Pharmacovigilance and adverse drug reporting system; awareness in Pakistan: pharmacy students and professionals approach and facts

ABSTRACT: This study was conducted to assess the pharmacy students and graduate knowledge and awareness about pharmacovigilance and adverse drug reporting [ADR] system in Karachi, Pakistan

Objectives: This study was designed to identify the trends, perception and approaches of pharmacy students and graduate towards current scenarios of pharmacovigilance and ADR contextual to our setting. Study Design: It was cross sectional, qualitative study. Setting: Pharmacy final year students and fresh graduates of two public and two private sector universities were included in the study. Period: Data was collected between January to August, 2015

Method: Relevant information was collected using questionnaire with 18 open ended and 7 close ended questions. 400 final year participants and 150 fresh graduates were incorporated in this survey. SPSS 20.0 was used to analyze the results and Percent, frequencies and mean scores were calculated for various outcomes

Results: Response rate of final year students and fresh graduates was found [97%, n = 388] and [88%, n= 132] respectively. Students level of awareness about pharmacovigilance was found [54%, n =216] in final year students while little higher rates were observed [78%, n=110] in graduates. Concept of pharmacovigilance gained through pharmacy curriculum was calculated 45% rated by final year students. The pharmacovigilance knowledge mean score was found to be 2.368.5 and 2.886.3 for final year students and fresh graduates respectively. 58% total respondents were aware with relationship between the drug and the ADR

Conclusion: The results of this study demonstrate that pharmacy students of final year in public and private sector universities of Pakistan are aware with some basic knowledge of ADRs and pharmacovigilance, but it is a need of time to incorporate more contents of such aspects in curriculum with some practical exposure that how to report ADRs

Intermediate release formulations of diclofenac potassium tablets for IVIVC

In recent days response surface methodology [RSM] has widely been applied for development and optimization of cost effective formulations with required quality. Study comprised of three steps including micromeritic comparison of different powder blends of placebo and diclofenac potassium [DP], formulation designing with CCRD [Design Expert, version 7.0.0], and stability testing of selected formulations by using R Gui. Ten formulations [F11-F20] were developed using microcrystalline cellulose [Avicel PH-102] [X1] [13-72%], methocel K15M [X2] [6.59-23.4%] and magnesium stearate [X3] [1.32-4.68%], while responses were % friability and % drug release. Blending rate constant was determined at 3, 6, 9 and 12 minutes. The results of physicochemical parameters were found within acceptable limits. After in vitro testing at pH 1.2, pH 4.5 and pH 6.8, mechanism of drug release, kinetic analysis and statistical evaluation were carried out by model - independent, model-dependent and one-way ANOVA methods. Most formulations followed zero order kinetics at higher pH. Fickian release [0.326