Posted by Assessing the stability of drugs in space is crucial for future missions due to various environmental factors such as radiation, microgravity and vacuum, which can impact data reliability and reproducibility. In a study freshly published in Scientific Reports [1], a team of Hungarian researchers examined the stability of Remdesivir (RDV) in its sulfobutylether-beta-cyclodextrin (SBECD) complex through two separate flight experiments on the International Space Station (ISS). HPLC/MS analysis showed no degradation of the cyclodextrin excipient in any samples from both missions. However, RDV purity analysis after the first mission indicated differing stabilities and altered degradation patterns between space and Earth samples. Interestingly, this finding was not replicated in the second mission, where no significant differences in drug stability were observed. This inconsistency underscores the need for standardization and stricter control of variable parameters throughout space missions and corresponding terrestrial experiments.
[1] György Dormán, Balázs Buchholcz, István Puskás, Pál Szabó, Erzsébet Varga, Lajos Szente, György M. Keserű & Ferenc Darvas: Repetitive stability study of remdesivir/cyclodextrin complex on the international space station. Sci Rep 15, 4182 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-81428-5