Crystal structures, thermal analysis, and dissolution behavior of new solid forms of the antiviral drug arbidol with dicarboxylic acids

Salts of the antiviral drug arbidol (umifenovir) (Arb) with maleate (Mlc) and fumarate (Fum) anions have been obtained, and their crystal structures have been described. The crystal structure of arbidol maleate has been redetermined by single crystal X-ray diffraction at 180K. A new arbidol cocrystal in zwitterion form with succinic acid (Suc) has also been found and characterized. The arbidol zwitterion was not previously seen in any of the drug crystal forms, and the [Arb + Suc] cocrystal seems to be the first found instance. Analysis of the conformational preferences of the arbidol molecule in the crystal structures has shown that it adopts two types of conformations, namely “open” and “closed” ones. Thermal stability of the arbidol salts and cocrystal have been analyzed by means of differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric, and mass-spectrometry analysis. The dissolution study of the arbidol salts and cocrystal performed in aqueous buffer solutions with pH 1.2 and 6.8 has shown that both the salts and the cocrystal dissolve incongruently to form an arbidol hydrochloride monohydrate at pH 1.2 and an arbidol base at pH 6.8, respectively. The cocrystal reaches the highest solubility level in both pH 1.2 and pH 6.8 solutions.