Effect of environmental conditions on the stability of paracetamol tablets

Abstract

Drugs were exposed to some conditions which were inevitable in the shelf-life of those drugs. Such conditions are met during drug distribution to the point of consumption. If stability of a drug product is not maintained throughout its shelf-life, quality, safety, potency and efficacy will be compromised. This study aimed to investigate the effect of environmental conditions on the pharmaceutical stability of paracetamol tablets. Three samples of paracetamol tablets 500mg of the same batch number were stored in their original packages under different environmental conditions; complex balcony CB, drug shop DS, cupboard CPB for one month. Samples were withdrawn at different time intervals and evaluated for variations in weight, hardness, friability and disintegration. The pharmaceutical stability of the three samples in the cupboard and in the drug shop at one month was not adversely affected while those kept at the complex balcony was adversely affected by the storage conditions since they are exposed high light intensity, high humidity and hence a high moisture in the drug packages. The drugs at the complex had an offwhite coloration. The tablets at the complex balcony were found to have an average weight of 591.1mg, disintegration time of 24seconds, average hardness of 7.046kg/cm2 and percentage friability of 0.47108%. The tablets that were stored in the drug shop were found t1o have an average weight of 582.75mg, average hardness of 10.978kg/cm2, disintegration time of 31secounds and percentage friability of 0.03765%. the drugs stored in the cupboard had an average weight of 586.2mg, an average hardness of 7.65kg/cm2, disintegration time of 45seconds and percentage friability of 0.23529%.