The extent and rate of release of active substances from topical products must be sufficient to ensure their effectiveness, which depends on selecting the most appropriate formulation. This study examined allantoin emulsions and gel formulations. In water-in-oil (W/O) and oil-in-water (O/W) emulsions, the main emulsifier was varied, while the same gelling agent was used in all formulations to test the effects of oil phase presence and emulsifier type on allantoin release, as well as the formulations' rheological and textural characteristics. O/W emulsions exhibited similar release rates and the overall amount released over six hours (11-14.8%), while the highest amount of allantoin (20.9%) was released from the gel formulation. Conversely, the amount of allantoin released from the W/O emulsion (0.77%) was insufficient. Experimental data generally fit best with the Higuchi model kinetics. The formulations demonstrated shear-thinning thixotropic behavior. The greatest deviation from the Newtonian type of flow, with the smallest value of constant n (0.106-0.13) and the largest thixotropic loop area (6602.67-8140 Pas-1) were shown by O/W emulsions. The W/O emulsion exhibited the highest constant n (0.70) and smaller hysteresis area (991.23 Pas-1). Firmness and consistency values increased in the order: gel < W/O emulsion  < O/W emulsions. The O/W emulsions showed similarity in microstructure and textural characteristics, likely explaining their similar release behavior.

In order to raise and harmonize the quality standards of pharmaceutical studies at the national level of Bosnia and Herzegovina and thus get closer to the implementation and quality assurance of study programs of EU countries, a team of professors from the University of Sarajevo-Faculty of Pharmacy prepared and was awarded the Erasmus+ project IQPharm. IQPharm (Innovating quality assessment tools for pharmacy studies in Bosnia and Herzegovina) aims at capacity building of quality management, and aims to introduce new tools for quality improvement, digitization and modernization of pharmacy studies at public universities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, including strengthening semi-structured experiential education in line with EU standards and higher education regulations for regulated professions. The introduction of new tools for the assessment of the quality of study programs (KREF) enables the development of evidence-based recommendations for change, modification and innovation of existing methods of knowledge transfer, didactic approaches and curricula. The introduction of a new system of proficiency testing through experiential education (OSCE) sets equal standards at the national level for the learning outcomes of graduate pharmacists. The development of E-platform ensures the digitization and modernization of experiential education management. Experiential education at the level of Bosnia and Herzegovina will be significantly improved through the introduction of the E-platform, by raising the standards of the practice itself and facilitating its implementation by student services, students and their mentors. A special part of this project is the development of free modules, which are extracurricular subjects intended to enrich the knowledge of students and graduates of pharmacy, They should track the labor market trends, and thus make higher education more agile and attractive.

OBJECTIVE To examine the influence of vehicles on the stability of extemporaneous suspensions of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), to single out the formulation most suitable for children, providing appropriate evidence and arguments. METHODS A review was performed of data identified from Medline, Embase, Science Direct, as well as public digital archive PubMed, including reference texts, related to the field of stability testing of extemporaneous PPI suspensions. RESULTS Fourteen selected formulations of extemporaneous suspensions are presented and discussed. Depending on the vehicle and its composition, which was analyzed and explained in detail, the suspensions had various beyond-use dates (BUDs). CONCLUSIONS Selected vehicles and the process of preparation had great influence on the stability of extemporaneous PPI suspensions. The suspension with the longest BUD has been singled out, which is especially suitable for use in newborns. Because an explanation is provided for the influence of individual vehicle components on the stability of the mentioned suspensions, this can aid not only in the selection of an adequate formulation, but also in the development of new ones, which will be suited to individual patients.

© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2021. No commercial reuse. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ. We come from Bosnia and Herzegovina, a small country in western Balkans. Our Faculty of Pharmacy at the University of Sarajevo was opened in 1973, but from then on there was no kind of online teaching. So when the COVID-19 pandemic broke out, and when the university decided to stop all kinds of ‘inclass’ teaching (12 March 2020), we were faced with something new. We work at the Department of Pharmaceutical Technology, where we teach regular courses on ‘Drug Formulation’ and ‘Industrial Pharmacy’. Students take classes in these subjects in the seventh, eighth and ninth semesters. The exercises are practical and last several hours. On 25 March 2020, classes in the lecture hall were suspended until further notice by the decision of the Senate of the University of Sarajevo, and then we realised that we must embark on the adventure of organising online classes. We carried out short research on available online teaching platforms to find basic information on the platform’s capabilities, identify their advantages and disadvantages, and check their commercial prices. We studied the following platforms for online courses: Google Meet, Adobe Connect, Zoom and BigBlueButton, and the following platforms for online examinations: Exam. net, Virtualx, Google Forms, Skillsbook, Papershala, Edbase, Kaldin and TCExam. After examining the possibilities of the available online teaching platforms, we agreed that Zoom and Google Meet provide the best results for running online courses. Adobe Connect, Blackboard Collaborate and BigBlueButton work on the same principle, but professional versions of these platforms were quite unaffordable to us. The results for the online examination platforms are summarised in table 1. Given the security and price of the platforms, we concluded that Exam. net currently meets our criteria, but that it would be necessary to use two platforms simultaneously during the examination, one of which would allow an established video connection with students during the examination (eg, a combination of Exam. net and Zoom). Students accessed the examination platform from their laptop while simultaneously established a video connection with the teacher on their mobile device. At the end of the semester, we conducted an online survey in which 60 (70.93%) of 86 students participated, and for 98.4% of the students this was their first online learning experience. Although it is assumed that current students (digital natives) have adequate information and communications technology competence, they differ in their computer and information literacy as they come from different socioeconomic backgrounds. Of the students, 21.3% had technical difficulties (ie, unstable connection). One of them said she/he has problems with misunderstanding from parents who required help with housework at the time of the lecture because she/he comes from the countryside. Of the students, 75% were satisfied with the conducted online classes at our department. Onethird found it easier to follow theoretical lectures online. Here are some comments from the students:

The antidiabetic drug gliclazide is partly metabolized by CYP2C19, the main enzyme involved in omeprazole metabolism. The aim of the study was to explore the interaction between omeprazole and gliclazide in relation to CYP2C19 phenotype using physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) modeling approach. Developed PBPK models were verified using in vivo pharmacokinetic profiles obtained from a clinical trial on omeprazole-gliclazide interaction in healthy volunteers, CYP2C19 normal/rapid/ultrarapid metabolizers (NM/RM/UM). In addition, the association of omeprazole cotreatment with gliclazide-induced hypoglycemia was explored in 267 patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) from the GoDARTS cohort, Scotland. The PBPK simulations predicted 1.4–1.6-fold higher gliclazide area under the curve (AUC) after 5-day treatment with 20 mg omeprazole in all CYP2C19 phenotype groups except in poor metabolizers. The predicted gliclazide AUC increased 2.1 and 2.5-fold in intermediate metabolizers, and 2.6- and 3.8-fold in NM/RM/UM group, after simulated 20-day dosing with 40 mg omeprazole once and twice daily, respectively. The predicted results were corroborated by findings in patients with T2D which demonstrated 3.3-fold higher odds of severe gliclazide-induced hypoglycemia in NM/RM/UM patients concomitantly treated with omeprazole. Our results indicate that omeprazole may increase exposure to gliclazide and thus increase the risk of gliclazide-associated hypoglycemia in the majority of patients.

The kinetics of passive transport of ketoprofen and metformin, as model substances for high and low permeability, respectively, across the artificial membrane under the influence of the pH of donor solution was investigated. There was an upward trend in the apparent permeation coefficient (Papp) of ketoprofen with the decrease in pH to a value close to pKa. At the pH value below pKa the permeation coefficient had lower value, due to the higher retention of ketoprofen in the artificial membrane. Metformin is a low permeable compound, and the highest permeation values were recorded at pH 7.4. Two dissociation constants determine that metformin at physiological pH exists as a hydrophilic cationic molecule, i.e. predominantly in ionized form. At pH values below 2.8, metformin mainly exists in diprotonated form, and it was, thus, very poorly permeable. The highest retention, i.e. affinity of both ketoprofen and metformin to the membrane, was at the lowest pH values, which is explained by different mechanisms. At higher pH values of donor compartment the substances showed significantly less affinity to the membrane. The obtained values of apparent permeation coefficients at studied pH values showed good correlation with the obtained experimental values by other in vitro methods.

: Medicinal nail lacquers are the most effective topical treatment of nail diseases. These formulations generally are organic solutions of the active substance as well as film-forming polymer and plasticizer, which affects the characteristics of the film formed after application and solvent evaporation. The aim of this work was to test the effects of plasticizer present in nail lacquer formulations on permeation kinetics of fluconazole through the bovine hoof membrane in a novel in vitro test. The formulations contained Eudragit RS100 dis- solved in acetone, and dibutyl-phthalate, PEG 400 or propylene glycol as plasticizers present in two different concentrations. Permeation studies were carried out during the 7-day period, and the obtained permeability pro- files analyzed using similarity and difference factors, and by model-dependent permeation kinetics. When analyzed within the same strength, the highest extent of fluconazole permeation was obtained from the formula- tion with a lower concentration of propylene glycol at 0.9% fluconazole concentration, while for formulations with 1.8% and 2.7% of fluconazole, the highest permeation was achieved from the formulation with the high- er content of PEG400. The permeation profiles showed a greater difference within one formulation of different fluconazole content than with the same plasticizer present in different concentrations, when using dibutyl- phthalate and PEG400. The permeation profiles were similar when using propylene glycol. When comparing formulations with the same concentrations of plasticizers, there were differences in formulations with the high- er fluconazole concentrations. Permeation kinetics depended on fluconazole concentration as well as the path length the active substance had to pass to reach the receptor solution.

In this work, we compared the pharmaceutical-technological characteristics of ranitidine hydrochloride film coated tablets (tablets R1, tablets R2) of different manufacturers as well as the influence of excipients of the core tablet and/or film-coating. The results of assay (R1=97.55% ± 1.81%; R2=95.03% ± 0.82%), uniformity of dosage units (R1=267.55 mg ± 4.96 mg; R2=308.75 mg ± 2.67 mg), friability testing (R1=0.037%; R2=0.009%) and disintegration time (R1=239 sec; R2=317 sec) of tablets for both generic drugs meet pharmacopoeial requirements. Significant variations were observed in hardness testing for tablets R1 (RSD=26.69%) compared to hardness testing for tablets R2 (RSD=5.64%). Tested pharmaceutical equivalents may be considered bioequivalent because of the results of in vitro dissolution testing of ranitidine tablets (R1=97.17% ± 1.39%; R2=96.99% ± 3.76%). Tested tablets, containing various excipients, and having different pharmaceutical-technological characteristics, have met all requirements of the European and American pharmacopoeias. Tablets R2 were harder and had lower disintegration time, which resulted in the dissolution of more than 80% of ranitidine within 45 minutes. Patients with lactose intolerance have to be cautious when taking tablets R2, since these tablets contain lactose.