Hard Times Research Articles

Effect of Disintegrating Agents on Red Ginger (Zingiber officinale Roxb) Dry Extract Fast Disintegrating Tablets Using Direct Compression Method

Red ginger (Zingiber officinale Roxb) is one of the medicinal plants that is effective as a medicine for nausea and vomiting. One of the techniques for developing traditional medicinal products is to make fast disintegrating tablets (FDT). This research aims to compare the effect of these various disintegrating materials on the physical properties of FDT. FDT red ginger extract is made using the direct compression method. The tablets obtained were physically evaluated including weight uniformity, hardness, friability, and disintegration time. The statistical results using the one-way ANOVA test show that between tablet formulas there are significant differences in tablet disintegration time with differences in the type of disintegrating agent. The data obtained shows that all formulas meet the physical properties test requirements for tablets. The tablet formula using crospovidone produces tablets with high hardness, low friability, and fast disintegration time

Paradigms of people management: Human resource strategies during an economic downturn

Since the Industrial Revolution, there has been an evolution in the paradigms under which the industrial worker is perceived and dealt with. These paradigms can be briefly listed in the order of their evolutionary stage as: the food-gatherer, the economic man, the social man, the resourceful man, and the enterprising man. Each of them is a combination of two basic paradigms in different proportions, namely, the outsider paradigm and the partnership paradigm. Obviously, the paradigmatic perspectives of management about their workers will have a significant influence on how they treat their workers, which may become especially conspicuous during recessions and other kinds of hard times. It was in this context that we designed a study to understand the human resource strategies of companies during a period of recession. Data for this study was collected through the content analysis of 46 published cases, wherein we developed the ratings of two sets of variables, namely: the external and internal environments of the company and the strategic actions taken by the respective managements. A surprising finding of the study is that the correlations between the environmental factors and the strategy factors were small and non-significant; moreover, the correlations involving the external environment were smaller than those involving the internal environment. Hence, it may be inferred that strategic actions are influenced primarily by the paradigmatic perspectives of management rather than environmental factors. In order to identify the different types of paradigmatic perspectives, we have further carried out a cluster analysis to develop a taxonomy of paradigms. The results showed that there are five sub-paradigms, which are: (1) Pacifiers, constituting 35% of the sample; (2) Modifiers, constituting 22%; (3) Molders, constituting 17%; (4) Enhancers, constituting 15%; and (5) Exploiters, constituting 11%. The limitations of the study and the implications of the findings are discussed in the concluding part.

Development and Evaluation of a Cost-Effective, Carbon-Based, Extended-Release Febuxostat Tablet.

This study outlines the development of a cost-effective, extended-release febuxostat (FEB) tablet using activated charcoal as an adsorbent to enhance drug release. FEB, a BCS Class II drug, presents formulation challenges due to low solubility and high lipophilicity. We evaluated eight formulations with varying FEB-to-charcoal ratios using FTIR and DSC for physical interactions and followed USP standards for overall assessment. The optimal 1:0.25 FEB-to-charcoal ratio demonstrated a consistent 12 h zero-order release pattern. In vivo studies indicated a significantly extended plasma profile compared to immediate-release tablets. The optimal tablets demonstrated acceptable hardness and disintegration times. This innovative approach enhances patient compliance, improves bioavailability, and reduces production costs, offering a promising solution for controlled FEB delivery.

Optimizing Hard and Soft Tissue Grafting Techniques and Timing in the Posterior Maxilla Aiming for Effectiveness and Reduction of Treatment Time. Case Report.

Optimizing Hard and Soft Tissue Grafting Techniques and Timing in the Posterior Maxilla Aiming for Effectiveness and Reduction of Treatment Time. Case Report.

Wear characteristics and micro-cutting damage model of cemented carbide by deep cryogenic treatment

Wear failure of oil drill bits leads to cost increase, and how to improve the abrasion resistance of cemented carbide (WC–Co) drill bits is an urgent problem, and deep cryogenic treatment (DCT) is a feasible method. The effect of DCT time (i.e., 0, 3, 6, 9, 12, 24, and 48 h) on the Vickers hardness, flexural strength, and wear rate of WC-Co with different Co contents (i.e., 5 wt%, 8 wt%, 10 wt%, and 12 wt%) was investigated. The results showed that the best DCT time for hardness, flexure strength, and abrasion resistance of WC-Co was 12 h. Compared with untreated (e.g., 0 h), the wear rates of WC-Co with different Co contents were reduced by 36%, 34%, 30%, and 19%, respectively at DCT-12. Compared with WC-12Co, the wear rate of WC-5Co with different DCT times was reduced by 75%, 77%, 78%, 78%, 80%, 79%, and 78%, respectively. The precipitation of η phase (Co6W6C), martensite phase transformation (α-Co to ε-Co), and the increase of residual compressive stress (RCS) of WC after DCT improved the hardness, flexural strength and reduced the wear rate of WC-Co. Based on the principle of frictional wear, a micro-cutting wear model considering Co content and DCT time is proposed, which can predict the evolution of the wear rate of WC-Co. The results of the study guide improving the wear resistance of drill materials.

Effects of alginate synergized with polyphenol compounds on the retrogradation properties of corn starch

This study aimed to investigate the impact of alginate (AG) on the retrogradation properties of corn starch (CS) in conjunction with three phenolic compounds, including naringin (NA), rutin (RT), and soy isoflavones (SI). The findings indicated that AG, NA, RT, and SI collectively resulted in a significant reduction in the hardness, retrogradation enthalpy, and relaxation time of CS gel. This effect was more pronounced when compared to NA, RT, and SI individually. The findings suggested that the elemental system comprising AG, phenolic compounds, and CS yielded enhanced water retention capacity and thermal stability. Moreover, a noticeable decrease in the short-range ordered structure and crystallinity was observed, indicating that AG and phenolic compounds effectively inhibited the retrogradation of CS; notably, the synergistic interaction between AG and SI resulted in the most favorable outcome. The results of this study provide new ideas for the design, development, and quality improvement of starch-based food.

ORAL DISINTEGRANTING TABLETS: AN OVERVIEW

Especially for patients who have dysphagia or difficulty swallowing, oral disintegrating tablets (ODTs) have developed as a novel dosage form to address a number of issues related to traditional solid dosage forms. An overview of the formulation techniques, assessment criteria, and uses of ODTs in pharmaceutical research are given in this study. In order to accomplish quick disintegration and dissolution of the tablet matrix upon contact with saliva, formulation processes such as sublimation, lyophilization, and direct compression have been thoroughly investigated. When evaluating the quality qualities of ODTs, evaluation metrics such as drug content homogeneity, hardness, friability, and disintegration time are essential. To improve patient acceptance and palatability, superdisintegrants and a variety of taste-masking techniques have been used. Furthermore, ODTs adaptability goes beyond traditional oral administration they may be used for emergency and travel medicine, as well as in paediatric and geriatric populations. All things considered, ODTs present a viable platform for enhancing patient convenience and compliance, which maximises therapeutic results. ODTs provide a number of benefits, such as improved patient compliance, simplicity of administration, and greater bioavailability because of their quick dissolving and larger surface area. To sum up, oral disintegrating tablets offer a potentially effective option for individuals who need readily administrable and comfortable dose forms. ODTs will be further optimised by ongoing research and development into manufacturing and formulation processes, increasing their applicability to a wider range of patient demographics and therapeutic areas.

A Study on Formulation and Assessment of Heart Rate Lowering Agent Ivabradine Orally Tablets

This study aimed to develop a method for quantifying the amount of ivabradine in films that are ingested and administered with ease. To do this, a dry granulation technique was applied. The dry granulation process yielded good results when the F5 formulation was mixed with starch, anhydrous lactose, and microcrystalline cellulose PH 102. The strength of the tablet was modified by adding croscarmellose sodium. Sodium starch glycolate was used as the dissolving agent. Purified talc and colloidal silicon dioxide were utilised as glidents. In this mixture, magnesium stearate was employed as a lubricant. Purified talc was used to make tablets stronger and smoother, and titanium dioxide was used to make films opaque. Hydroxypropyl Methyl Cellulose 6 CPS was utilised as a film-forming agent, and polyethylene glycol 6000 was employed as a plasticizer. The manufactured tablet formulations were examined for friability (%), thickness, hardness, and disintegration time in addition to other medicinal properties. It was observed that the drug content was 99.94% and the in-vitro dissolution percentage was measured as 99.89%. Tablets coated with polymer film were manufactured by dry granulation. Ivabradine is administered to persons with coronary artery disease who have normal sinus rhythm and a heart rate more than 72 bpm in order to treat the symptoms of chronic stable angina pectoris. For the symptomatic treatment of stable angina pectorals and symptomatic eternal heart failure, ivabradine is a medication that reduces pulse rate.

The Effects Of Early And Delayed Palatal Repair On Maxillary Growth And Speech Outcome In Unilateral Cleft Lip And Palate Patients: A Systematic Review

Some cleft clinics use a two-stage method to correct the cleft palate, which helps avoid reduced maximum growth after early hard palate surgery and impaired speech development after late soft palate repair.. This study sought to evaluate the effects of early vs late palatoplasty on speech and maximum growth results. The following databases were searched: Cochrane Library, Science Direct, Pubmed, and NCBI. The primary objective of this study was to determine whether unilateral, non-syndromic cleft lip, alveolus, and palate patients who underwent early or late hard palate surgery before or after 18 months of age had an impact on speech and maxillary development. Things like case studies, reviews, editorials, textbooks, and studies conducted on animals weren't included. The following systematic observations consist of eight studies. Most studies had methodological quality that ranged from fair to good. This review discusses the experience of cleft centers using a variety of one and two stage palatoplasty procedures and timing, and shows inconsistent results regarding maximal progression. The seemingly inconsistent results of the studies included in this observation of speech outcomes suggest that there is insufficient evidence to conclude whether one- or two-stage palatoplasty has a significant effect on maximal development for a variety of reasons. The review provides inconclusive evidence on the impact of hard palate repair timing on facial growth and speech outcomes in unilateral cleft lip and palate patients, highlighting the need for further controlled studies.

Modified Zhizhu Pill improves the loperamide-induced slow transit constipation via gut microbiota and neurotransmitters in microbiota-gut-brain axis

BackgroundSlow-transmission constipation is a type of intractable constipation with unknown etiology and unclear pathogenesis. ObjectiveThe intention of this study was to evaluate the therapeutic effect and possible mechanism of Modified Zhizhu Pills on loperamide-induced slow transit constipation. MethodsThe effects of the Modified Zhizhu Pill were evaluated in a rat model of constipation induced by subcutaneous administration of loperamide. Fecal parameters (fecal count, fecal water content, and fecal hardness) were measured in constipated rats. The substance, target, and pathway basis of the Modified Zhizhu Pill on constipation was investigated using network pharmacology. The microflora in rats was determined. Serum neurotransmitters (acetylcholine and 5-hydroxytryptamine) were measured in rats and their relationship with the gut microbiota was assessed. ResultsModified Zhizhu Pill increased the number of bowel movements and fecal water content, and decreased fecal hardness and transit time. Network pharmacological analysis showed that Modified Zhizhu Pill can target multiple constipation-related targets and pathways through multiple potential active ingredients. Modified Zhizhu Pill alleviated loperamide-induced microbiota dysbiosis. Modified Zhizhu Pill increased serum 5-hydroxytryptamine and acetylcholine. The increase in serum 5-hydroxytryptamine and acetylcholine was associated with rat gut microbiota. ConclusionThese results suggest that Modified Zhizhu Pill may increase intestinal motility and ultimately relieve constipation by improving microecological dysbiosis and neurotransmission.

Formulation and evaluation of red ginger extract tablet (Zingiber officinale var. rubrum) as lozenges

Red ginger (Zingiber officinale var. rubrum) with a high content of phenols (e.g. gingerol, shogaol, etc.) has potential effects against throat inflammation such as cold, sore throat, tonsilitis, etc. This research aims to determine the formulation of lozenge tablets using red ginger extracts. Lozenges tablets are made from dry ginger extract using a wet granulation method prepared by various concentrations of pregelatinized cassava starch 1 % w/v (F0); 2 % w/v (F1) and 5 % w/v (F2) as a binder and HPMC 2 % w/v (F3) as a comparative binder. Red ginger extract was prepared by maceration method using 96% ethanol solvent which is then evaporated using a rotary evaporator to obtain a thick extract. Thick red ginger extract is formulated into lozenges with various formulations F0, F1, F2, and F3. Physical characteristics evaluation of lozenge tablets includes physical appearance, weight uniformity, hardness, and disintegration time. The physical appearance of the tablet is round in shape and bright yellow in color. Based on the evaluation of all the formulas made, F2 has good criteria as a red ginger extract lozenge which has a hardness of 6 kg and disintegration time of 5 minutes 4 seconds.

A detailed study on the cooking kinetics of fresh and hard to cook common beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.): A case study on bean accessions of different market classes

A large-scale study was conducted to obtain a more holistic understanding of the cooking behavior for different bean accessions in terms of cooking kinetics and time to cook. Fresh and aged soaked beans from twenty-four accessions were assessed for texture evolution during cooking at 95 °C using the most informative objective compression texture analysis method. Texture evolution was modelled by the conventional fractional conversion model as well as modified three-parameter models to capture the lag phase. The initial texture varied across bean accessions and is significantly positively related to bean size. Significant but limited differences in initial texture on ageing were observed, the difference being accession dependent. The texture evolution during cooking, cooking kinetics and time to cook varied across bean accessions and storage conditions and all bean accessions developed the hard to cook defect. The softening rate constants for fresh beans were significantly higher (0.026–0.053) and more variable than for aged beans (0.008–0.014, almost similar values). Fresh and aged beans of a given accession softened to similar levels of final relative hardness. The lag phase was more prominent in aged beans (up to ≈25 min) than non-aged beans (0–7 min). Therefore, the difference in time to cook for fresh beans across accessions is mainly determined by the difference in initial hardness and cooking rate constant, while for aged beans these differences depend on initial hardness and lag time and to a lesser extent on the cooking rate constant.

Physicochemical properties of tablet dosage form based on pre-gelatinized- and phosphorylated-modified starches from white-water yam (Dioscorea alata L.)

Abstract Background White-water yam (Dioscorea alata L.) is one of the potential sources of starch; however, it is not yet available for commercial purposes. Besides, native white-water yam starch (WS) presents limited functionality due to poor flowability, mechanical properties and instability at high temperature and acidic conditions. Therefore, this study aims to modify the starch to improve its characteristics and make it useful as an excipient for the preparation of the tablets. Materials and methods The modification of WS was achieved by physical and chemical treatments, specifically pre-gelatinization and phosphorylation, respectively. Pre-gelatinization WS involves heating, meanwhile phosphorylation WS is obtained by treating WS with sodium tripolyphosphate. Results The results showed that the powder of the modified WS has good characteristics which improved the flowability of the powder mixture as a granule based on density, porosity, compressibility index and swelling power determination. The WS granules were found to display the oval or irregular (polygonal) shape with the amylose content 11.92±0.61% for unmodified WS, 10.41±0.90% for pre-gelatinized WS and 12.61±1.75% for phosphorylated WS. Furthermore, the granule was formulated as an excipient in tablet preparations, and the formulas were compressed after wet granulation. The mechanical properties of the tablets were assessed using uniformity of mass and size, hardness, friability and disintegration time. WS modification affects the hardness of tablets when used as a binder. Phosphorylated WS is recommended to be used as a binder in wet granulation formulations because it produces tablets with a longer disintegration time, which means better binding ability. However, the utilization of modified WS with both pre-gelatinization and phosphorylation leads to tablets with low brittleness compared to others with unmodified binder with the disintegration time still met the requirement of fast disintegrating tablet (<15 minutes). Conclusion All the physical properties studied indicated that the modified WS is a promising pharmaceutical excipient in tablets.

Effect of laser power on microstructure and properties of laser cladding AlCoCrNiSiTi0.5 high-entropy alloy coatings

Abstract Using varying laser powers, an AlCoCrNiSiTi0.5 high-entropy alloy (HEA) coating was applied to the surface of TC4 titanium alloy. The microstructure and phase composition of the coating were examined using several analytical techniques, including energy spectrometer (EDS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and X-ray diffraction (XRD), etc., and Vickers hardness tester was used to test the coating’s microhardness at various laser powers. Studies indicate that the coating is mostly made up of the following phases: BCC, FCC, α-Ti, β-Ti, (Si, Al)2Cr, (Ni, Co)Ti2; The coating’s mean hardness under different powers (1400 W, 1600 W, 1800 W) is 1047.87 HV, 1012.68 HV, and 846.72 HV, which is about 2∼3 times of the matrix hardness (347.27 HV). Powder overburning will occur at laser energies greater than 1800 W. The elements evaporate, thereby reducing the microhardness of the coating. The hardness of TC4 titanium alloy can be greatly increased by applying an AlCoCrNiSiTi0.5 HEA coating.

Physically cross-linked PVA/f-MWCNTs nanocomposite hydrogel with enhanced thermal, mechanical, and dielectric properties

This work offers a new method for the preparation of poly (vinyl alcohol)/f-MWCNTs nanocomposite hydrogel. Employing a physical cross-linking method, fabricated high-strength nanocomposite hydrogel in one step at room temperature without following the traditional repeated freeze-thaw method. Optical microscopy images indicate the uniform dispersion of f-MWCNTs in the PVA matrix with average agglomerate size of 5–6 µm. Morphology investigation showed entangled, more dense network structure after addition of f-MWCNTs. Scissoring of inter chain H-bonding and establishing of intermolecular H-bonding between -OH and -COOH group of PVA and f-MWCNTs examined by ATR-FTIR. Delay in thermal degradation of PVA/f-MWCNTs nanocomposite hydrogel with f-MWCNTs suggested by thermos-gravimetry analysis. Improved melting and crystalline temperature examined by differential scanning calorimetry. PVA/f-MWCNTs nanocomposite hydrogel showed ⁓ 5 and 6 times of modulus and hardness respectively than pristine PVA hydrogel. Oscillatory rheology analysis suggests the robust gel-like network formed upon addition of f-MWCNTs into the PVA matrix. PVA/f-MWCNTs nanocomposite hydrogel showed 13 times dielectric constant than pristine PVA hydrogel along with small dielectric loss investigated by broadband dielectric spectroscopy (BDS). Enhanced thermal, mechanical and dielectric properties make the fabricated PVA/f-MWCNTs nanocomposite hydrogel a potential candidate for the energy storage device and electronics application.

Development of Oral Tablets of Nebivolol with Improved Dissolution Properties, Based on Its Combinations with Cyclodextrins.

New oral tablets of nebivolol have been developed aiming to improve, by cyclodextrin (CD) complexation, its low solubility/dissolution properties-the main reason behind its poor/variable oral bioavailability. Phase-solubility studies, performed using βCD and highly-soluble βCD-derivatives, indicated sulfobutylether-βCD (SBEβCD) as the best solubilizing/complexing agent. Solid drug-SBEβCD systems were prepared by different methods and characterized for solid-state and dissolution properties. The coevaporated product was chosen for tablet development since it provided the highest dissolution rate (100% increase in dissolved drug at 10 min) and almost complete drug amorphization/complexation. The developed tablets reached the goal, allowing us to achieve 100% dissolved drug at 60 min, compared to 66% and 64% obtained, respectively, with a reference tablet without CD and a commercial tablet. However, the percentage dissolved after 10 min from such tablets was only 10% higher than the reference. This was ascribed to the potential binding/compacting abilities of SBEβCD, reflected in the greater hardness and longer disintegration times of the new tablets than the reference (7.64 vs. 1.06 min). A capsule formulation with the same composition of nebivolol-SBEβCD tablets showed about a 90% increase in dissolved drug after 5 min compared to the reference tablet, and reached 100% dissolved drug after only 20 min.

Identification and Classification of Leaf Diseases using Deep Learning

For agriculture to be sustainable, it is essential to monitor a plant's health and look for diseases. It is quite challenging to manually monitor plant diseases. To improve the agriculture industry and the prosperity of our nation, plant disease must be effectively identified. Several diseases cause the plant's leaves to die. Farmers have a harder time seeing these diseases because it's difficult to care for those plants without knowing about them. The method described in this paper uses Tensor Flow to identify illnesses in plant leaf pictures. CNN training is used on the model proposed to automatically diagnose disease using the object detection API tensor flow. This data is acquired from multiple sources. In order to treat the sickness, the proposed effort will also identify the causes and manifestations of the illness. In the work proposed, to identify plant diseases, sophisticated deep machine learning models based on specific CNN topologies were developed using photos of healthy or diseased plants' leaves. In comparison to existing models, CNN's numerous layers offer a great rating and a 96 percent accuracy level.

Effect of Welding Time Variation in Resistance Spot Welding on Mechanical Properties of Dissimilar Joints on Mild Steel and AISI 304 Stainless Steel

Resistance spot welding plays an important role in the automotive industry for working on car bodies or frames. Welding with two different steel materials is used in automotive structures. However, the low strength of the joints of different steel materials is a major problem, limiting the scope of its application. The quality of the welding connection Resistance spot welding is influenced by several factors, namely, time, welding current, and electrode pressure applied during welding and post-welding treatment. In this research, mild steel plate with AISI 304 stainless steel is welded by Resistance spot welding with different variations of welding time, material hardness and tensile testing that will be investigated. The results showed that the highest Rockwell Hardness time was obtained at a welding time variation of 8 seconds with a current of 6000 Ampere was 112.2 so the higher the welding time, the higher the hardness obtained. welding 8 seconds with a welding current of 6000 Ampere obtained a maximum tensile strength of 20.4 kgf/mm2 so the greater the welding current, the tensile strength will increase.

The effect of curing temperature on hardening, thermal, and mechanical characteristics of adhesive for retard‐bonded prestressed tendon

AbstractThe effect of curing temperature on hardening, thermal, and mechanical characteristics of adhesive for retard‐bonded prestressed systems is investigated in detail. To evaluate the degree of hardening of the adhesive, the cone penetration and Shore hardness of two samples are tested throughout the curing process under conditions of 25, 35, 45, 55, and 65°C. The thermal performance and curing reaction are characterized using differential scanning calorimetry and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, respectively. The mechanical properties with respect to the cure temperatures are characterized by compression strength tests. Experimental results present that after curing under conditions ranging from 25 to 65°C, the hardness of the samples reached its maximum values (85–90 D). As the temperature increased from 25 to 65°C, there was a greater degree of curing cross‐linking, resulting in an increase in compressive strength from 55 to 72 MPa. Based on Shore hardness–time experimental data, a logarithmic model is proposed for predicting the hardness of adhesives at any given time for engineering applications. Additionally, the time–temperature superposition principle is utilized to extrapolate the curing time of the adhesive under low‐temperature conditions. The research findings are of significant importance for the assessment of adhesive hardening.

Investigating the Presence of Falsified and Poor-Quality Fixed-Dose Combination Artemether-Lumefantrine Pharmaceutical Dosage Forms in Kumasi, Ghana.

Artemether-lumefantrine (AL) is a highly effective and commonly used Artemisinin-based Combination Therapy (ACT) for treating uncomplicated malaria caused by Plasmodium falciparum, including drug-resistant strains. However, ineffective regulatory systems in resource-limited settings can lead to the infiltration of poor-quality and counterfeit antimalarial medicines into the pharmaceutical supply chain, causing treatment failures, prolonged illness, and disease progression. The objective of the study was to assess the quality of selected brands of fixed-dose combination (FDC) AL tablets and suspensions marketed in Kumasi, Ghana. A total of fourteen brands of FDC AL medicines, comprising eight tablets and six suspensions were purchased from various retail pharmacy outlets in Kumasi, Ghana. All samples were subjected to thorough visual inspection as a quick means of checking quality through meticulous observation of the packaging or dosage form. The quality parameters of the tablets were determined using uniformity of weight, hardness, friability, and disintegration tests. Suspensions were assessed based on pH and compared with the British Pharmacopeia (BP) standard. The samples were then analyzed for drug content (assay) using reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC). All the tablet samples conformed to BP specification limits for uniformity of weight (deviation of less than ± 5%), hardness (4.0-10 kg/mm2), friability (<1%), and disintegration time (<15 minutes). The active pharmaceutical ingredients' quantitative assay demonstrated that all the tablets met the BP specifications (90-110%). The results of the pH studies showed that out of the six brands of suspension investigated, five (83.3%) were compliant with the official specification for pH, while one (16.7%) failed the requirement. Unlike the tablet brands, drug content analysis of the six suspensions showed that two (33.3%) were substandard. The artemether and lumefantrine contents in these failed suspensions were variable (artemether: 81.31%-116.76%; lumefantrine: 80.35%-99.71%). The study results indicate that most of the tested products met the required quality standards, demonstrating satisfactory drug content and other quality specifications. The presence of substandard drugs underscores the necessity for robust pharmacovigilance and surveillance systems to eliminate counterfeit and substandard drugs from the Ghanaian market.