Comparative Quality Evaluation of Ibuprofen in Tablets
Ibuprofen is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory inflammatory drug (NSAID) which is used in reducing inflammation and pain associated with many diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis etc. It acts by inhibiting the cycloxygenase enzyme and thereby reducing the synthesis of prostaglandins. It is a racemic mixture of [+] S and [-]R-enantiomers. Ibuprofen is the most commonly used and most frequently prescribed NSAID. Although its anti-inflammatory properties may be weaker than those of some other NSAIDs, it has a prominent analgesic and antipyretic role. Ibuprofen is given as a tablet with a potency of 200 to 800 mg. The usual dose is 400 to 800 mg three times a day. It is almost insoluble in water with a pH of 5.3. Recemic ibuprofen and the S (+) enantiomer are mainly used in the treatment of mild to moderate pain associated with dysmenorrhea, headache, migraines, postoperative toothache, treatment of spondylitis, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, soft tissue disorder. The aim of the study is to compare the different physical parameters including appearance, uniformity of mass, uniformity content (mass variation) and spectrophotometric assay for quality evaluation and characterization of tablets of six different brands. All six brands of ibuprofen tested meet the specification of the EP, BP and USP for content uniformity, weight variation and assay content.