Stability of Essential Drugs in Tropical Climates: Zimbabwe - EDM Research Series No. 013
(1994; 86 pages)

Table des matières

Abbreviations
1. Summary
2. Introduction
	2.1 Quality of pharmaceuticals in developing countries
	2.2 Background to the Zimbabwe stability study
	2.3 Research questions
	2.4 Acknowledgments
3. Study design and methods
	3.1 Outline of the study
	3.2 Sampling procedures
	3.3 Number and type of samples obtained
	3.4 Risk factors for poor drug quality
	3.5 Sample storage and laboratory tests
	3.6 Data processing and statistical analysis
4. Results
5. Discussion
	5.1 Drugs without failures
	5.2 Drugs with a low rate of failures
	5.3 Drugs with a high rate of failures
	5.4 Assumptions and limitations of data
	5.5 Pipeline times, expiry and shelf-life considerations
6. Conclusions and recommendations
	6.1 Initial quality of drugs
	6.2 Stability of drugs
	6.3 Factors influencing the quality of drugs
	6.4 Outcome of the study
	6.5 Practical recommendations for a quality assurance system
References
Annexes
	Annex 1: Detailed results for each drug
		1.1 Amoxycillin capsules
		1.2 Ampicillin capsules
		1.3 Acetylsalicylic acid tablets
		1.4 Doxycycline capsules
		1.5 Ferrous sulfate tablets
		1.6 Phenoxymethylpenicillin tablets
		1.7 Tetracycline capsules
		1.8 Retinol tablets
		1.9 Epinephrine injection
		1.10 Ampicillin injection
		1.11 Benzylpenicillin injection
		1.12 Ergometrine injection
		1.13 Procaine penicillin injection
	Annex 2: Validation of laboratory results

Stability of Essential Drugs in Tropical Climates: Zimbabwe - EDM Research Series No. 013

	WHO Action Programme on Essential Drugs
	Zimbabwe Essential Drugs Action Programme

World Health Organization
Organisation mondiale de la Santé

WHO/DAP/94.16
English only
Distribution: Limited

H. Nazerali¹
T. Muchemwa²
H.V. Hogerzeil³

¹Zimbabwe Essential Drugs Action Programme, Ministry of Health, Harare, Zimbabwe
²Zimbabwe Regional Drug Control Laboratory, Harare, Zimbabwe
³WHO Action Programme on Essential Drugs

Much research work, particularly in developing countries, at present goes unreported. The reasons for this include the intense competition to publish in the scientific press, and difficulties in matching the research resources of developing countries. The DAP research series was established to provide a forum for the rapid distribution of data and findings relevant to critical areas of drug policy and use. The Action Programme has a firm commitment to national operational research as part of its direct country support. It is also strongly committed to making the findings of such studies widely known and accessible. While every effort is made by the Programme to support studies of the highest possible quality, research skills and resources will vary from country to country. Documents in the DAP research series reflect this variation, and range from reports of very small scale studies, undertaken with minimal resources, to major global research involving substantive financial, scientific and editorial input.

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