AMM 2021, Volume 67, Number 4 | Acta Medica Marisiensis

Formulation and evaluation of controlled release ocusert of gatifloxacin and prednisolone

Navneet Nagpal¹, Sukhmanpreet Singh¹, Guraasdeep Kaur¹, Parminderjit Kaur¹, Ravi Kumar Dhawan², Mandeep Singh Chhina³, Manisha Arora³

1. Department of Pharmaceutics, Khalsa College of Pharmacy, Amritsar, India
2. Department of Pharmacology, Khalsa College of Pharmacy, Amritsar, India
3. Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Khalsa College of Pharmacy, Amritsar, India

DOI: 10.2478/amma-2021-0032

Objective: Ocuserts are sterile, solid, or semisolid dosage forms prepared to attain increased contact time between the drug and the conjunctival tissue to keep up a constant release of drug when placed in the lower cul-de-sac or conjunctival sac of the eye. The aim of formulating this delivery system was to treat both inflammatory and infectious conditions of the eye with increased ocular residence time by releasing drugs at a slow and constant rate.
Method: Gatifloxacin, and prednisolone ocuserts were prepared by solvent casting method, and evaluated for physical appearance, uniformity of weight, thickness, folding endurance, drug content, surface pH, in-vitro, and ex-vivo release profile.
Results: All formulated inserts exhibited positive results in terms of their evaluation parameters. Ocuserts were sterile, with no turbidity in selected media during the study, and they were stable throughout six months.
Conclusion: Results suggested that prepared optimized ocusert formulation would be a suitable alternative to eye drops for treating conjunctivitis and other bacterial infections.

Online pharmacy: customer profiling

Marius Călin Cherecheș¹, Cristian Olimpiu Popa²

1. Faculty of Pharmacy, George Emil Palade University of Medicine, Pharmacy, Science, and Technology of Targu Mures, Romania
2. Faculty of European Studies, Babeș-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania

DOI: 10.2478/amma-2021-0031

Introduction: Nearly three out of four European citizens purchase goods online. The main advantages of using an online pharmacy are lower prices and convenience. In addition, patients appreciate a higher degree of privacy and access to a wider selection of health products. Study shows that the number of online users is on the rise in major countries like the USA, EU member states or India.
Methods: The study is based on data collected in April 2020 at the country level (Romania) from a sample of 789 adults over the age of 18, using CATI. A simple random sampling procedure was applied, with a confidence interval of 3.5% and a confidence level of 95%.
Results: About 17.7% of Romanians have purchased healthcare products through online pharmacies or drugstores, of those 60% are women, between 30 – 64 years old (84 %), have a monthly income of more than 2700 lei (90%), and a university degree (76%). The most common reasons for choosing an online pharmacy are the ability to compare prices, shop quickly, and have prompt access to items and information, together with a wider range of products.
Conclusions: Respondents’ motivation to use online pharmacies appears to be more related to the benefits of the online media, rather than to some unmet needs in brick-and-mortar pharmacies. Search capabilities, access to more information, price comparison, as well as a larger range of products and availability 24/7 are some reasons why patients utilise online pharmacies to purchase medicines.