as previously stated , ziprasidone free base or ziprasidone hydrochloride in any form which will crystallize can be used in this invention , including anhydrous or , in the case of the hydrochloride , ziprasidone hydrochloride monohydrate . the ziprasidone hydrochloride employed herein , including the examples , was ziprasidone hydrochloride monohydrate , and is generally referred to throughout simply as ziprasidone hydrochloride for convenience . crystalline ziprasidone free base itself can be formed from the hydrochloride by adding or titrating a base ( for example an alkali metal hydroxide such as sodium hydroxide ) to a suspension of the acid addition salt in water , usually with stirring . base is added at a rate such that the ph preferably rises to at least about 5 . a preferred ph range within which to conduct the neutralization is from about 5 to about 7 . the neutralization reaction can take up to several hours or more , depending on the quantity of hydrochloride being neutralized , the volume employed , the concentration of base and so forth . the free base , being much less soluble at near - neutral ph than the acid addition salt , crystallizes out of solution as the neutralization progresses to completion . the neutralization end point occurs when the ph no longer swings acid following the addition of base , indicating that the acid has been consumed . if the particle size measured is not less than 85 μm , it can be milled to give material of intermediate or smaller particle size , as known in the art . alternatively the ziprasidone free base may be obtained directly via the synthesis described in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 338 , 846 , herein incorporated by reference . it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art of powder production that there are numerous known methods which can be applied to producing crystalline ziprasidone hydrochloride particles having a mean particle size equal to or less than about 85 μm . for example , the hydrochloride salt can be made by treating the free base with aqueous hcl , as generally described in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 831 , 031 . in particular , there are two preferred crystallization process options which have been utilized for the production of ziprasidone hydrochloride monohydrate crystals for the bioequivalence studies exemplified herein . the process which gives the smallest particle sizes , typically a vmd of about 5 to 30 μm , comprises suspending ziprasidone free base as a slurry in a mixture of tetrahydrofuran ( thf ) and water , where the major component of the solvent mixture is water , adding aqueous hcl to form the hydrochloride , and refluxing , usually for several hours depending on the scale ( lab or production ) being implemented . the ratio ( v / v ) of water to thf is typically 13 - 17 ( water ) to 0 - 5 ( thf ). this process has been described in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 312 , 925 , herein incorporated by reference . due to the low solubility of ziprasidone , this process results in the conversion of the free base to the hydrochloride salt without ever obtaining a solution . the slurry requires a substantial reflux period to form the hydrochloride salt . the long reflux together with the low solubility results in smaller particle size when this process option is used . a second preferred process option for making large crystalline particles involves crystallizing ziprasidone hydrochloride monohydrate from solution . a solution of the free base of ziprasidone is prepared in thf and water at ( or near ) reflux , where the mixture is predominantly thf , the volume ratio of thf to water typically being 22 - 35 ( thf ) to 1 . 5 - 8 ( water ), preferably 24 - 30 ( thf ) to 2 - 6 ( water ). then the mixture is heated , preferably to a temperature just below reflux so that mechanical reduction of the crystals can be avoided , and an aqueous hcl solution is added to form the hydrochloride monohydrate salt . once addition of the hcl solution is commenced , crystals form and start to drop out of solution . since reflux temperature is usually about 65 ° c ., typically a temperature of 60 - 64 ° c . is employed / maintained . although it is generally desirable to avoid reflux for large crystal sizes , slow agitation such as slow stirring can be employed to even out temperature in the reaction vessel . again , the length of time heating is applied will depend on the scale ( e . g ., benchtop or production ) being implemented , but is typically anywhere from a few minutes to several hours . once heating is completed , the reaction is cooled , preferably slowly over a period of typically at least 2 hours , preferably at least four hours at production scale , until room temperature is reached . this method was utilized to prepare several larger particle size lots . in general , enriching the solvent in thf will increase crystal particle size . generally , large particles having a vmd of 50 - 150 μm can be produced by this method . it is noted that if a large particle size lot having a vmd greater than 85 μm is obtained , it can be milled to give material of intermediate or smaller particle size , and this constitutes yet another method of making particulate ziprasidone hydrochloride monohydrate crystals suitable for use in the invention . when growing crystals toward the 85 μm end of the range , or larger , a number of factors are important for producing a large crystal size . first , high purity of the ingoing ziprasidone free base is helpful in growing larger crystals . also , as it has been noted , conducting the crystallization just below reflux is helpful , and it is possible that dropping the temperature just below reflux decreases the amount of stress on the crystal . additionally , using a slow rate of agitation further reduces crystal breakage . use of dilute hcl solution in place of concentrated hcl further increases crystal size . two factors which also have been found to be helpful for forming large crystals are ( 1 ) slowing the addition of the acid , and ( 2 ) having a stir period after an initial 10 % acid charge , so that only a relatively few seed crystals are generated prior to the remaining hcl being charged . a detailed experimental procedure is presented in the examples . the process of preparing large ziprasidone hcl crystals as presented above is believed to be novel , and is accordingly provided as a further feature of the invention . thus the invention provides a process of preparing large crystals of ziprasidone hydrochloride monohydrate , comprising the steps of : 1 ) dissolving ziprasidone free base in a solvent comprising thf and water , in a volume ratio of about 22 - 35 unit volumes of thf to about 1 . 5 - 8 volumes of water ; 3 ) adding hcl to the solution resulting from step ( 2 ); and once the solution has been cooled , the crystals can be harvested conventionally , for example by filtration , and dried . compositions comprising ziprasidone free base or ziprasidone hydrochloride having a mean particle size less than 85 μm can be formulated into conventional , usually dry , pharmaceutical dosage forms such as tablets , powders for oral suspension , unit dose packets , and capsules for oral adminstration , and such dosage forms can be made by conventional methodology . ziprasidone free base can also be incorporated into a pre - constituted oral suspension as described in application no . 60 / 136 , 268 , filed provisionally in the us of even date herewith , and herein incorporated by reference . the compositions , in addition to ziprasidone free base or ziprasidone hydrochloride , can contain conventional pharmaceutically acceptable excipients such as , for example : fillers and diluents such as starches and sugars ; binders such as carboxymethyl cellulose and other cellulose derivatives , alginates , gelatine , and polyvinyl pyrrolidone ; disintegrating agents such as agar - agar , calcium carbonate and sodium bicarbonate , pregelatinized starch , sodium croscarmellose , sodium starch glycolate and crosslinked poly ( vinyl pyrrolidone ); lubricants such as talc , sodium lauryl sulfate , stearic acid , calcium and magnesium stearate , and solid polyethyl glycols . some excipients can serve more than one function ; for example , a disintegrant can also serve as a filler . in a preferred manufacturing process embodiment , ziprasidone free base or ziprasidone hydrochloride monohydrate , lactose monohydrate and pregelatinized starch are first sieved or gently milled using common stainless steel sieves or mechanical mills in order to ensure that all components are de - lumped . the mixture is then blended for 30 minutes to ensure good homogeneity , for example using a tumbling blender such as a v - blender or a bin blender . following blending , magnesium stearate ( 0 . 75 % w / w ) is added and blending is continued for five more minutes . the blended mixture is then added into the hopper of a roller compacter , then compacted and milled to form a granulation . the granulation is then further blended as described above for 10 minutes . following blending additional lubricant ( magnesium stearate , 0 . 5 % w / w ) is added and blending continued for an additional five minutes . the mixture can then be sampled if desired prior to , for example , encapsulating conventionally using , for example , an h & amp ; k or bosch encapsulation machine . the amount of ziprasidone free base or ziprasidone hydrochloride contained in a tablet , capsule , or other dosage form containing a composition of this invention will usually be between 5 and 100 μmg , usually administered orally twice a day , although amounts outside this range and different frequencies of administration are feasible for use in therapy as well . as previously mentioned , such dosage forms are useful , inter alia , in the treatment of psychotic disorders , for example of the schizophrenic type , as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 831 , 031 . as noted , average particle size can be determined by malvern light scattering , a laser light scattering technique . in the examples below , the particle size for ziprasidone hcl monohydrate drug substance was measured using a malvern mastersizer model ms1 particle size analyzer ( malvern instruments inc ., 10 southville rd ., southborough , mass . 01772 ) with a small volume recirculating unit attached . a 300rf mm lens and a beam length of 2 . 4 mm was used . a recirculating speed set to 11 o &# 39 ; clock was used to ensure that the sample remained suspended . samples for analysis were prepared by adding a weighed amount of ziprasidone hydrochloride ( 500 ± 10 mg ) to a 16 ml glass vial . to this vial was added 10 ml of suspending media , specifically a previously prepared mixture of hexanes ( acs reagent grade ) containing 1 % span 85 . the ziprasidone hydrochloride was suspended by shaking well for approximately 5 seconds . 60 second sonication can be implemented to effectively break agglomerates and help suspend particles , if necessary . prior to analysis of the sample , a background count was achieved by filling the measurement cell with 100 ml of the suspending media . for sample analysis , a disposable pasteur pipette was used to first withdraw and empty portions of the suspension several times to ensure representative sampling of the sample vial contents . then the pipette was filled and a few drops of the vial contents were added to the suspending medium in the measurement cell until an obscuration value of roughly 20 % was obtained . this sampling procedure was performed while continuously shaking the vial to avoid settling of the suspension during sampling . volume distributions were obtained and , for characterization , the values for d 10 , d 50 , d 90 and volume mean diameter ( vmd = d [ 4 , 3 ] were specifically listed ( note : mean particle size values mentioned herein refer to measured vmd values ). upon measurement completion , the sample cell was emptied and cleaned , refilled with suspending medium , and the sampling procedure repeated for a total of three measurements . a dosage form can be tested to assess its dissolution profile by dissolution testing it in a usp - 2 apparatus . as previously described , the apparatus is implemented to contain 900 ml of 0 . 05 m nah 2 po 4 buffer , ph 7 . 5 , containing 2 % ( w / w ) sodium dodecyl sulfate . 1 % pancreatin may be added if the dosage form being tested is a capsule , as previously noted . the ph can be adjusted as approprate using , for example , 5n naoh or concentrated phosphoric acid . the usp - 2 apparatus is equipped with paddles stirring at 75 rpm . the dosage form ( e . g ., tablet or capsule ) is added directly to the aqueous dissolution medium . if the dosage form is a capsule , it is inserted into a plastic clip ( of the type available commercially as a vankel , part no . t - 1045 - 8 ) to maintain the capsule at the bottom of the vessel during initial dissolution . the dissolution medium is typically maintained at 37 ° c . during the test . a dosage form is within the scope of the invention if at least 70 % of the ziprasidone hydrochloride , preferably 75 %, dissolves in the phosphate solution within 45 minutes . the amount of dissolved ziprasidone can be determined conventionally by hplc . as an example of an hplc assay to determine ziprasidone solubility , the amount of dissolved ziprasidone can be determined by using a suitable chromatographic column such as a zorbax ® rx c 8 reliance ( mac - mod analytical inc ., 127 common court , po box 2600 , chadds ford , pa . 19317 ), 4 . 0 × 80 mm column with an isocratic mobile phase consisting of 45 % acetonitrile and 55 % 0 . 05 potassium dihydrogen phosphate buffer , ph 6 . 5 , at a flow rate of 1 . 0 ml / min at 40 ° c . detection can be by uv absorption at a wavelength of 215 nm . quantification can be effected facilely by comparison of hplc peak height ( or area ) with the peak height ( or area ) taken from a standard plot of concentration vs . peak height ( or area ) for standards of known concentration . as is conventional , the ziprasidone standard concentrations are selected to fall within a linear range of concentration vs absorbance for the uv detector employed . the invention is further exemplified and disclosed by the following non - limiting examples : to illustrate the invention , a human pharmacokinetic open , randomized , three period , two treatment crossover study at steady - state conditions with no wash - out period was conducted in which two ziprasidone capsule lots ( identical compositions , identified in table 1 as example 3 ), each comprising 20 mg activity of ziprasidone but having different ziprasidone hydrochloride particle size , were administered to a total of 14 healthy subjects , both male ( 11 patients ) and female ( 3 patients ). subjects were dosed orally twice daily ( 1 × 20 mg capsule , 12 hours apart ) in the fed state immediately after consuming an identical breakfast or evening meal . doses were administered with 50 ml of water . on the third day of each period ( days 3 , 6 and 9 ), each subject consumed a breakfast consisting of two eggs fried in butter , 2 strips of bacon , 6 ounces of hash brown potatoes , 2 pieces of toast with 2 pats of butter and 8 ounces of whole milk . immediately following breakfast , 1 × 20 mg capsule was dosed , and blood samples withdrawn at the following times : 0 ( just prior to dosing ), 0 . 5 , 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 6 , 8 , 10 and 12 hours . additional serum samples were obtained prior to morning dosing on days 1 , 2 , 4 , 5 , 7 and 8 . serum ziprasidone concentration was determined using a high performance liquid chromatography assay along lines set forth in janiszewski et al ., j . chromatography b : biomedical applications , jun . 9 , 1995 , 668 ( 1 ), pp . 133 - 139 , and can be described as follows : serum samples are prepared by weak action exchange on solid phase extraction ( spe ) columns . following conditioning of the spe columns with methanol and aqueous acetic acid , 0 . 5 ml aliquots of serum are added to each spe column followed by 0 . 05 ml of an internal standard , typically 20 ng per 50 μin 50 % methanol / 50 % water . the samples are aspirated through the column by applying vacuum and washed with small amounts of reagents such as aqueous acetic acid , methanol and 0 . 25 % triethylamine ( tea ) in acetonitrile . the samples are then eluted into silanized glass test tubes with a single column volume of solvent such as 1 . 0 % tea in acetonitrile . after evaporating off the solvent ( 40 ° c . to 60 ° c . under n 2 ), the dried residues are reconstituted in 40 μl of mobile phase ( 2 : 1 deionized water / acetonitrile with 0 . 05 % trifluoroacetic acid and 0 . 08 % triethylamine ) for which the ph is adjusted to 0 . 5 using concentrated hcl . after centrifugation , these samples are analyzed using a supelco supelcosil ™ lc - 18 - db narrow - bore column maintained at 35 ° c . utilizing a flow rate of 0 . 27 ml / min and uv absorption at 215 nm . the mean particle sizes employed in the two capsule lots were 20 and 46 μm . maximum observed serum ziprasidone concentrations ( c max ) were estimated directly from the experimental data . t max ( the time of first occurrence of c max ) was noted . the area under the serum ziprasidone concentration - time curve from 0 to 12 hours post dose ( auc 0 - 12 ) was estimated using linear trapezoidal approximation . relative bioavailability was estimated from the ratio of adjusted steady state mean auc 0 - 12 values comparing the 46 μm particle size to the 20 μm particle size . visual inspection of the data indicated steady - state systemic exposures were attained by day three . no apparent differences were noted in pharmaco - kinetic parameters between males and females . it is noted that only a limited assessment of gender effects could be made as only three of the 14 subjects participating in the study were women . t max values ranged from 0 to 12 hours , however , mean values ranged from 5 to 8 hours across all treatments . no statistically significant difference was observed for t max between the two treatments ( p = 0 . 63 ) and the adjusted mean t max values were 6 . 8 and 6 . 3 hours , respectively . exposure ( auc ) was similar for both particle sizes and the mean relative bioavailability for the 46 μm capsules ( compared to the 20 μm capsules ) was 100 . 2 %. similarly , the ratio of adjusted mean c max values comparing the 46 μm particle size to the 20 μm particle size was 96 . 6 %. 90 % confidence intervals were auc 0 - 12 ( 89 . 1 %, 112 . 7 %) and c max ( 86 . 0 %, 108 . 5 %). thus , 20 mg capsules prepared using a larger particle size ( 46 μm ) provide equivalent systemic exposures to capsules prepared using the smaller particle size ( 20 μm ). this example is comparative and further demonstrates the effect of ziprasidone hydrochloride particle size on systemic exposure of ziprasidone dosed in a capsule dosage form . three lots of ziprasidone hydrochloride capsules containing 20 mg activity were manufactured ( example 3 listed in table 1 ) each utilizing a different ziprasidone hydrochloride lot possessing a different particle size , specifically a mean particle size ( vmd ) of either 20 μm , 84 μm or 105 μm . the capsules containing the 20 μm ziprasidone hydrochloride were from the same capsule lot as described in example 3 . the effect of particle size on ziprasidone bioavailability from these dosage forms was determined using an open , randomized , three period , three treatment , single - dose crossover human pharmacokinetic study consisting of eleven healthy subjects . subjects were dosed orally ( 1 × 20 mg capsule ) on days 1 , 8 and 15 immediately after consuming a breakfast consisting of two eggs fried in butter , 2 strips of bacon , 2 ounces of hash brown potatoes , 2 pieces of toast with 2 pats of butter and 8 ounces of whole milk . each dose was administered with 50 ml of water . blood was then sampled at the following times : 0 oust prior to dosing ), 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 6 , 8 , 12 , 18 , 24 , and 36 hours after drug administration . for each subject after each dose , the area under the drug serum concentration vs . time curve ( auc 0 - inf ) and the maximum observed serum ziprasidone concentrations ( c max ) were determined . the ratios of average auc 0 - inf and c max from dosing the capsules containing the larger sized ziprasidone hydrochloride ( 84 and 105 μm ) relative to those average values obtained from dosing the capsules containing the smaller 20 μm ziprasidone hydrochloride were used as a measure of the effect of particle size on ziprasidone oral bioavailability . average auc 0 - inf ( 84 μm )/ auc 0 - inf ( 20 μm ) and c max ( 84 μm )/ c max ( 20 μm ) were 81 % and 90 %, respectively . average auc 0 - inf ( 105 μm )/ auc 0 - inf ( 20 μm ) and c max ( 105 μm )/ c max ( 20 μm ) were 75 % and 77 %, respectively . the following formulations are representative of those within the scope of the invention . all formulations were made by the preferred manufacturing process previously described using ziprasidone hydrochloride particles having a mean particle size between 20 and 85 μm . all formulations were used as capsule fill . table 1__________________________________________________________________________ 3 ( a ) 4 ( a ) 5 ( b ) 6 ( a ) 7 ( a ) 8 ( a ) 9 ( a ) example no . ( mg / capsule ) ( mg / capsule ) ( mg / capsule ) ( mg / capsule ) ( mg / capsule ) ( mg / capsule ) ( mg / capsule ) __________________________________________________________________________ziprasidone hydrochloride 22 . 65 . sup . ( c ) 45 . 30 . sup . ( c ) 21 . 76 ( a ) 22 . 65 . sup . ( c ) 67 . 95 . sup . ( c ) 90 . 60 . sup . ( c ) 113 . 25 . sup . ( c ) monohydrate , pfizer lactose monohydrate , ph . 66 . 10 . sup . ( e ) 87 . 83 . sup . ( e ) 245 . 24 . sup . ( e ) 66 . 10 . sup . ( e ) 131 . 74 . sup . ( e ) 175 . 65 . sup . ( e ) 219 . 56 . sup . ( e ) eur . pregelatinized maize starch , 10 . 00 15 . 00 30 . 00 10 . 00 22 . 50 30 . 00 37 . 50 bp magnesium stearate , ph . 0 . 75 1 . 12 3 . 00 0 . 75 2 . 81 3 . 75 4 . 69 eur . magnesium stearate , ph . 0 . 50 0 . 75 -- 0 . 50 eur . hard gelatin , locking size # 4 size # 4 size # 2 size # 4 # 3 # 2 blue / white # blue / blue capsule shell , pharm . sup . ( 1 ) blue / white blue / blue black / blue blue / blue white / white total ( mg / capsule ) 100 . 00 150 . 00 300 . 00 100 . 00 225 . 00 300 . 00 375 . 00__________________________________________________________________________ . sup . ( a ) manufactured by dry granulation process . . sup . ( b ) manufactured by direct fill process . . sup . ( c ) based on a theoretical potency factor of 88 . 3 %. . sup . ( d ) based on a potency factor of 91 . 9 %. . sup . ( e ) the lactose monohydrate weight is adjusted according to small potency changes in the ziprasidone hydrochloride monohydrate in order to maintain a constant capsule weight . . sup . ( f ) capsule shell color may be varied if needed , and does not impact capsule performance . this example illustrates a procedure for making large crystals of ziprasidone hydrochloride monohydrate . double recrystallized ziprasidone free base was selected for use in this procedure . the lot assayed at a purity of 99 . 7 %. a clean and dry glass - lined reactor was charged with 180 l of thf , 18 l of deionized water , and 6 . 0 kg of ziprasidone free base . the slurry was heated to reflux , giving a clear solution . a hcl solution was prepared from 16 l of deionized water and 1 . 8 l of concentrated hcl in a separate charge tank . the agitator in the tank was set to the slow speed . the reactor was cooled to just below reflux ( 60 - 62 ° c ., thf refluxes at ˜ 64 ° c .) and an initial 2 kg of the hcl solution were added . this brought the crystallization to the point of turbidity . the crystallization mixture was maintained at 62 ° c . for 30 minutes , thereby allowing seed crystals to develop . following the stir period , the rest of the hcl solution was added over an additional 45 minute period . when the addition was complete , the slurry was slowly cooled from 62 ° c . to 13 ° c . to complete the crystallization . the product , ziprasidone hydrochloride monohydrate , was collected on a glass - lined enclosed pressure filter , and the cake was washed with 6 l of fresh cold thf . the product was dried under vacuum at 25 to 35 ° c . to obtain the desired monhydrate ( water content by karl fischer , kf = 3 . 9 to 4 . 5 %). 6 . 6 kg of product was obtained , a 97 % yield . the product showed a single peak by hplc analysis ( loq & lt ; 0 . 05 %) which matched the retention time of the standard . the crystal size obtained was 105 μm , it being noted that this large crystal size can be milled to smaller sizes having a mean particle size less than 85 μm . a suspension formulation was prepared by heating 733 . 31 g of water to 70 ° c . followed by adding 1 . 36 g methylparaben and 0 . 17 g propylparaben while stirring at about 200 rpm with an overhead stirrer . after the parabens completely dissolved , the temperature was lowered to about 30 ° c . the following components were then added in order : 2 . 78 g xanthan gum , 333 . 90 g xylitol , 1 . 13 g anhydrous citric acid , 1 . 21 g trisodium citrate dihydrate , 0 . 55 g polysorbate 80 , 11 . 13 g nacl , 11 . 33 g ziprasidone hydrochloride monohydrate having a nominal particle size of 38 μm , 11 . 13 g colloidal silicon dioxide , and 5 . 0 g cherry flavor . the ph was adjusted to 4 . 0 using aqueous sodium hydroxide and hydrochloric acid as needed . this example discloses a process for making a ziprasidone free base suspension . into a 2 liter beaker was weighed 812 . 9 g of water which was stirred using an overhead stirrer at a speed of about 200 rpm . the water was heated to 70 ° c . once the temperature reached 70 ° c ., 1 . 36 g of methylparaben and 0 . 17 g of propylparaben were added . when the parabens were completely dissolved , the temperature was lowered to 40 ° c . to the solution was slowly added 3 . 27 g of a viscosity agent , carbopol ® resin 974p ( union carbide corporation , danbury , conn . ), taking care to avoid big lumps , and increasing the stirring speed as necessary . agitation was maintained until the viscosity agent had completely dispersed and / or dissolved . to the solution was added 218 g of sucrose . after dissolving the sucrose , temperature was lowered to 30 ° c . to the solution was added 2 . 94 g of trisodium citric salt . to the solution was added 0 . 544 g of polysorbate 80 . to the solution was slowly added 11 . 325 g of ziprasidone free base . a 10 % naoh solution was used to adjust the ph of the formulation to 5 . 7 . after the ph had equilibrated , 1 . 09 g of colloidal silicon dioxide ( cab - o - sil ®, cabot corporation ) was added .
compositions comprising crystalline ziprasidone free base or crystalline ziprasidone hydrochloride particles having a mean particle size less than 85 μm , and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier , are substantially bioequivalent and can be used to treat psychoses such as schizophrenia .