Simultaneous Differential Pulse Voltammetric Determination of Ascorbic Acid and Caffeine in Pharmaceutical Formulations Using a Boron-Doped Diamond Electrode

A cathodically pretreated boron-doped diamond electrode was used for the simultaneous anodic determination of ascorbic acid (AA) and caffeine (CAF) by differential pulse voltammetry Linear calibration curves (r = 0 999) were obtained from 1 9 x 10(-5) to 2 I x 10(-4) mol L(-1) for AA and from 9 7 x 10(-6) to 1 1 x 10-4 mol L(-1) for CAF. with detection limits of 19 wool L(-1) and 7 0 mu nol L(-1). respectively This method was successfully applied for the determination of AA and CAF in pharmaceutical formulations. with results equal to those obtained using a HPLC reference method

Simultaneous voltammetric determination of paracetamol and caffeine in pharmaceutical formulations using a boron-doped diamond electrode

A simple and highly selective electrochemical method was developed for the single or simultaneous determination of paracetamol (N-acetyl-p-aminophenol, acetaminophen) and caffeine (3,7-dihydro-1,3,7-trimethyl-1H-purine-2,6-dione) in aqueous media (acetate buffer, pH 4.5) on a boron-doped diamond (BDD) electrode using square wave voltammetry (SWV) or differential Pulse voltammetry (DPV). Using DPV with the cathodically pre-treated BDD electrode, a separation of about 550 mV between the peak oxidation potentials Of paracetamol and caffeine present in binary mixtures was obtained. The calibration curves for the simultaneous determination of paracetamol and caffeine showed an excellent linear response, ranging from 5.0 x 10(-7) mol L(-1) to 8.3 x 10(-7) mol L(-1) for both compounds. The detection limits for the simultaneous determination of paracetamol and caffeine were 4.9 x 10(-7) mol L-1 and 3.5 x 10(-8) mol L(-1), respectively. The proposed method Was Successfully applied in the simultaneous determination of paracetamol and caffeine in several pharmaceutical formulations (tablets), with results similar to those obtained using a high-performance liquid chromatography method (at 95% confidence level). (C) 2008 Elsevier BY. All rights reserved.

Applicatiion of Almost ideal demand system for a pharmaceutical

This thesis is an application of the Almost Ideal Demand System approach of Deaton and Muellbauer,1980, for a particular pharmaceutical, Citalopram, in which GORMAN´s (1971) multi-stage budgeting approach is applied basically since it is one of the most useful approach in estimating demand for differentiated products. Citalopram is an antidepressant drug that is used in the treatment of major depression. As for most other pharmaceuticals whose the patent has expired, there exist branded and generic versions of Citalopram. This paper is aimed to define its demand system with two stage models for the branded version and five generic versions, and to show whether generic versions are able to compete with the branded version. I calculated the own price elasticities, and it made me possible to compare and make a conclusion about the consumers’ choices over the brand and generic drugs. Even though the models need for being developed with some additional variables, estimation results of models and uncompensated price elasticities indicated that the branded version has still power in the market, and generics are able to compete with lower prices. One important point that has to be taken into consideration is that the Swedish pharmaceutical market faced a reform on October 1, 2002, that aims to make consumer better informed about the price and decrease the overall expenditures for pharmaceuticals. Since there were not significantly enough generic sales to take into calculation before the reform, my paper covers sales after the reform.

Pharmaceutical patent bargains: the Brazilian experience

In the backdrop of the strict patent regime flatly adopted by the World Trade Organization (WTO) for all countries, a few countries constantly challenge this system through aggressive patent bargains. Within the pharmaceutical sector, noticeably, some countries now threaten to issue or otherwise actually issue compulsory licenses that may sway large pharmaceutical companies into selling drugs with large discounts or into granting voluntary licenses domestically. That is conspicuously the negotiation strategy adopted by Brazil in its negotiations with big international pharmaceutical companies.This paper explains Brazil’s aggressive bargaining approach based on an analysis of two aspects of its political economy. The first has to do with the international context of patent bargaining in the post-WTO era. Accordingly, the existence of large and fast growing domestic markets position countries such as Brazil as strategic destinations for Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and trade. Together with an absence of a propensity to innovate in pharmaceutical products, these conditions boost Brazil’s bargaining power for issuing compulsory licenses over pharmaceutical products. The second aspect is related to political economy dynamics inside Brazil. Accordingly, the political framework in Brazil undermines long-term policies and favors short-sighted ones also vis-a-vis R&D investments in the pharmaceutical industry. This remains true regardless of the strictness of the patent regime in place. The lesson of Brazil is relevant arguably for other more powerful developing countries which presently examine Brazil's approach while further challenging the WTO's strict patent policy for the future.

Does humor work in advertising of pharmaceutical products?

This thesis aims to evaluate whether humorous television commercials (TVCs) work for non-prescription drugs, known as “over-the-counter” (OTC). The construct humor in advertising is controversial since it involves complex and broad typology, and depends on the audience characteristics. Several studies within different product categories indicated that some consumer goods are better suited for humorous TVCs, while others, such as OTC drugs, may not take advantage from it. Paradoxically, drug announcers spend billions of dollars worldwide in humorous OTC ads. An experiment with real consumers was designed as between-and-within-subjects, to test three hypotheses. Sixty women were exposed to pairs of humorous and non-humorous TVCs, for each of the three drug categories (analgesics, vitamins, and laxatives). We used fictional brand names and real ads, and measured four dependant variables: attitude toward the advertising (AAD), attitude toward the brand (ABR), purchase intention (PI), and brand choice (BC), after subjects being exposed to manipulations of two independent variables: humorous vs. non-humorous TV commercials, for the drug categories. Conditional logit model confirmed that humor does not help to persuade respondents, whose choices, attitudes, and purchase intention were less favorable with humorous TVCs, in comparison to non-humorous executions. Future research is presented regarding marketing for pharmaceutical products.

Open Innovation in the pharmaceutical industry

O objetivo desse estudo é discutir a estratégia de inovação aberta adotada pelas quarto maior companhias farmacêuticas norte-americanas nos último quarto anos. A inovação tem sido reconhecida como uma fonte essencial de vantagem competitiva de uma firma. A partir do momento em que empresas começam a expandir e interagir em escala global, sua estratégia de inovação começa a mudar, e adquire um aspecto mais integrado, intensificando seu relacionamento com atores externos e recursos. Essa mudança tem como objetivo reduzir o custo da inovação e aumentar sua eficiência, e tem impacto nos resultados da empresa. Essa pesquisa realiza uma pesquisa exploratória usando dois modelos de inovação aberta como referência, Lichtenthaler (2008) e Lazzarotti-Manzini-Pellegrini (2010). Entender como firmas aplicam estratégias de inovação aberta é o primeiro passo para avaliar seu impacto na estratégia geral da mesma na nova conjuntura internacional.

Limited attention and investor disagreement: a nowcasting approach

When disagreement in economic models occurs due to different interpretations of public signals, the level of ``marketwide disagreement'' not necessarily decreases upon the arrival of a public signal. We propose an empirical assessment of this phenomenon. By using a measure of attention based on Google Trends, we show that an increase in the attention allocated by the market to a company is associated to a significant increase in disagreement about it.

Coordination in brazilian pharmaceutical supply chains

Supply chain coordination (SCC) can be a challenge for many organizations as different firms in the same chain has different expectations and interdependencies (Arshinder & Deshmukh, 2008). Lack of SCC can result in the bullwhip effect and poor performance for a firm and its partners. By investigating the phenomenon in the Brazilian pharmaceutical supply chain using a qualitative research, this paper aims to understand the main issues that avoid a better integrated chain. Results of 21 interviews suggested that the lack of coordination in this environment was influenced by the network design and the history of the sector in Brazil, as well as scarce resources

Paradigms that guide the models of attention to the health in Brazil: an analytic essay

SILVA, Flávio César Bezerra da ; COSTA, Francisca Marta de Lima; ANDRADE, Hamilton Leandro Pinto de; FREIRE, Lúcia de Fátima; MACIEL, Patrícia Suerda de Oliveira; ENDERS, Bertha Cruz ; MENEZES, Rejane Maria Paiva de. Paradigms that guide the models of attention to the health in Brazil: an analytic essay. Revista de Enfermagem UFPE On Line., Recife, v.3,n.4, p.460-65. out/dez. 2009. Disponível em < http://www.ufpe.br/revistaenfermagem/index.php/revista/search/results >.

A new insight about pharmaceutical dosage forms for benzathine penicillin G

In this work, a micellar system of benzathine penicillin G (BPG) in sodium deoxycholate (NaDC) was developed and evaluated physicochemically. The solubility profile of the drug in water and buffer solutions at various pH was determined, as well as its n-octanol/water partition coefficient. The Critical Micellar Concentration of NaDC and its ability to incorporate BPG were also assessed. The study was carried out at low and high ionic strength which was adjusted by the addition of sodium chloride. The results demonstrated the ability of the micellar system to incorporate BPG, as well as to increase its apparent solubility in water. The enhancement of the solubility of BPG by the presence of NaDC micelles could be analyzed quantitatively within the framework of the pseudo-phase model. Concentration analysis showed that the micellar system could attain up to 90% incorporation of BPG. The incorporated drug is expected to exhibit improved stability, since the antibiotic enclosed in the hydrophobic core of micelles is rather shielded from the aqueous external environment

Voltammetric determination of isoprenaline in pharmaceutical preparations using a copper(II) hexacyanoferrate(III) modified carbon paste electrode

The electroanalytical determination of isoprenaline in pharmaceutical preparations of a homemade carbon paste electrode modified with copper(II) hexacyanoferrate(III) (CuHCF) was studied by cyclic voltammetry. Several parameters were studied for the optimization of the sensor such as electrode composition, electrolytic solution, pH effect, potential scan rate and interferences in potential. The optimum conditions were found in an electrode composition (in mass) of 15% CuHCF, 60% graphite and 25% mineral oil in 0.5 mol l(-1) acetate buffer solution at pH 6.0. The analytical curve for isoprenaline was linear in the concentration range from 1.96 x 10(-4) to 1.07 x 10(-3) mol l(-1) with a detection limit of 8.0 x 10(-5) mol l(-1). The relative standard deviation was 1.2% for 1.96 x 10(-4) mol l(-1) isoprenaline solution (n=5). The procedure was successfully applied to the determination of isoprenaline in pharmaceutical preparations; the CuHCF modified carbon paste electrode gave comparable results to those results obtained using a UV spectrophotometric method. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Flow-injection spectrophotometric determination of dipyrone in pharmaceutical formulations using ammonium molybdate as chromogenic reagent

A simple and rapid flow-injection spectrophotometric method is reported for the determination of dipyrone in pharmaceutical formulations. The method is based on the reaction of dipyrone with ammonium molybdate in acidic medium to produce blue molybdenum, which was detected spectrophotometrically at 620 nm. The analyte was determined in a single-line flow system. The calibration curve obtained was linear in the range of 5x10(-4) to 8x10(-3) mol L-1 for dipyrone concentration and the precision ( s r =1.7%) was satisfactory. The method proved to be selective and adequately sensitive. Application of the method to the analysis of pharmaceutical samples resulted in excellent accuracy; the percent mean recoveries were in the range 95.3%-101% and relative errors less than 5.0% for five pharmaceutical formulations were found.

Micropartículas poliméricas à base de xilana e Eudragit® S-100 contendo mesalazina visando à liberação cólon-específica

Colon-specific drug delivery systems have attracted increasing attention from the pharmaceutical industry due to their ability of treating intestinal bowel diseases (IBD), which represent a public health problem in several countries. In spite of being considered a quite effective molecule for the treatment of IBD, mesalazine (5-ASA) is rapidly absorbed in the upper gastrointestinal tract and its systemic absorption leads to risks of adverse effects. The aim of this work was to develop a microparticulate system based on xylan and Eudragit® S- 100 (ES100) for colon-specific delivery of 5-ASA and evaluate the interaction between the polymers present in the systems. Additionaly, the physicochemical and rheological properties of xylan were also evaluated. Initially, xylan was extracted from corn cobs and characterized regarding the yield and rheological properties. Afterwards, 10 formulations were prepared in different xylan and ES100 weight ratios by spray-drying the polymer solutions in 0.6N NaOH and phosphate buffer pH 7.4. In addition, 3 formulations consisting of xylan microcapsules were produced by interfacial cross-linking polymerization and coated by ES100 by means of spray-drying in different polymer weight ratios of xylan and ES100. The microparticles were characterized regarding yield, morphology, homogeneity, visual aspect, crystallinity and thermal behavior. The polymer interaction was investigated by infrared spectroscopy. The extracted xylan was presented as a very fine and yellowish powder, with mean particle size smaller than 40μm. Regarding the rheological properties of xylan, they demonstrated that this polymer has a poor flow, low density and high cohesiveness. The microparticles obtained were shown to be spherical and aggregates could not be observed. They were found to present amorphous structure and have a very high thermal stability. The yield varied according to the polymer ratios. Moreover, it was confirmed that the interaction between xylan and ES100 occurs only by means of physical aggregation

Parâmetros de concretização judicial do direito fundamental à saúde no fornecimento de medicamentos

In Brazil, social rights have always been considered secondary legal categories, whose implementation could wait for the pending of political decisions. At the end of the Second World War, International Law emphasizes the protection of human beings, raising his dignity as a legal pillar of the legal orders and one of the main foundations of Constitutions. At the post-positivism Constitutionalism, the realization of social rights receives special attention with the assumption of supremacy and normativity of the Constitutions, while the judiciary participates in the realization of democracy, not only as applicator of laws, but also as the guardian of constitutionality of the acts and administrative omissions, creatively contributing to the constitutional achievement, filling gaps and normative state omissions. In this aspect, the supply of medicines, whose costs can not be supported by the individual, keep a close connection with the right to life, health and dignity of the human being, as the subject of numerous lawsuits directed against the Public Administration. Such phenomenon has caused intense debate regarding judicial activism and legitimacy of these decisions, particularly on the need to define what are the limits and possibilities considering the principle of separation of powers and the principle of reserve of the possible; bieng this the problematic developed in this research. Thus, this research aims to verify the legitimacy of judicial decisions that determines to the Public Administration the compulsory providing of medicine to those who can not afford the cost of their treatment, as well as, contribute to the dogmatic constructions of parameters to be observed by judicial interference. Regarding the methodology, this research has an investigative and descriptive caracter and an theoretical approach based on bibliographical data collection (judicial and doutrine decisions) that received qualitative treatment and dialectical approach. As a result, it is known that the judicial decision that determines the supply of medicines to those individuals who can not afford them with their own resources is legitimate and complies with the democratic principle, not violating the principle of separation of powers and the reserve of the possible, since the judicial decison is not stripped with an uniform and reasonable criteria, failing to contain high burden of subjectivism and witch signifies a possible exacerbation of functions by the judiciary, suffering, in this case, of requirement of legal certainty. It is concluded that the Court decision that determines the government the providing of medicine to those who can not afford the cost of treatment should be based on parameters such as: the protection of human dignity and the minimum existencial principle, the inafastable jurisdiction principle; compliance critique of the possible reserve principle; subsidiarity of judicial intervention; proportionality (quantitative and qualitative) in the content of the decision; the questioning about the reasons for non-delivery of the drug through administrative via; and, finally, the attention not to turn the judiciary into a mere production factor of the pharmaceutical industry, contributing to the cartelization of the right to health