Open AccessField-based screening of selected oral antibiotics in Belize
Author(s) -
Danladi Chiroma Husaini,
Uppala Jyana Venkata Kishan,
ChenYi Wu,
Elsbeth Nerissa Guerra,
Cindy J. Bush,
Ayleen Walewska Perez,
Israel Coc
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
plos one
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.99
H-Index - 332
ISSN - 1932-6203
DOI - 10.1371/journal.pone.0234814
Subject(s) - antibiotics , medicine , friability , pharmacopoeia , traditional medicine , toxicology , microbiology and biotechnology , alternative medicine , biology , pharmacology , first pass effect , pathology , bioavailability
The presence of poor quality antibiotics on the market has contributed to the antibiotics resistance and global threat to public health. Antibiotic resistance is now a global concern. One area to address this issue is by evaluating the quality of antibiotics accessible to the public. The purpose of this study was to test and compare (with corresponding pharmacopeia) the quality of common oral antibiotics available in the country of Belize with a view to providing base-line data on the testing of medications imported to the country for public consumption. The study focused only on level 2 field-based screening quality assurance on three Key Access Antibiotics from the World Health Organization (WHO) Model List of Essential Medicines. Methods Five brands of antibiotic tablets/capsules with denoted pharmacopeia imported into the country of Belize were tested for quality at The University of Belize pharmacy laboratory. A sample of 30 tablets/capsules each of the selected antibiotic brand were used for study. Visual inspection and weight variation were done for each sample while Monsanto type tablet hardness tester, Roche @ Tablet Friability Test Apparatus (single drum), and Ajanta @ Tablet Disintegration Test Apparatus (double basket) were conducted on selected antibiotics. Results were recorded and compared with corresponding pharmacopoeia references. Results Most of the samples collected passed performed tests. Only a few samples from both BP and USP antibiotics failed in visual inspection and weight variation tests. All antibiotics tested conformed to their corresponding pharmacopeia reference in terms of friability and disintegration time. Conclusion Most of the selected antibiotics passed performed tests when compared with their pharmacopeia. Only a few samples from both BP and USP antibiotics failed the tests conducted. There is need for regular quality assurance tests on all medications imported to Belize especially antibiotics.