Crystal Form of Celecoxib: Preparation, Characterization and Dissolution

Celecoxib (4-[5-(4-methylphenyl)-3-(trifluoromethyl)-1H-pyrazol-1-yl]benzenesulfonamide) is a cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitor used in the treatment of arthritis, acute pain, and dysmenorrhoea. Celecoxib is a Biopharmaceutics Classification System (BCS) class II compound whose oral bioavailability is highly limited owing to its poor aqueous solubility. Several polymorphs of celecoxib have been identified as Form I, Form II, and Form III with melting points of about $162.8^{\circ}C$, $161.5^{\circ}C$, and $160.8^{\circ}C$, respectively. Form IV was generated from the precipitated suspension in the presence of HPMC (Hydroxypropyl methylcellulose) and Polysorbate 80. A rapid rate of dissolution is useful because the rate of dissolution of a drug typically increases its bioavailability. The aim of this study was to investigate the possibility of production of new crystal form of celecoxib that has higher solubility than Form III. New crystal form of celecoxib (Form A) has been isolated by recrystallization and characterized by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric (TG) analysis and powder X-ray diffractometry (PXRD). Form A was dissolved faster than Form III. At 30 minutes, the dissolution of Form A was 97.3%, whereas the dissolution of Form III was 82.2% (p < 0.1). After storage of three months at $20^{\circ}C$, in 24% RH (Relative Humidity), the crystal form was not transformed.