Pharmaceutical Evaluation of Commercial Brands of Cefixime 400MG Capsules Marketed in Karachi (Pakistan)

The sale and use of substandard drugs is a major health problem in many developing countries where strict drug control legislation does not exist. The study investigates pharmaceutical quality of different brands of cefixime 400mg capsules marketed in Karachi (Pakistan). Compendial standards and government regulations require that all drug products, whether prescription or OTC products, meet strict standards of identity, potency, and purity. Each type of dosage form requires careful study of the physical and chemical properties of drug substances to achieve a stable and effective product. The different brands were subjected to various tests like uniformity of weight, diameter, length, disintegration, dissolution and chemical assays. The susceptibility test of drug was also carried out using agar dilution method along different isolates obtained from health care set ups. All the 6 brands had satisfactory drug content, antimicrobial activity and all passed the USP drug release test. The six brands are physically and chemically equivalent and could be interchanged. The study reinforces the need for constant monitoring of proprietary products of the same generic drugs to ensure quality and consequent efficacy with pharmacoeconomy, which would help in the selection of the most appropriate brand in terms of Pharmacoeconomy and quality.