Title:  Propofol composition

United States Patent:  6,140,374

Assignee:  Abbott Laboratories (Abbott Park, IL)

Filed:  July 15, 1999

The present invention is directed to a sterile pharmaceutical composition comprising a propofol containing oil-in-water emulsion formulation having as an antimicrobial agent, a member selected from the group consisting of benzyl alcohol and sodium ethylene diamine tetraacetate; benzethonium chloride; and benzyl alcohol and sodium benzoate.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The term "antimicrobial" means an agent which delays onset or retards rate of growth to less than 1 logarithmic increase over a 24 hour period as compared to an unpreserved formulation.

The composition of the present invention comprises an oil-in-water emulsion in which the 2,6-diisopropylphenol, either alone or dissolved in a water immiscible solvent, for example a vegetable oil, is emulsified with water by means of surfactant.

Typically the solvent is an oil such as soybean oil, safflower oil, cottonseed oil, corn oil, sunflower oil, arachis oil, castor oil, or olive oil. Preferably the oil is soybean oil. Alternatively the solvent can be an ester of a medium or long chain fatty acid, for example a mono-,di-, or triglyceride; or a compound such as ethyl oleate, isopropyl myristate, isopropyl palmitate, a glycerol ester or a polyoxyl hydrogenated castor oil. Other suitable solvents may be marine oils, for example cod liver or other fish derived oils, or fractionated oils, such as fractionated coconut oil or modified soybean oil. The composition of present invention may also comprise a mixture of two or more of the above water immiscible solvents.

The 2,6-diisopropylphenol, either alone or dissolved in the water immiscible solvent, is emulsified in an aqueous medium with the aid of a surfactant. Suitable surfactants include synthetic non-ionic surfactants, for example ethoxylated ethers and ethoxylated esters, polypropylene polyethylene block copolymers, and phosphatides, as for example egg and soy phosphatides. Preferably, the surfactant is egg phosphatide.

Preferred compositions of the present invention comprise from 0.1 to 5.0% by weight, preferably 1 to 2% by weight, and most preferably 1% by weight of 2,6-diisopropylphenol; from to 1 to 30% by weight, preferably 10 to 20% by weight of a water immiscible solvent; and from about 0.2 to 2.0% by weight, preferably 1.2% by weight of a surfactant. The compositions of the present invention can also contain pH adjusting agents such as sodium hydroxide or hydrochloric acid so they can be formulated at a physiologically neutral pH.

The compositions of the present invention may also be made isotonic by the incorporation of a suitable additive such as glycerol.

The balance of the composition is made up with water.

The antimicrobial systems utilized in the compositions of the present invention are selected from the group consisting of benzyl alcohol; benzyl alcohol and disodium ethylenediamine tetraacetate; benzethonium chloride; and benzyl alcohol and sodium benzoate. The concentration of the antimicrobial agents in the final composition will vary depending on the particular agent or agents selected. For instance in a preferred composition of the invention the amount of benzyl alcohol is in the range of about 0.0175% to 0.9% (w/v), more preferably about 0.07% to about 0.45%, most preferred in the range of 0.15%. In an alternate preferred composition of the invention, the amount of benzyl alcohol is about 0.07% to about 0.9%, optionally including an amount of disodium EDTA of about 0.005%. Yet another embodiment provides a composition including an amount of benzethonium chloride of about 0.01% to about 0.1%. Optionally, the composition of the present invention includes 0.07% sodium benzoate. The most preferred compositions of the present invention include benzyl alcohol and sodium benzoate. The compositions of the present invention may be prepared by conventional processes as for example that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,714,520.

A particularly preferred composition of the present invention is as set forth below.

Claim 1 of 27 Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A sterile pharmaceutical composition comprising a propofol containing oil-in-water emulsion having as an antimicrobial agent, a member selected from the group consisting of:

benzyl alcohol and sodium ethylene diamine tetraacetate;

benzethonium chloride; and

benzyl alcohol and sodium benzoate.

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