Quality assessment of some commercial brands of Acyclovir tablet marketed in Abuja, FCT, Nigeria.

Authors

  • Galadima Hayatu Isa Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Quality Control, National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development (NIPRD), Abuja, Nigeria.
  • Titus Emmanuel Onugba Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Quality Control, National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development (NIPRD), Abuja, Nigeria.
  • Johnson Ajeh Isaac Drug Manufacturing Unit, Department of Pharmaceutical Technology and Raw Materials Development, National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development (NIPRD), Abuja, Nigeria.
  • Danraka Abubakar Department of Pharmacy, National Hospital Abuja, Nigeria.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.51412/psnnjp.2025.19

Keywords:

Acyclovir, Herpes Simplex, Quality assessment, counterfeit and substandard medicine
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Abstract

Background: Acyclovir is a widely used medication for treating herpes simplex and varicella-zoster virus infections, including herpes encephalitis. This study aimed to evaluate the quality of different acyclovir tablet brands available in Abuja, Nigeria.

Methods: Four brands of acyclovir tablets were purchased from community pharmacies and assessed for quality control parameters, including weight variation, active ingredient content, hardness, thickness, diameter, friability, disintegration time, and dissolution.

Results: All samples met the USP specification limits for weight variation, active ingredient content, friability, thickness, and diameter. Except for brands A and D, which failed to meet hardness specifications, all samples passed the hardness test. All samples fulfilled disintegration time and dissolution tolerance limits, indicating that none of the samples were counterfeit or substandard.

Conclusion: This study demonstrated that all acyclovir brands evaluated met quality specifications for most parameters, ensuring their efficacy and safety for use in treating herpes infections.

Author Biography

Galadima Hayatu Isa, Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Quality Control, National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development (NIPRD), Abuja, Nigeria.

Tel: +2348068109818

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Published

2025-05-24

How to Cite

Isa, G. H., Onugba, T. E., Isaac, J. A., & Abubakar, D. (2025). Quality assessment of some commercial brands of Acyclovir tablet marketed in Abuja, FCT, Nigeria. The Nigerian Journal of Pharmacy, 59(1), 197–203. https://doi.org/10.51412/psnnjp.2025.19

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