Browsing by Subject "pharmaceuticals"

Now showing 1 - 5 of 5
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    Different applications for genetically modified crops
    (2005-06-29) United States. Congress. House. Committee on Small Business. Subcommittee on Rural Enterprises, Agriculture, and Technology
    Congressional hearing on the various uses of biotechnology, with testimonies and prepared statements from producers in the pharmaceutical, forestry, cotton, and papaya industries.
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    Finding Active Ingredients in Pharmaceuticals by UV Spectrophotometry
    (Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research, 2014-04-11) Figueroa, Gabriela; Palacio, Luis A.; Ray, Bruce D.; Petrache, Horia I.; Lopez-Yunez, Alfredo
    The active ingredient in any pharmaceutical is the chemical that will ultimately deliver the desired effect on a patient. Knowing the quality and the quantity of the active ingredient in a pill right before ingestion is of paramount importance for the patient’s health and the desired results. Unfortunately drugs only undergo quality control testing at the manufacturing plant but not at the point of sale. Moreover, to an untrained eye, one pill may not appear different from another and if the wrong pill or the wrong dose is taken, adverse health effects may arise. Indeed, manufacturers of counterfeit drugs rely on these two points of appearance and testing. In this study we examine whether ultra violet (UV) spectrophotometry absorbance can be used to separate an active ingredient’s UV peaks from the combination of peaks generated by the inactive ingredients of the tablet. A well-understood active ingredient, acetaminophen, was used for this study. Samples were prepared by crushing Tylenol tablets, dissolving the powder in different solvents (0.1M HCl, 0.1M NaOH, and H2O) at various concentrations and mixed by vortex. After preparation, the samples were measured by UV Spectroscopy. Experimental results were compared to standard UV curves for the pure active ingredient to correlate the observed changes in absorbance within the relevant UV wavelength range. We observe that more than one solvent is needed to identify the active ingredient. Development of a simple method to accurately identify the quality of the active ingredient will provide an additional safeguard to consumers, particularly in regions where counterfeit drugs are prevalent.
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    “Ghost tablet” husks excreted in feces in large bupropion XL overdose
    (Taylor & Francis, 2018) Overberg, Adam; Purpura, Andrea; Nanagas, Kristine; Emergency Medicine, School of Medicine
    Background: Extended-release medications are widely prescribed across the spectrum of medical specialties; however, there is heterogeneity in how they are formulated. Commonly, they consist of an insoluble matrix or shell from which drug elutes, which may then be observed by patients when excreted in feces. We describe the case of a patient who ingested a large amount of extended-release bupropion tablets and subsequently passed a large number of these so-called “ghost tablets” in his stool. Case Details: A 19-year-old male presented in status epilepticus following intentional overdose of an unknown substance. He had prolonged QRS and QT intervals on ECG, hypotension requiring vasopressors, and tachycardia, and progressed to cardiac arrest and respiratory failure. On hospital day 4, he passed several large bowel movements containing apparent tablets. Serum bupropion and hydroxybupropion levels performed on serum taken at time of admission were 1800 ng/mL and 4200 ng/mL, respectively. Case Discussion: “Ghost tablets,” the insoluble remnant of some extended-release dosage forms, have been previously reported to appear in patients' stool in the course of therapeutic dosing. We present the case of a considerable quantity of these ghost tablets recovered from stool following a large bupropion XL overdose. Conclusion: Healthcare providers should be aware of the potential for this phenomenon to occur in poisoned patients. It should be documented as physical evidence of overdose in addition to clinical evidence.
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    Life sciences and biotechnology: a strategy for Europe
    (Office for Official Publications of the European Communities, 2002) European Commission
    European plan to develop biotechnology in agriculture and medicine.
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    New Zealand biotechnology strategy: a foundation for development with care
    (2003-05) New Zealand. Ministry of Research, Science, and Technology.
    New Zealand plan to develop biotechnology in agriculture and medicine. Includes glossary and annotated bibliography of biotechnology web resources.