Analytical Techniques for the Analysis of Lopinavir and Ritonavir in Pharmaceutical Dosage Form and Biological Matrices: A Review

Background: Lopinavir and Ritonavir are protease inhibitor type of anti-retroviral drugs. Both are used for the treatment of HIV/AIDS. This paper reviews many analytical methods for the analysis of LPV and RTV in pharmaceutical formulations (tablet, capsule, syrup, and bulk) and biological fluids (human plasma, serum, cerebrospinal fluid, rat plasma, and human hair). Objective: The study aims to summarize various analytical techniques, such as chromatography and spectrophotometry, and also hyphenated techniques, such as LC-MS/MS and UPLC-MS, for the analysis of Lopinavir and Ritonavir. Methods: The review deals with comprehensive details regarding the type of various analytical techniques, such as spectroscopy (UV), chromatography (RP-HPLC, HPTLC, UPLC), and hyphenated techniques, i.e., LC-MS/MS and UPLC-MS, for the analysis of lopinavir and ritonavir. These techniques are either explored for the quantification and detection of metabolite or for stability studies of the LPV and RTV. Conclusion: The studies presented revealed that the HPLC technique along with spectroscopy have been most widely used for the analysis. Out of the developed methods, hyphenated UPLCMS and LC-MS are very sensitive and help in the easy estimation of drugs compared to other techniques. This review may provide comprehensive details to the researchers working in the area of analytical research of LPV and RTV.