Ecologically Sustainable Method for Veterinary Ivermectin Analysis: Validation, Greenness, and Whiteness Studies

Abstract: The quality of veterinary pharmaceutical products has an impact on pharmacotherapy, animal health, and food safety. Therefore, analytical development and quality control are of utmost importance, providing effective and reliable analytical methods that are also aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Objective: This study aimed to develop and validate an eco-efficient, stability-indicating method to evaluate IVE for veterinary use by HPLC, based on the principles of Green Analytical Chemistry (GAC) and White Analytical Chemistry (WAC). Method: The method was performed in isocratic mode at room temperature. The mobile phase consisted of ethanol:purified water (75:25, v/v); injection volume was 10 μL; flow rate was 0.8 mL min⁻¹; separation was carried out on a Kinetex XB column (150 × 4.6 mm, 5 μm) at 245 nm. The ecoefficiency of the method was evaluated by the National Environmental Methods Index (NEMI), Eco- Scale Assessment (ESA), Analytical Greenness Evaluation (AGREE), Green Analytical Procedure Index (GAPI), Blue Applicability Grade Index (BAGI), Carbon Footprint Reduction Index (CaFRI), and Click Analytical Chemistry Index (CACI). discussion: Furthermore, it was proven eco-efficient by NEMI (four green quadrants), ESA (90 points), AGREE (0.63 points), GAPI predominantly yellow-green, CaFRI (68 points), BAGI (65 points) and CACI (75 points). Results: The proposed method was shown to be linear in the range of 1 to 10 μg mL⁻¹, and stabilityindicating based on the stress test; it was precise (RSD < 2 %), and accurate (average recovery of 98.99 %). Robustness was proven by the Youden & Steiner test. Furthermore, it was demonstrated to be eco-efficient, as evidenced by NEMI (four green quadrants), ESA (90 points), AGREE (0.63 points), GAPI (predominantly yellow and green), CaFRI (68 points), BAGI (65 points), and CACI (75 points). conclusion: The proposed method is an ecologically sustainable option for the analysis of IVE for veterinary use, being in accordance with green and white analytical chemistry. Discussion: Thus, the results of the proposed validated method, according to the specifications, were considered an eco-efficient alternative for the evaluation of IVE in an injectable solution. Moreover, the HPLC method was considered green, practical, aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals, and a valuable contribution to the quality control sector.