Monitoring of Polymorphism - From Detection to Quantification

The polymorphic behavior of organic substances is driven by thermodynamic and kinetic factors. Therefore several solid phases may coexist. Since the properties of the solid state may be extremely relevant for the quality of medicines, the International Conference of Harmonization (ICH) requires a polymorphic study for new active ingredients. The different steps of investigations and the analytical methods which are used during the development phase in order to achieve adequately this challenging task, from detection to quantification are emphasized.