A randomized, double-blind, positive-controlled, Phase-II clinical trial to evaluate efficacy and safety of Fuke Qianjin capsule in Pakistani patients with pelvic inflammatory disease.

Ethnopharmacological relevance: Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) is a frequently occurring gynecological disorder mainly caused by the inflammation of a woman's upper genital tract. Generally, antibiotics are used for treating PID, but prolonged use poses potential risks of gut bacterial imbalance, bacterial resistance, super bacteria production, and associated adverse reactions. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has shown unique advantages in various ailments and has received widespread clinical research attention. Fuke Qianjin (FUKE) capsule is an approved National Medical Products Administration (NMPA License No. Z20020024) Chinese herbal prescription that has been widely used individually or in combination with other Western medicines for the treatment of various gynecological inflammatory diseases, including chronic cervicitis, endometritis, and chronic PID. Aim: This clinical trial was designed to assess the safety and efficacy of FUKE capsule in mild-to-moderate symptomatic PID patients. Materials and methods: This phase 2, randomized, double-blind, positive controlled clinical trial was conducted in mild-to-moderate symptomatic PID patients at a single center in Pakistan from 21 September 2021 to 11 March 2022. Eligible female participants were randomly assigned to a test and a control group with a ratio of 1:1. The test group subjects received two metronidazole (METRO) tablets and one doxycycline hyclate (DOXY) simulant at a time, twice daily for 14 days, and two Fuke Qianjin (FUKE) capsules, three times a day after a meal for 28 days. Subjects in the control group received two METRO tablets and one DOXY tablet at a time, twice daily for 14 days, and two FUKE simulant capsules, three times a day after meal for 28 days. The primary efficacy outcome was an improvement in pelvic pain symptoms assessed through a visual analog scale (VAS). The secondary outcomes were the improvement in secondary efficacy symptoms like local physical signs, clinical assessment of leucorrhea and cervical secretions through laboratory examination, and improvement in the maximum area of pelvic effusion assessed through gynecological ultrasound after the treatment. The safety outcomes were assessed through vital signs, laboratory tests, electrocardiogram findings, and adverse events/serious adverse events. Results: A total of 198 subjects with active PID were randomly assigned to a test group (n = 99) and a control group (n = 99). The baseline characteristics of the subjects in the two groups were similar. In the intention-to-treat analysis, the primary efficacy was 84.9% for the test group and 71.6% for the control group, with a statistically significant difference (p = 0.0370; 95% CI -0.2568 to -0.0088). The secondary clinical efficacy was 88.4% for the test group and 82.7% for the control group, with no significant difference (p = 0.2977; 95% CI -0.1632 to 0.0501). The improvement in local physical signs was 95.8% for the test group and 76.9% for the control group, with no significant difference (p = 0.0542; 95% CI -0.3697 to -0.0085). The inter-group non-inferiority comparison showed that the upper limit of the 95% CI was less than 0.15 and thus met the non-inferiority requirements of the test group to the control group. The results of clinical signs of leucorrhea and cervical secretions showed that there was no difference in the rate of improvement between the test and control groups, indicating that FUKE was non-inferior to DOXY. A total of 14 adverse events in eight subjects were observed in the trial, with an incidence rate of 4.7%. Four subjects in each group experienced seven adverse events with 4.5% and 4.8% incidence rates of adverse reactions in the test and control groups, with no statistically significant differences (p = 0.2001). No serious adverse events occurred in the trial. Conclusion: The results of this trial indicate that the test drug (Fuke Qianjin capsule) is non-inferior to the control drug (doxycycline hyclate tablet) in treating mild-to-moderate PID patients with comparable efficacy, safety, and tolerability to the control drug. Clinical Trial Registration: www.clinicaltrials.gov, identifier NCT04723069.

Similarity Investigation on Dissolution Curves of Metronidazole Tablets from Different Manufacturers / 医药导报

Objective To compare the dissolution curves of metronidazole tablets from 38 national manufactures and original drugs of Britain in four dissolution mediums,and provide the reference for the quality and clinical effect consistency evaluation of metronidazole tablets.Methods Paddle method was adopted at 50 r · min-1 in four dissolution mediums with the volume of 900 mL.The dissolution profiles were determined by ultraviolet spectrophotometry.The cumulative dissolution percentages were calculated and the dissolution curves were drawn.Similarity factor (f2)was used for comparing of the differences between dissolution curves.Results The dissolution profiles of 4 manufactures in pH 1.2 and 9 manufactures in pH 4.5 were similar (f2 ≥ 50)to that of original drugs,only 1 and 3 were similar to original drugs in water and pH 6.8,respectively.There are no companies whose dissolution curve were similar to that of original drugs in 4 dissolution mediums.Conclusion Great difference exists between domestic manufactures and pharmaceutical enterprises of origin in dissolution behaviors of metronidazole tablets.In order to ensure the consistency between the metronidazole tablets generics and original drugs of Britain in quality and clinical effect.It is advisable for the relevant companies to improve their product quality by improving the formulation and preparation.

Curative efficacy analysis for metronidazole tablets combined with sophora gel in treatment of bacterial vaginitis / 中国生化药物杂志

Objective To observe the clinical efficacy of metronidazole tablets combined with sophora gel in treatment of bacterial vaginitis ( BV) . Methods Eighty-seven cases of BV patients were randomly divided into the study group(45cases) and the control group(42cases).The control group was given metronidazole tablets (400 mg, two times a day), oral for seven days, while the study group was given sophora gel (vaginal implantation) on the basis of control group.Seven days as a course of treatment.Pared the leukocyte esterase test positive rate in vaginal fluid and the recurrence rate within a year of the two groups before and after treatment.ResuIts After 7 days’treatment, the positive rate of leukocyte esterase (LE) in two groups were all significantly declined, which was more significant in the study group (P<0.05);the total effective rate of the study group was 95.6%, which was significantly higher than that of the control group 78.6%(P<0.05).The recurrence rate within a year of the study group was 6.7%, which was significantly lower than that of the control group 26.2%( P<0.05 ) .ConcIusion The therapy of metronidazole tablets combined with sophora gel in treating BV can significantly decline the LE positive rate and recurrence rate, and improve the clinical curative efficacy as well.

Identification of Metronidazole Tablets by Infrared Spectrophotometry / 中国药房

OBEJECTIVE:To establish a rapid and exclusive method for the identification of metronidazole tablets.METHODS:The infrared spectrophotometry was adopted,in which the recrystallization was carried out with the dehydrated alcohol as the solvent and with the highly pure potassium bromide tabletting as the infrared absorption spectrum.RESULTS:The infrared absorption spectrum of the metronidazole tablets was completely in conformity with that of the control substance and the standard spectrum of metronidazole issued in Infrared Spectrum Album of Drugs by State Pharmacopoeia Committee.CONCLUSION:This method is specific,fast and accurate,which can be used for the identification of metronidazole prepa-rations.