From formulation to structure: 3D electron diffraction for the structure solution of a new indomethacin polymorph from an amorphous solid dispersion

3D electron diffraction (3DED) was used to elucidate the structure of a new ninth polymorph of indomethacin from an amorphous solid dispersion, which are product formulations used to improve the dissolution performance of active pharmaceutical ingredients with poor aqueous solubility. Insights from the structure solution allowed for a simpler crystallization route for this polymorph to be deduced, demonstrating the relevance of 3DED within drug development.

3D electron diffraction (3DED) is increasingly employed to determine molec­ular and crystal structures from micro-crystals. Indomethacin is a well known, marketed, small-molecule non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug with eight known polymorphic forms, of which four structures have been elucidated to date. Using 3DED, we determined the structure of a new ninth polymorph, σ, found within an amorphous solid dispersion, a product formulation sometimes used for active pharmaceutical ingredients with poor aqueous solubility. Subsequently, we found that σ indomethacin can be produced from direct solvent evaporation using di­chloro­methane. These results demonstrate the relevance of 3DED within drug development to directly probe product formulations.