Class of 2007 Abstract / Objectives: The purpose of this study is to assess the quality of study medications obtained without a prescription through international websites.
Methods: Samples of levothyroxine, warfarin, and sildenafil were obtained through various websites and compared to U.S. standards. Each sample was physically evaluated for weight, color, shape, and external tablet markings. High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was performed to quantify the amount of active ingredient.
Results: When physically inspected, only 3 of the 9 lots met FDA labeling requirements. Three of 60 (20 tablets from 3 lots) of the individual levothyroxine tablets were out of the USP acceptable range (90% - 110%). For warfarin, 16 of the 60 samples (20 samples from 3 lots) of the individual tablets were out of the USP acceptable range (95% - 105%). When averaged, each of the lots for both levothyroxine and warfarin were within their USP acceptable ranges. As sildenafil is not available as generic in the U.S., there is no USP standard acceptable range for comparison. All of the sildenafil samples fell within 90%- 105% of Viagra® tablets obtained from a local pharmacy.
Conclusions: While there were a few samples outside of the U.S. acceptable range, the majority of samples analyzed for active ingredient were within the range published in the USP. While the outcomes of this study presented interesting findings, further evaluation in larger studies is needed to properly assess the quality of foreign medications purchased over the internet.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:arizona.edu/oai:arizona.openrepository.com:10150/624403 |
| Date | January 2007 |
| Creators | Komak, Wagma, Smart, Jeremy, White, Jennifer |
| Contributors | Myrdal, Paul, College of Pharmacy, The University of Arizona |
| Publisher | The University of Arizona. |
| Source Sets | University of Arizona |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text, Electronic Report |
| Rights | Copyright © is held by the author. |
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