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Background: A major way to achieve improved drug therapy is through effective practice of Drug Information Services (DIS) by pharmacists. Aim: The study assessed the drug information needs from community and hospital pharmacists and their predominant sources of drug information in a Nigerian City. Methods: Cross-sectional survey involving cluster and convenience sampling methods was used to recruit hospital and community pharmacists respectively, and structured questionnaires were self-administered to them. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 21 (p≤0.05). Results: A total of 102 pharmacists participated in the study and majority 60 (58.8%), had received training on DIS. Reference books (4.58 ± 0.59) and internet (4.44 ± 0.62) respectively, were most consulted sources of drug information for community pharmacists. Similarly, reference books (4.42 ± 0.54) and the internet (4.42 ± 0.55) were also most consulted by hospital pharmacists respectively. Consultation of drug bulletins was significantly higher in hospital pharmacists than community pharmacists (p=0.006). Most frequently demanded drug information were drug cost (4.63 ± 0.52) from community pharmacists and drug dosage (4.61±0.49) from hospital pharmacists. Drug information on pharmacokinetics was significantly more frequently required from the hospital pharmacists than the community Pharmacists (p=0.002). Conclusion: Most frequently consulted literature sources among the study participants were the reference books and internet. Drug information most frequently required from community and hospital pharmacists were cost of drugs and drug dosage respectively. This emphasizes the recognized role of pharmacists in DIS, which suggests the need for regular up-to-date DI skills.

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Objectives: A routine in vitro pharmacopeial quality assessment of five brands of fluconazole capsules with label claims of 50.0 mg marketed in Port Harcourt, Nigeria was carried out to ascertain their consistencies. Methods: The brands were procured from various pharmacies in Port Harcourt and coded Fluco-A, Fluco-B, Fluco-C, Fluco-D and Fluco-E. Visual assessments of the samples were carried out besides in vitro quality considerations such as identification of the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API), capsules uniformity of weight, disintegration, an assay of the total content of fluconazole and dissolution studies. Results: Each brand contained fluconazole with relevant product packet information uncompromisingly conspicuous.The label claims for fluconazole contents were satisfactory. The weight variation of the capsulesacross the brands were between 170.25 mg ± 2.25% -333.14 mg ± 1.50 %. Each brand disintegrated within 10 min. Total drug content was within 88.43 ± 0.12% to 102.96 ± 0.53 %.Above 80.0% of fluconazole was released within 30.0 min in the release studies of the respective brands. Conclusion: The results obtained for the capsules uniformity of weight, disintegration time, the total content of the API and the drug release profiles were within acceptable limits of the United States Pharmacopoeia (USP).

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