Analytical Methodologies for the Stereoselective Determination of Sibutramine: An Overview

Sibutramine is a chiral anti-obesity drug which decreases food intake and increases energy expenditure. In therapy it is used as a racemic mixture; however both pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic data have revealed enantioselective behavior of sibutramine and its major active metabolites. Several chromatographic and electrophoretic analytical methods have been published so far for the chiral determination of sibutramine from pharmaceutical preparations and biological samples. The current paper aims to provide a systematic review of the stereochemical aspects and analytical methods used for the enantiodetermination of sibutramine and its active enantiomers covering the last 15 years.