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Research and development costs for a single new pharmaceutical that is introduced to the market are estimated to cost between $1 billion and $2 billion. Due to the high cost of development and the need to quickly access various technologies, it is more cost-effective (clinically and financially) to enhance current pharmaceuticals for potency, selectivity, drug metabolism, and dosing convenience before they reach the market. Orally dissolving tablets have been developed as a result. Pharmaceutical companies have created oral disintegrating tablets that dissolve or disintegrate in the mouth within a few seconds of being placed there in order to maximize the safety and efficacy of the medicine molecule. Because patients with weak physiological (patients with mental illnesses) and physical capacities can easily administer it to geriatrics, children, and patients with these conditions (patients suffering from dysphagia), as well as traveling patients who may not have easy access to water and where swallowing conventional solid oral-dosage forms presents difficulties, it has grown in popularity among a wide population. These tablets can be prepared in many ways like direct compression, freeze drying, sublimation, molding, and spray drying by using single or combinations of superdisintegrants or subliming agents.

Aim: The present research work was aimed to formulate fast disintegrating tablets (FDTs) of salbutamol sulphate (SBS) using a combination of a superdisintegrant and a subliming agent, optimize the formulation and evaluate the in vitro performance of the developed FDTs. Materials and Methods: A formulation of SBS FDT was developed using a combination of superdisintegrant - crospovidone and subliming agent - Ammonium Bicarbonate (AB) in which formulation variables, namely levels of crospovidone and Microcrystalline Cellulose (MCC):Mannitol (MNTL) ratio, were evaluated for their effects on the response variables, disintegration time, hardness, friability and wetting time, of the resulting FDTs. By employing Central Composite Design (CCD) methodology, the FDTs were optimized to achieve optimum levels of the formulation factors. Results: The desired optimum condition was obtained at 7.82% crospovidone and 70% of 1.56:1 MCC: MNTL ratio, while maintaining AB at 5% level for aesthetic reasons. Under the optimized conditions, the disintegration time, hardness, friability, and wetting time were 14.57 ± 0.53 sec, 7.17 ± 0.82 kg/cm2, 0.311% and 13.14 ± 0.69 sec, respectively. The experimentally observed responses were found to be in close agreement with the predicted values for the optimized formulation. Moreover, the validity of the obtained optimal point was confirmed by the low magnitude of percent prediction error (< 5%). Conclusion: FDTs of SBS were successfully formulated and optimized using CCD employing a combination of a superdisintegrant and a subliming agent.

The cost of research and development for a single new treatment that reaches the market is enormous and rising, with estimates ranging from $1 billion to $2 billion. Because of the high cost of development and the need to quickly access multiple technologies, it is more cost-effective (clinically and financially) to optimize existing drugs for potency, selectivity, drug metabolism, and dosing convenience before they reach the market. This has resulted in the development of orally disintegrating tablets. Orally disintegrating tablets are patient-oriented pharmaceutical preparations which aim to enhance the safety and efficacy of the drug molecule by formulating a dosage form which disintegrates or dissolves in a few seconds after placement in the mouth. This dosage form has gained popularity among the general public because it is easily administered to geriatrics patients, pediatric patients, patients with poor physiological abilities (e.g., patients suffering from mental disorders), and patients with physical abilities (e.g., patients suffering from dysphagia), traveling patients that may not have ready access to water, and to patients that are in a situation where swallowing conventional solid oral-dosage forms presents difficulties. These tablets can be prepared in many ways like direct compression, freeze drying, sublimation, molding, and spray drying by using single or combinations of superdisintegrants or subliming agents.

There is a paucity of evidence-based information regarding healthcare professionals’ awareness and views toward counterfeit medicines in developing countries. Therefore; this is aimed to assess health care providers’ knowledge, attitude, and practice toward counterfeit medicines in Mizan-Tepi University Teaching Hospital, South West Ethiopia. A cross-sectional study was conducted among health care providers working in Mizan-Tepi University Teaching Hospital from December 2020 to January 2021. A total of 171 health care providers participated in the study. Data were collected through self-administered structured questionnaires developed by reviewing similar surveys with some modifications. The data analyzed using a Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS, version 21). Variables with P value

Background. An adverse drug reaction (ADR) is harm that arises from the use of a drug. Adverse drug reactions have a huge impact on the health system since they result in drug-related morbidity and mortality as well as indirect costs such as loss of productivity at work. Reporting of adverse drug reactions to a relevant authority is one of the methods of enhancing medication safety; however, underreporting of adverse drug reactions by health workers is a major challenge in enhancing medicines safety. The aim of this study was to assess the willingness, attitude, and associated factors of healthcare providers towards ADRs reporting at Mizan Tepi University Teaching Hospital (MTUTH). Methods. A cross-sectional mixed method was conducted among healthcare providers working in Mizan Tepi University Teaching Hospital from August to September 2021. A total of 190 healthcare providers and five key informants were participated in the study. The quantitative data were collected using self-administered structured questionnaires, and for the qualitative study, data from the key informant interviews were collected using a semistructured questionnaire containing open-ended questions. The collected data were coded, entered, and analyzed using a Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS, version 21). Furthermore, the logistic regression model was fitted to see the association between attitude items and demographic characteristics. Variables with P value P < 0.05 ). Conclusion. A large percentage of study subjects were willing to report adverse drug reactions to the appropriate authorities. The majority of healthcare providers were found to have a good attitude towards ADR reporting. Professional distribution and work experiences were significantly associated with attitude of healthcare providers towards ADR reporting. In order to improve the ADR reporting practices of the healthcare professionals and increase the ADR reporting load at the national level, the national regulatory body should collaborate with health facilities.

Background: Coronaviruses are a large group of viruses that are common throughout the community They are associated with mortality, hospitalization, substantial extra costs and lower patient’s quality of life Thus, this study aimed to assess the community’s knowledge of COVID-19 and associated factors in Mizan-Aman town, southwest Ethiopia Methods: Community-based cross-sectional study design was conducted among the community of Mizan-Aman from April 14 to May 14, 2020 A systematic sampling technique was used to collect data from selected households Data were entered into Epi data version 4 0 2 101 and then exported to SPSS version 24 0 for analysis To identify the predictors of knowledge of COVID-19, multiple backward logistic regression analysis was used To show the accuracy of data analysis, 95% CI was used, and statistical significance was considered at p

Fikadu Ejeta, Diriba Feyisa, Temesgen Aferu, Jafer Siraj, Demeke Melkam, Ahmed Ali School of Pharmacy, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Mizan-Tepi University, Mizan-Aman, EthiopiaCorrespondence: Fikadu Ejeta, Tel +251910136034, Email fikaduejeta@gmail.comIntroduction: Obstacles encountered when maintaining excellent dispensing practices for children include a lack of age-appropriate dosage forms, a shortage of medications in appropriate strengths for children, a lack of appetizing drugs, and a lack of competence in pediatric pharmacy. These difficulties contribute to ineffective dispensing procedures and an urgent need to study whether oral dose forms of medications are dispensed to children in a rational way.Objective: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the rational dispensing of oral dosage forms of medicines to children, as well as the factors that influence this practice.Methods: Using validated indicators, a cross-sectional study design was utilized to analyze the rational dispensing practice of oral dosage forms of medicines administered to children under the age of 12 years in seven pharmacies and two drug stores over a one-month period.Results and discussions: Out of 810 medicines, 11.7% and 4% were irrationally manipulated, 5.8% and 1.8% needed manipulation, 3.7% and 0.2% were alternatively dispensed, 8.8% and 7.5% of the medicines had correct advice on their label and also 745 medicines were adequately labeled in the hospital and the selected drug stores. In this study, 92% of medicines were adequately labeled and had sufficient advice on their labels, 15.3% of medicines were irrationally manipulated and around 7.7% of the dosage forms needed manipulation during dispensing. The type of medicine retail outlet had a significant effect on the percentage of instances where alternative solid oral dosage forms were dispensed (p = 0.003), the percentage of dosage forms were adequately labeled (p = 0.008), and the percentage of dosage forms were irrationally manipulated before dispensing (p = 0.001).Conclusion: The rational dispensing practice of oral dosage forms of medicines was relatively poor and there is room for improvement.Keywords: rational dispensing, oral dosage forms, rational drug use, children

Live attenuated and inactivated pathogens, as well as subunit vaccinations, can give long-term protection against a variety of deadly diseases. Despite this progress, vaccine development for a number of infectious diseases, particularly those that are more capable of evading the adaptive immune response, remains a serious issue. Furthermore, the fundamental impediment to the greatest uptake of virus vaccines isn’t usually the efficacy of conventional procedures, but rather the requirement for more fast research and large-scale manufacture. As a result, the development of more powerful and adaptable vaccine platforms is critical. The complexities of developing the manufacturing process, formulation, and analytical assays, as well as the problem of scientific assay optimization, are the most well-known barriers to vaccine development failures or delays. Scientists argue that the extremely concentrated state of global vaccine manufacturing capacity limits large-scale vaccine production. At the moment, only a few countries have the capacity to make vaccines on their own. Scaling up vaccine production is difficult, and a shortage of manufacturing sites is limiting global vaccine availability. Vaccine manufacturing and the development of breakthrough technologies capable of producing huge quantities of vaccines against known and undiscovered infections are difficult tasks nowadays. Vaccines can be made as suspensions, emulsions, or freeze-dried powders with a variety of adjuvants. However, many of those manufactured vaccines face multiple problems from a pharmaceutical standpoint, including the risk for acute hypersensitivity reactions, the need for extremely cold storage temperatures, and handling and delivery requirements. These requirements should limit vaccine supply to different populations, which has a negative impact on health equity. In the production of vaccines during upstream and downstream processes, new facilities, equipment, and enabling technology may be required, some of which may have an impact on how existing vaccines are manufactured. Despite these advancements, long-standing difficult circumstances will persist or worsen. Despite the fact that the number of individuals required is significantly less than in massive phase 3 studies, pharmacokinetic investigations can be logistically challenging and expensive. Even if there are challenging scenarios for implementing new pharmacokinetic models, there may be significant value in doing so, even in the context of an approved medication. The use of this ethically complex and contentious method for vaccine evaluation would necessitate interdisciplinary, global oversight to ensure that the results are rigorous and justify the potential dangers to participants and their communities.

BackgroundThe main elements of effective vaccine cold chain management at the immunization service delivery point are well-trained vaccine cold chain handlers, vaccine storage equipment, and appropriate vaccine management procedures. Vaccine cold chain handlers must have enough expertise to provide the correct vaccine at the right time, maintain vaccine potency, and minimize vaccination failures. The study assessed knowledge of vaccine cold chain handlers on vaccine cold chain management, adherence to the WHO vaccine storage codes and vaccine cold chain management practice at primary health facilities in Dalocha district of Silt'e zone.MethodInstitutional-based cross-sectional study was done at twenty-eight primary health facilities. One hundred forty primary health workers were drawn from four health centers and twenty-four health posts operating in Dalocha woreda of Silt'e zone, SNNPR, Ethiopia. A self-administered questionnaires and on-spot observation checklists were adapted from the WHO and WHO-UNICEF-effective vaccine management assessment tools to collect data from cold chain unit of the primary healthcare facilities. Data were entered to EPI data version 3.1; exported and analyzed using SPSS version 22. Statistical analysis was carried out to determine the level of knowledge, adherence to WHO cold chain management guideline and vaccine handling practice. The relationship that the knowledge of primary healthcare workers, primary healthcare workers training status, primary healthcare facilities' adherence to WHO vaccine storage codes, and length of work experience of primary health care workers have with the vaccine management practice were also exploredResultAbove Half (54%) of the respondents have satisfactory knowledge of vaccine cold chain management. One hundred (71.4%) vaccine cold chain handlers did point correctly to the recommended range of temperature (2°C -8°C) for vaccine storage. Around two-thirds (63.6%) of them were aware of the twice-daily temperature recordings. Nearly half, (46.2%) of primary healthcare facilities have experienced poor adherence to the WHO storage practice codes. Around three-fifths of the observed primary healthcare facilities have registered undesirable vaccine management practices. The primary healthcare workers who received training on vaccine cold chain management (χ2 = 0.058,p=0.015), served at primary health care facilities for more five years (χ2 =18.545,p≤0.001), shown good adherence to WHO vaccine storage code (χ2 =18.545,p≤0.001), have sufficient knowledge on vaccine cold chain management (χ2=4.210,p≤0.031) were all significantly associated with desirable vaccine cold chain management practice.ConclusionThere is a gap in vaccine cold chain handlers’ knowledge about vaccine cold chain management and less than desirable adherence to WHO vaccine storage codes at primary healthcare facilities in Dalocha district. The majority of the observed primary health facilities have registered poor vaccine management practices. Everyone who has a stake in the cold chain management of vaccines should do their share, individually and collectively, to guarantee that everyone reaps the benefits of an effective cold chain.

The use of Antiretroviral therapy (ART) has become a standard of care for the treatment of HIV infection. The therapy restores immune function and reduces HIV-related adverse outcomes. However, treatment failure erodes this advantage and leads to an increased morbidity and compromised quality of life in HIV patients. Thus, this study aimed to assess anti-retroviral treatment failure and associated factors among HIV patients on the first line ART at Mizan-Tepi University Teaching Hospital. A cross-sectional study was undertaken among adult patient who have been on ART and attending ART Clinic of Mizan-Tepi University Teaching Hospital from September 2014 to September 2018. Data were collected retrospectively by reviewing patients’ medical charts using a standard structured questionnaire. Data were entered into Epi data version 4.0.2 and then exported to SPSS version 21.0 for analysis. To identify the predictors of anti-retroviral treatment failure, multiple stepwise backward logistic regression analysis were done. P value

The present research work was aimed to formulate fast disintegrating tablets (FDTs) of salbutamol sulphate (SBS) using a combination of a superdisintegrant and a subliming agent, optimize the formulation and evaluate the in vitro performance of the developed FDTs.A formulation of SBS FDT was developed using a combination of superdisintegrant - crospovidone and subliming agent - Ammonium Bicarbonate (AB) in which formulation variables, namely levels of crospovidone and Microcrystalline Cellulose (MCC):Mannitol (MNTL) ratio, were evaluated for their effects on the response variables, disintegration time, hardness, friability and wetting time, of the resulting FDTs. By employing Central Composite Design (CCD) methodology, the FDTs were optimized to achieve optimum levels of the formulation factors.The desired optimum condition was obtained at 7.82% crospovidone and 70% of 1.56:1 MCC: MNTL ratio, while maintaining AB at 5% level for aesthetic reasons. Under the optimized conditions, the disintegration time, hardness, friability, and wetting time were 14.57 ± 0.53 sec, 7.17 ± 0.82 kg/cm2, 0.311% and 13.14 ± 0.69 sec, respectively. The experimentally observed responses were found to be in close agreement with the predicted values for the optimized formulation. Moreover, the validity of the obtained optimal point was confirmed by the low magnitude of percent prediction error (5%).FDTs of SBS were successfully formulated and optimized using CCD employing a combination of a superdisintegrant and a subliming agent.