Emerging Hyphenated Techniques in Pharmaceutical Analysis: A Systematic Review

The pharmaceutical industry demands increasingly sophisticated analytical methods to meet stringent regulatory requirements and ensure drug safety and efficacy. Traditional single analytical techniques often fall short in providing comprehensive information about complex pharmaceutical matrices. This systematic review examines the current state and emerging trends of hyphenated techniques in pharmaceutical analysis, focusing on their applications, advantages, and future prospects. A comprehensive literature search was conducted across PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science databases, covering publications from 2015 to 2024. The review identifies liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS), gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), capillary electrophoresis-mass spectrometry (CE-MS), and liquid chromatography-nuclear magnetic resonance (LC-NMR) as the most prominent hyphenated techniques in pharmaceutical analysis. These methods have revolutionized drug discovery, impurity profiling, bioanalysis, and metabolite identification by providing enhanced sensitivity, selectivity, and structural elucidation capabilities. Current trends include miniaturization, automation, green analytical approaches, and integration with artificial intelligence for data interpretation. Despite challenges related to cost, complexity, and technical expertise requirements, hyphenated techniques continue to evolve toward more efficient, sustainable, and user-friendly platforms. The future holds promise for ambient ionization techniques, real-time monitoring systems, and personalized medicine applications, positioning hyphenated techniques as indispensable tools in modern pharmaceutical analysis.