Analysis of the Physico-Chemical Conformity of Antibiotics: Case of Amoxicillin 500 mg Capsule at the National Health Laboratory Distributed in Health Structures in Mali

Introduction: Amoxicillin belongs to the family of β-lactams and is one of the mostly used in hospitals for the management of bacterial infections especially in Mali. It has a broad spectrum of activity from the group of aminopenicillins or aminobenzylpenicillins (group A penicillins). Microbiological and physico-chemical control has evolved with the development of biotechnology. All bacterial species or germs are affected by the phenomenon of resistance to antibacterials, which often poses real therapeutic problems. Based on previous studies in Mali, amoxicillin is still recommended in pharmacies and university hospitals to treat bacterial infections. It sometimes happens that patients are not satisfied with this amoxicillin-based prescription in our teaching hospitals. The objective of this study was to control the physico-chemical quality of amoxicillin 500 mg in capsule form. Methodology: This is a physico-chemical study of amoxicillin capsules dosed at 500 mg received at the National Health Laboratory in Bamako. We analyzed 10 batches of five (5) boxes (10 platelets/box) of amoxicillin. We used either HPLC, or TLC or Dissolu-test to control the quality of amoxicillin capsules for the presence of the active principle and to ensure fake amoxicillin capsules were not distributed. We used as reference, the standards contained in the pharmacopoeias in use. Results: The results of the physicochemical tests revealed that the samples analyzed complied with the standards of the Pharmacopoeias in use: The weight of ou...