title: Quality of the antibiotics--amoxicillin and co-trimoxazole from Ghana, Nigeria, and the United Kingdom.
abstract: Little is known about the quality of antibiotics despite being in high demand globally. Thirty five samples (27 brands) of the antibiotics amoxicillin (N = 20; 16 brands) and co-trimoxazole (N = 15; 11 brands), manufactured in six countries (China, Ghana, India, Ireland, Nigeria, and United Kingdom), were purchased in Ghana, Nigeria, and the United Kingdom. Their quality was assessed using German Pharma Health Fund (GPHF) MiniLab® as the screening tool-two capsules of amoxicillin (10%) and two tablets of co-trimoxazole (20%) failed the thin-layer chromatography (TLC) test. Definitive drug quality was measured using high-performance liquid chromatography-photodiode array detection (HPLC-PDA) for content of the stated active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and bioavailability was determined with in vitro dissolution testing. All the samples of amoxicillin complied with U.S. Pharmacopeia (USP) tolerance limits, but 60% tablets of co-trimoxazole (purchased in Ghana and Nigeria) did not. There was disparity in the results obtained for co-trimoxazole and amoxicillin samples using the MiniLab® TLC tests. This highlights the need to invest in techniques such as HPLC-PDA and dissolution testing alongside the screening tests for assessing drug quality.
authors.forename: Ifeyinwa
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Fadeyi
authors.forename: Mirza
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lalani
authors.forename: Naiela
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Mailk
authors.forename: Albert
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Van Wyk
authors.forename: Harparkash
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kaur
mesh_terms: D000658:Amoxicillin / Q000737:chemistry / Q000592:standards*; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000737:chemistry / Q000592:standards*; D002623:Chemistry Techniques, Analytical; D058110:Counterfeit Drugs; D005869:Ghana; D009549:Nigeria; D011786:Quality Control; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D015662:Trimethoprim, Sulfamethoxazole Drug Combination / Q000737:chemistry / Q000592:standards*; D006113:United Kingdom
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D058110:Counterfeit Drugs; D000658:Amoxicillin; D015662:Trimethoprim, Sulfamethoxazole Drug Combination