European Pharmacopoeia (EP) for the determination of impurities in cefradoxil was superior to the cefalexin method prescribed by the EP and by the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) for the determination of cefalexin impurity in cefradine in terms of the greater stability of the chromatogram baselines and the higher precision, i.e., the lower % relative standard deviation (RSD). Based on the comparison of the two HPLC methods, the cefadroxil method was recommended to replace the TLC method, which has been prescribed by the EP as the official method for determination of extraneous impurities in cefradine.