August 2015 e9(acute on chronic liver failure). Twelve ADRs were considered due to a single drug, 10 to multiple drugs, and 5 to traditional medicines. In one patient a metabolic drug interaction with fluconazole was implicated. In 6 cases, drugs considered exacerbated prior disease. Conclusions: We were effective in improving ADR reporting, identifying important contributions of ADRs to serious morbidity, and identifying preventable patterns of ADRs. Prior similar ADRs, drugdisease interactions, and traditional medicine use, often unrecognized, were common causes of hospital admissions. Background: Artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT) has become the standard of care for the treatment of uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum malaria in the world. Data guiding optimal choices of ACTs are limited. Artemisinin-based combination therapy of artemether-lumefantrine (Coartem R ) is currently used for the first line treatment of uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum malaria. However, limited efficacy and tolerability data are available on alternative forms of ACT. This study was conducted to compare the efficacy and tolerability of two fixed-dose formulation of ACT, artemisinin-piperaquine (Artequick R ) and (Coartem), for the treatment of P. falciparum in Nigeria. Methods/Materials: A randomized, open-label trial was conducted comparing the efficacy of a one-day regimen of Artequick (2.8 mg/ kg artemisinin plus 17.1 mg/kg of piperaquine per day for 24 hours) and Coartem (24 tablets, total dosage of 3360 mg, eight tablets over three days) for the treatment of adults with uncomplicated falciparum malaria. The primary end point was a day 42, PCR-corrected, parasitological cure rate; secondary end points were parasites and fever clearance time. Of 64 patients enrolled, 31 were administered with Artequick and 33 with Coartem. Result: Of the patients who completed the test, 28 were on Artequick and 29 were on Coartem. Recrudescence parasitemia was PCR confirmed for all patient in each treatment group, with cure rates at day 42 of 97% (96% CL: 90-100) for both forms of ACT. Conclusion: The median parasite clearance time was significantly slower in the Coartem group compared with the Artequick group (48 h vs 36 h, P < 0.05), and fever clearance times were shorter in the Artequick group (12 h vs 24 h, P < 0.05). The two forms of ACT were well tolerated with no serious adverse events. The polymorphic cytochrome P450 enzymes CYP2D6, CYP2C19, and CYP2C9 catalyze the oxidative metabolism of numerouscommonly prescribed drugs, such as antipsychotics, antiepileptics, antidepressants, and some cardiovascular drugs (eg, warfarin, flecainide, propafenone, and metoprolol). Evaluation of the metabolic capacity of an individual by genotyping may help the clinicians to select the right dose (in order to avoid toxic or subtherapeutic plasma concentrations) and/or the best drug for an individual patient, thereby minimizing the risk of side effects or therapeutic failure. In the period 2009 to 2014 a total of 529 genotyping analyses were perf...

In the quest for natural biodegradable, non-toxic polymers for use as excipients in pharmaceutical formulations, mucilage of Basella alba L (BAM) stem was isolated and evaluated as a suspending agent in metronidazole suspensions at different concentrations (0.5% - 2% w/v) in comparison to tragacanth (TCG) and gelatin gums (GLT). The micromeritic properties of the mucilage powder were determined and the metronidazole suspension was characterized using flow rate, redispersion number, sedimentation volume, viscosity and pH. The degree of flocculation was also determined. BAM powder has good flow property with minimal swelling. The order of flow rate of metronidazole suspension was BAM=TCG>GLT while sedimentation volume ranking was TCG>BAM>GLT. There was no significant difference (p>0.05) in the redispersion number of BAM and TCG formulations. The viscosities of formulations containing BAM and TCG at concentrations of 0.5%-1.0% w/v were the same. The pH of the suspensions ranged from 5 to 8. The degree of flocculation was in the order GLT>BAM>TCG. From our findings, BAM can be used as an alternative suspending agent in suspension formulation.