Comparative Analysis of In vitro Quality Parameters of Different Brands of Marketed Ciprofloxacin Tablets Available in Bangladesh

Aim: Ciprofloxacin is a broad‑spectrum antibiotic under the group of drugs called fluoroquinolones. It is extensively being manufactured and marketed drug by many national and multinational pharmaceutical companies. The purpose of this study was to compare the quality of different brands of ciprofloxacin 500mg tablets available in Bangladesh using quality characteristics such as weight variation, hardness, thickness, friability, disintegration time, and dissolution profile.

Methodology: The tablets' overall quality criteria, such as weight variation, hardness, thickness, diameter, friability, disintegration time, and dissolving profile, were evaluated using established protocols. An electric analytical balance was employed to measure weight variation. An automated hardness tester was used to determine the hardness, thickness, and diameter. A friabilator was used to determine the degree of friability. A disintegration equipment and a dissolution tester were used to examine the disintegration time and dissolution profile, respectively.

Results: In this study, all the values were compared with the standards. All brands had been passed for the weight variation test, because no tablets surpass the ± 5 % weight variation. The weight variation range was from 714.57±4.08 mg (brand C) to 837.92±7.49 mg (brand E). In hardness testing procedure, all brands of ciprofloxacin 500mg tablets were within the specified limit. The average hardness of the items ranges from 11.11±1.44 kgF to 19.26±2.20 kgF respectively. The five brand's percentage friability was less than 1%, indicating that they met the requirements. The lowest friability (0.015 %) was found in Brand E, while the highest friability (0.032 %) was found in Brand B. Within 10 minutes, the entire trademark had disintegrated, indicating that they had met the requirements. Brand E had the quickest disintegration time (5.35±0.49 minutes), while brand B had the slowest (9.12±0.88 minutes).All brands had a dissolution rate of 83.56% for A, 95.84% for B, 91.15% for C, 84.46% for D and 88.97% for E, all those were within 60 minutes in dissolution testing. The five brands' assay was within the specified limit, indicating that they met the requirements

Conclusion: In conclusion, the present study of evaluating quality control parameters revealed that all of the leading brands of this tablet comply the quality control parameters as per pharmacopoeial specifications. Further work is recommended on bioequivalence of these tablets.