This study evaluates the unknown qualitative (Q1) and quantitative (Q2) formulas for nasal spray and ophthalmic solution formulations of olopatadine HCl by classical and instrumental techniques to match the generic formula with reference-listed drugs to avoid clinical study. Reverse engineering of olopatadine HCl nasal spray 0.6% and ophthalmic solution 0.1, 0.2% formulations was accurately quantified using a simple and sensitive reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method. Both formulations possess similar components, namely ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), benzalkonium chloride (BKC), sodium chloride (NaCl), and dibasic sodium phosphate (DSP). These components were qualitatively and quantitatively determined using the HPLC, osmometry, and titration techniques. With derivatization techniques, EDTA, BKC, and DSP were determined by ion-interaction chromatography. NaCl in the formulation was quantified by measuring the osmolality and using the subtraction method. A titration method was also used. All the employed methods were linear, accurate, precise, and specific. The correlation coefficient was >0.999 for all components in all the methods. The recovery results ranged from 99.1 to 99.7% for EDTA, 99.1-99.4% for BKC, 99.8-100.8% for DSP, and 99.7-100.1% for NaCl. The obtained % relative standard deviation for precision was 0.9% for EDTA, 0.6% for BKC, 0.9% for DSP, and 1.34% for NaCl. The specificity of the methods in the presence of other components, diluent, and the mobile phase was confirmed, and the analytes were specific.
