Pharmaceutical Formulas Research Articles

Electrochemical Characterization of the Marine Antioxidant Gadusol

The electrochemical properties of gadusol, a metabolite extracted from fish roes, were determined for the first time by cyclic- and square-wave voltammetries on a glassy carbon electrode in buffered aqueous solutions. The aims of the work were characterization of the redox behavior and assessment of the mechanism underlying the antioxidant capacity of the compound. Anodic waves with peak potentials of 710 +/- 5 mV and 601 +/- 9 mV vs. Ag/AgCl were obtained for gadusol and its anion gadusolate, respectively. The voltammograms point to the irreversible nature of the oxidation process and reveal better antioxidant properties for the compound under physiological pH, with a moderate reductive power, but improved stability under atmospheric oxidation in comparison with other natural antioxidants such as ascorbic acid. The presence of direct ionic micelles prepared with sodium dodecyl-sulfate or cetyl-trimethyl-ammonium chloride yielded no significant differences regarding homogeneous medium in the cyclic voltammetry of gadusolate. The results provide evidence of the electron transfer mechanism for the quenching reaction of standard-reactive species by gadusolate and support it as a promising candidate to be tested as an antioxidant additive to food, cosmetic and pharmaceutical formulas. The direct analysis of the metabolite in biological systems and natural extracts by electrochemical methods is also envisaged.

A new technique for spectrophotometric determination of Pseudoephedrine and Guaifenesin in syrup and synthetic mixture

The accuracy in predicting different chemometric methods was compared when applied on ordinary UV spectra and first order derivative spectra. Principal component regression (PCR) and partial least squares with one dependent variable (PLS1) and two dependent variables (PLS2) were applied on spectral data of pharmaceutical formula containing pseudoephedrine (PDP) and guaifenesin (GFN). The ability to derivative in resolved overlapping spectra chloropheniramine maleate was evaluated when multivariate methods are adopted for analysis of two component mixtures without using any chemical pretreatment. The chemometrics models were tested on an external validation dataset and finally applied to the analysis of pharmaceuticals. Significant advantages were found in analysis of the real samples when the calibration models from derivative spectra were used. It should also be mentioned that the proposed method is a simple and rapid way requiring no preliminary separation steps and can be used easily for the analysis of these compounds, especially in quality control laboratories.

Oral Suspensions of Morphine Hydrochloride for Controlled Release: Rheological Properties and Drug Release

Recent developments in pharmaceutical technology have facilitated the design and production of modified release formulas for drugs whose physical, chemical or biological properties impede release and thus might compromise their efficacy or safety. One such drug is morphine, whose short half-life requires repeated doses at short intervals. The use of biocompatible polymers such as ethylcellulose has made it possible to develop microencapsulated formulations which facilitate liquid, sustained-release pharmaceutical formulas for oral administration. We developed a stable final formulation of morphine with an acceptable release profile by comparing the rheological properties and stability of formulations with different thickeners (xanthan gum, Carbopol, and carboxymethylcellulose with microcrystalline cellulose) at different concentrations from 0.25% to 1.0%. Release assays in a Franz-type cell were done to determine the most suitable release profile for the formulation.

Evaluación de los períodos de resguardo de diferentes antibióticos de aplicación intramamaria en vacas con mastitis clínica

The present study evaluated the withdrawal time in milk of eight different pharmaceutical formulas. Four of them contained only one antibiotic in its formulation (monodrugs). The remaining contained more than one drug (association). For each formulae, ten animals with clinic mastitis from different farms of Region Metropolitana were used. All formulas were administered according to the laboratories instructions.The Microbiological Analytical Cylinder Plate Method was used for laboratory analysis, using Bacillus subtilis BGA as the indicator organism. This method showed a sensibility of 0,08 µg/ml for cefoperazone and cefacetrile, and 0,04 µg/ml for pirlimycin.Time related concentrations were calculated in the monodrugs elaborating referente curves and the lineal regression equation was used to convert the inhibition halos, expressed in centimetres, in concentrations units µg/ml.Only qualitative results were obtained in the associations because the method does not detect antibiotics individually; these results were expressed as presente or abscence of antibiotics, according to the sensitivity levels of the method.The withdratwal times for cefoperazone were of 84 and 108 hours for group A and B respectively. For cefacetril and pirlimycin the withdrawal times were of 96 and 36 hours, respectively.The widhdrawal times for the association pharmaceutical formulas of lincomicin / neomicin /penicillin G sodic /dihidroestreptomicin / nafcillin and penicillin G procain / novobiocin / polimixin B / dihidroestreptomicin were of 72 hours. The espirimicin / neomicin association was of 96 hours.

Modification of skin discoloration by a topical treatment containing an extract of Dianella ensifolia: a potent antioxidant

Skin hyperpigmentation, and the reactions that precipitate it, have been linked to free radicals by the fact that free radical scavengers or antioxidants can slow that hyperpigmentation. We have screened several hundred plant extracts for antioxidants and discovered one that is both a strong antioxidant and can reduce skin hyperpigmentation. Extracts of Dianella ensifolia contain 1-(2,4-dihydrophenyl)-3-(2,4-dimethoxy-3-methylphenyl) propane (DP), which was found to inhibit the free radical 1-1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH) with an EC(50) value of 78 mum. DP was also found to inhibit Ultraviolet (UV)C-induced lipid oxidation with an EC(50) of about 30 mum. We next investigated the effects of this antioxidant on skin hyperpigmentation. The reduction of discoloration by different topical treatments has been assessed in human volunteers using an in vivo assay for the rate of fading of UVB-induced tan. Two pharmaceutical formulas containing 4% hydroquinone (HQ) were used as positive controls, and we tested the ability of DP, a plant-derived amphoteric antioxidant, to increase performance of non-HQ cosmetic formulations. We found that the cosmetic formula containing DP produced an increase in the rate of fading compared to the two pharmaceutical treatments containing HQ.

Levantamento de fitoterápicos manipulados em farmácias magistrais de Dourados-MS

Este trabalho teve como objetivo realizar o levantamento dos fitoterápicos manipulados em duas farmácias magistrais de Dourados, enfatizando a constituição das fórmulas (matéria-prima e forma farmacêutica), a possível indicação terapêutica, a origem das drogas vegetais utilizadas na manipulação dos fitocomplexos e a confirmação da existência ou não de artigos científicos que comprovem a utilização das cinco matérias-primas mais manipuladas nas farmácias. Para isso, foram analisados os cadastros ou fichas de pesagem, após a autorização das farmacêuticas responsáveis, do período correspondente a 21 de dezembro de 2006 a 21 de março de 2007. Concluiu-se que: 1. As matérias-primas mais utilizadas, nas duas farmácias, foram Ginkgo biloba e Hypericum perforatum, coincidentemente, com as maiores demandas e as mesmas concentrações. 2. A credibilidade nos fitoterápicos, por parte da população e dos médicos prescritores, pode ser considerada como baixa, uma vez que apenas 4,1% das fórmulas manipuladas nas duas farmácias magistrais em estudo corresponderam aos fitoterápicos. 3. Em relação às formas farmacêuticas, houve prevalência de cápsulas gelatinosas, provavelmente, porque a indicação terapêutica das fórmulas tenha sido para uso interno. 4. Dentre as cinco plantas medicinais mais manipuladas, apenas Hoodia gordonii não apresentou comprovação científica e 5. As plantas medicinais mais utilizadas na manipulação dos fitocomplexos estiveram relacionadas com a perda de peso.

Phthalates determination in pharmaceutical formulae used in parenteral nutrition by LC-ES-MS: importance in public health

A method for determining a group of phthalate esters in pharmaceutical formulae used in parenteral nutrition samples (with and without vitamins) has been developed. The phthalic acid esters (PAEs) studied were dimethyl phthalate, diethyl phthalate, butyl benzyl phthalate, dibutyl phthalate, di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, and dioctyl phthalate. This group of phthalates was determined by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)-electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry, working in positive ion mode. The phthalates analyzed were extracted from the sample using hexane and sodium hydroxide. The hexane was then evaporated, and the compounds were redissolved in acetonitrile. The compounds were separated by HPLC working in gradient mode with acetonitrile-ultrapure water starting from 5% to 75% acetonitrile in 5 min, followed by isocratic elution for 27 min. Standard calibration curves were linear for all the analytes over the concentration range 10-250 microg L(-1). The method was precise (with RSD from 3.3% to 12.9%) and sensitive. The proposed analytical method has been applied to the analysis of these compounds in different pharmaceutical formulae (with different compositions) for parenteral nutrition samples in order to check the presence of phthalates and determine their concentration.

Gender-Differences in Mice Hypericin Plasma Levels Upon Long-Term Hypericum Administration

Hypericum perforatum (St John's wort) is a well known medicinal plant used in many pharmaceutical formula- tions and its main active compound is hypericin. The purpose of our study was to examine the plasma level of hypericin upon long term mice treatment with Hyperici herba extract. A reversible hyperthermia was recorded upon 2 hours of the extract administration, both in males and females. Hypericin plasma levels in mice were evaluated by HPLC analysis. In 1-month old mice, no significant gender differences in the hypericin plasma level were recorded. By contrast, at the age of 3-months, hypericin plasma levels are significantly more elevated in females (93 ± 7 ng/ml; n = 8, p < 0.05) than in males (32 ± 3 ng/ml; n = 9). In conclusion, gender specific precautions must be considered when Hypericum is prescribed in human patients.

Prescrição e preparo de medicamentos sem formulação adequada para crianças: um estudo de base hospitalar

Este trabalho teve como objetivo identificar medicamentos cuja forma ou formulação farmacêutica representa um problema em pediatria (Medicamento Problema - MP), bem como analisar as estratégias empregadas pelos médicos, para sua utilização nas crianças e os riscos envolvidos. Trata-se de um estudo descritivo, que tem como base um inquérito com pediatras de um hospital de referência do SUS em Fortaleza-Ceará, conduzido para identificação dos MPs em julho-agosto de 2004; uma análise das prescrições contendo adaptação de formas sólidas e uma observação direta do preparo dos medicamentos, que foram conduzidas em dezembro de 2004 e janeiro de 2005, respectivamente. Os medicamentos foram agrupados pela classificação ATC e pelo cálculo de frequências das variáveis. Os pediatras (N=48, 98%) identificaram: 16 produtos sem forma injetável, 32 injetáveis necessários em concentrações menores e 30 MP sem formulação líquida para uso oral. Foram analisadas 89 prescrições contendo adaptação de formas sólidas, envolvendo 119 itens de medicamentos; todas continham inadequações, sendo a principal a partição de comprimidos. As doses prescritas corresponderam ao preconizado em 33,6% dos casos. Adaptações foram realizadas em local inadequado, por profissional não qualificado e sem as boas práticas. Concluindo, a carência de formulações apropriadas ao uso pediátrico repercute na prática médica e é agravada pela inexistência de condições adequadas para a manipulação de medicamentos por farmacêuticos, nos hospitais brasileiros.

Flow-batch analyser for preparation of calibration standard mixtures in simultaneous multicomponent spectrometric analysis

The application of multivariate calibration techniques to multicomponent analysis by UV-VIS molecular absorption spectrometry is a powerful tool for simul- taneous determination of several chemical species. However, when this methodol- ogy is accomplished manually, it is slow and laborious, consumes high amounts of reagents and samples, is susceptible to contaminations and presents a high opera- tional cost. To overcome these drawbacks, a flow-batch analyser is proposed in this work. This analyser was developed for automatic preparation of standard calibration and test (or validation) mixtures. It was applied to the simultaneous determination of Cu 2+ , Mn 2+ and Zn 2+ in polyvitaminic and polymineral pharmaceutical formula- tions, using 4-(2-piridilazo) resorcinol as reagent and a UV-VIS spectrophotometer with a photodiode array detector. The results obtained with the proposed system are in good agreement with those obtained by flame atomic absorption spectrometry, which was employed as reference method. With the proposed analyser, the prepara- tion of calibration and test mixtures can be accomplished about four hours, while the manual procedure requires at least two days. Moreover, it consumes smaller amounts of reagents and samples than the manual procedure. After the preparation of calibration and test mixtures, 60 samples h -1 can be carried out with the proposed flow-batch analyser.

Chemical And Biological Study Of Aerial Parts Of Dill (&lt;i&gt;Anethum Graveolens&lt;/i&gt; L.)

The composition of the hydrodistilled volatile oil from the aerial parts (before flowering stage) of Anethum graveolens L. family Apiaceae was investigated by GC/MS. Twenty eight components representing 99.76% of the total chemical composition of the oil were identified. Monoterpene hydrocarbons were found predominating in the studied oil amounting (80.81%) where &#61472;&#61537;- phellandrene (63 %) constituted the major compound. Meanwhile, oxygenated compounds reached up to (8.26%) with dill-ether (6.20%) which was the major compound. The unsaponifiable matter and fatty acids methyl esters of the aerial parts were identified and estimated by GLC analysis. &#61538;- Sitosterol (3.92%) was the major sterol, followed by campesterol (2.50%) and stigmasterol (2.01%) and n-dotriacontane (58.40%) represented the major hydrocarbon in the unsaponifiable fraction. Linoleic acid (20.51%) was the major fatty acid present followed by Nonadecanoic acid (9.95%). The aqueous infusion of the herb being the mode of administration in pharmaceutical formula in the market was studied. The n-hexane extract of the aqueous infusion showed spots similar to essential oil spots when compared by TLC. Also the ethyl acetate extract of the aqueous infusion showed spots of furanocoumarines which are characteristic to the family. The essential oil exhibited significant antibacterial activity against gram positive as well as gram negative bacteria and showed moderate antifungal effect. The petroleum ether extract showed broad spectrum antibacterial activity and antifungal effect but was being less active than essential oil. Meanwhile the aqueous extract had no antimicrobial and antifungal at the concentration used in the experiment (4 mg / disc). The essential oil showed high antimycobacterial effect at a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) ranging from 3 to 50 µl/ml. The LD50 for essential oil and aqueous extract was determined. The volatile oil as well as aqueous extract of the aerial parts exhibited a significant diuretic effect, anti-inflammatory effect and cytotoxic activity against three cell lines. The antispasmodic effect of aqueous infusion was also studied and showed to be significant. Egyptian Journal of Biomedical Sciences Vol. 23 (1) 2007: pp. 73-90

Apollinaire Bouchardat (1806-1886) et son Formulaire magistral

The anniversary of Bouchardat two centuries ago (1806) is a opportunity to reanalyse his book Nouveau Formulaire Magistral, published during more than 90 years (1840-1932), and to emphasize its interest for historians. This book, addressed to physicians and pharmacists, is a huge source of information on health care during the XIXth century. One can find data on Paris' hospitals, as well as usual pharmaceutical formulas or information on spa. Bouchardat and its formulary reflect also the main opinions during this century where pharmaceutical specialties are not well accepted by health care professionals who considered that it was a way for the patients to take care of their diseases without the control of a physician. Bouchardat is also a precursor if one consider that a number of similar books were published after the late phase of the XIXth century to help doctors to prescribe properly the drugs. Some of them will be published on several years, as for the Bouchardat's formulary. Finally, Bouchardat appears as an encyclopaedist of pharmacy and medicine. He succeeded to give a unique synthesis of state of the art information for his time, using his double training of pharmacist and physician. It is probably why this book survived more than 40 years after the death of the initial author.

Determination and antioxidant activity evaluation of etodolac, an anti-inflammatory drug, by sequential injection analysis

A robust, accurate and sensitive automated procedure for the determination of etodolac, an anti-inflammatory drug, in pharmaceutical formulas by sequential injection analysis, is reported. The same system was also applied to evaluate the antioxidant activity of the drug expressed as Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC). The methodology is based on measuring at 734 nm the decay of absorbance of a solution with the radical 2,2′-azinobis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS +) after its reduction by etodolac. Optimum ABTS +-etodolac reaction was achieved with 0.329 mL of sample and 0.205 mL of ABTS + solution. Etodolac was determined at concentrations up to 4.5 × 10 −5 mol L −1. A solution detection limit of 6.6 × 10 −6 mol L −1 was obtained under the optimised experimental conditions. A relative standard deviation ( n = 10) lower than 4.7% with a sample throughput of more than 21 samples/h was obtained. No interference from excipients was observed. The developed methodology was applied in the analysis of pharmaceutical preparations and the obtained results were in good agreement with those furnished by the reference procedure with relative deviations lower than 1.4%.

A RAPID METHOD FOR DETERMINATION OF VITAMINS D2 AND D3 IN PHARMACEUTICAL PREPARATIONS BY HPLC

In this study, a rapid, simple, and economical reversed phase liquid chromatographic method was described for the determination of vitamin D2 and vitamin D3 in pharmaceutical preparations. The pharmaceutical formula of vitamin D2 is prepared by mixing with filling material, and that of vitamin D3 is prepared by dissolving in herbal oil. Before injection to HPLC the vitamin D2 sample was extracted with diethyl ether and the extract was cleaned by centrifugation; the vitamin D3 sample was prepared by dissolving it in an appropriate amount of tetrahydrofuran (THF). The vitamin content of vitamin D2 and vitamin D3 samples was determined by reversed phase liquid chromatography. Ultra Violet-Visible (UV-VIS) detector and C-18 column were used for this purpose. Vitamin D2 and impurities were completely resolved by the mixture of methanol-acetonitrile as mobile phase with a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min. The best resolution of vitamin D3 from interferences could be achieved by the gradient mixture of methanol and THF as the mobile phase at 1.0 mL/min flow rate. Mean recoveries of vitamin D2 ranged from 99.65% to 105.48% with an overall mean of 102.54% for different spiking levels. The limits of detection for vitamin D2 and vitamin D3 in their preparation were found to be <0.43 μg/g and <1.02 μg/mL respectively.

The Ancestors of Inhalational Anesthesia: The Soporific Sponges (XIth–XVIIth Centuries)

The Ancestors of Inhalational Anesthesia: The Soporific Sponges (XIth–XVIIth Centuries)

Influence of surfactant mixtures on intercellular lipid fluidity and skin barrier function

Background/aims: Surfactant mixtures are used in cosmetic and pharmaceutical formulas in order to establish product efficacy while maintaining mildness and skin lipids. The electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) technique of the spin labeling method with a nitroxide spin probe is a valuable method in the study of biological membranes. The objective of this study was to define the influence of surfactant mixtures on intercellular lipid fluidity and correlate EPR spectral data with in vivo safety data.Methods: EPR experiment: EPR spectra of 5‐doxyl stearic acid (5‐DSA) labeled stratum corneum treated with sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS), sodium lauroyl glutamate (SLG) and their mixtures were measured and order parameters were calculated. Clinical testing: Fifteen healthy volunteers free of skin disease and with no history of atopic dermatitis were treated with SLS solutions (0.25%, 0.50%, 0.75%, 1.00%), 1.00% SLG solution and 1.00% surfactant mixture solutions: 0.75% SLS+0.25% SLG, 0.50% SLS+0.50% SLG, 0.25% SLS+0.75% SLG. One hundred μl of solution was applied using a polypropylene chamber for 24 h. Transepidermal water loss (TEWL) was measured with an evaporimeter before and after the application of surfactant solutions and each site was also visually graded according to Lee (1).Results: The order parameter (S) calculated from 1.00 %wt SLS treated stratum corneum was 0.56 ± 0.03, indicating disordering of lipid structure. On the contrary, the high S value (0.82 ± 0.02) for 1.00 %wt SLG suggests a reduced effect on the structured lipid, almost equaling the value of water. Treatment with 0.25 %wt, 0.50 %wt and 0.75 %wt SLS solutions revealed intermediate levels between 1.00 %wt SLG and SLS. The order parameters at each SLS concentration (0.25, 0.50, 0.75 and 1.00 %wt SLS) with 1.00 %wt SLG showed higher values than those of SLS only solutions. There were statistically significant differences between with and without 1.00 %wt SLG (P &lt; 0.05). These results suggest that the addition of 1.00 %wt SLG inhibits the fluidization of intercellular lipid induced by SLS. The visual scores and TEWL values of 1.00% SLG solution were lower than those of the other test solutions (except for the vehicle control: deionized water). The 1.00% surfactant mixture solutions showed lower visual scores and TEWL values of the 1.00% SLS solution. An increase of SLG concentration decreased the visual scores and TEWL values. Order parameter S obtained from EPR spectra correlated with the clinical study. The correlation coefficient (r2) of visual score and TEWL values was 0.73 and 0.83, respectively.Conclusion: SLS disorder (fluidity) intercellular lipids at low concentrations, such as 0.25 %wt, presumably due to the SLS molecules being intercalated into the intercellular lipids. However, EPR spectral data suggest that the addition of 1.00 %wt SLG to an SLS solution (&lt;1.00 %wt) inhibits the fluidization of intercellular lipid induced by SLS. A reasonable correlation between order parameters and human clinical data (visual scores and TEWL values) was observed (r2=0.73 and 0.83, respectively). The use of the EPR spin labeling method for predicting the fluidity of stratum corneum should give further insight into the mechanism of epidermal barrier disruption by surfactants and possibly other chemicals.

Multi-objective simultaneous optimization based on artificial neural network in a ketoprofen hydrogel formula containing O-ethylmenthol as a percutaneous absorption enhancer

The aim of this study was to apply a novel simultaneous optimization technique incorporating an artificial neural network (ANN) to a design of a ketoprofen hydrogel containing O-ethylmenthol (MET). For model formulae, 12 kinds of ketoprofen hydrogels were prepared. The amount of ethanol and MET were selected as causal factors. A percutaneous absorption study in vivo in rats was performed and irritation evoked on rat skin was microscopically judged after the end of the experiments. The rate of penetration ( R p), lag time ( t L) and total irritation score (TIS) were selected as response variables. A set of causal factors and response variables was used as tutorial data for ANN and fed into a computer. Nonlinear relationships between the causal factors and the release parameters were represented well with the response surface predicted by ANN. The optimization of the ketoprofen hydrogel was performed according to the generalized distance function method. The observed results of R p and TIS, which had a lot of influence on the effectiveness and safety, coincided well with the predictions. It was suggested that the multi-objective simultaneous optimization technique incorporating ANN was quite useful for optimizing pharmaceutical formulae when pharmaceutical responses were nonlinearly related to the formulae and process variables.

Stability assays of aged pharmaceutical formulas for thiamine and pyridoxine by high performance thin-layer chromatography and derivative ultraviolet spectrometry.

ADVERTISEMENT RETURN TO ISSUEPREVArticleNEXTStability assays of aged pharmaceutical formulas for thiamine and pyridoxine by high performance thin-layer chromatography and derivative ultraviolet spectrometryVicente. Such, Jordi. Traveset, Rosa. Gonzalo, and Emilio. GelpiCite this: Anal. Chem. 1980, 52, 3, 412–419Publication Date (Print):March 1, 1980Publication History Published online1 May 2002Published inissue 1 March 1980https://doi.org/10.1021/ac50053a010RIGHTS & PERMISSIONSArticle Views158Altmetric-Citations19LEARN ABOUT THESE METRICSArticle Views are the COUNTER-compliant sum of full text article downloads since November 2008 (both PDF and HTML) across all institutions and individuals. These metrics are regularly updated to reflect usage leading up to the last few days.Citations are the number of other articles citing this article, calculated by Crossref and updated daily. Find more information about Crossref citation counts.The Altmetric Attention Score is a quantitative measure of the attention that a research article has received online. Clicking on the donut icon will load a page at altmetric.com with additional details about the score and the social media presence for the given article. Find more information on the Altmetric Attention Score and how the score is calculated. Share Add toView InAdd Full Text with ReferenceAdd Description ExportRISCitationCitation and abstractCitation and referencesMore Options Share onFacebookTwitterWechatLinked InReddit PDF (941 KB) Get e-Alerts Get e-Alerts

Pharmaceutical formulas. By S. G. Woolley and G. P. Forrester. 10th ed., revised and rewritten. Vol. I. Pp. xvi+1146. London: “Chemist and Druggist,” 1929. 15s

Pharmaceutical formulas. By S. G. Woolley and G. P. Forrester. 10th ed., revised and rewritten. Vol. I. Pp. xvi+1146. London: “Chemist and Druggist,” 1929. 15s

Unofficial Pharmacopeias

THE last British Pharmacopeia was published in 1914;. a new one is now in preparation and is due to appear in 1931. In the interval, the United States has produced two official pharmacopeias, the ninth in 1916 and the tenth in 1926. The long intervals between successive editions, the wise conservatism of pharmacopeial commissions, and the limitations imposed upon pharmacopeias by their legal status, make it inevitable that there must always be a huge materia medica which does not find official recognition, and this is the happy hunting ground of the compiler of dispensatories, formularies, pharmacopeial companions, and in general of the mass of literature which may be grouped together as ‘unofficial pharmacopeias’. Such literature is indispensable to the busy pharmacist and medical man, as is evident from the fact that the two books now under review are in their nineteenth and tenth editions respectively. They both supplement the official pharmacopeia and they are complementary to each other. (1) The Extra Pharmacopœia of Martindale and Westcott. Revised by Dr. W. Harrison Martindale. Nineteenth edition. In 2 volumes. Vol. 2. Pp. xxxviii + 759. (London: H. K. Lewis and Co., Ltd., 1929.) 22s. 6d. net. (2) Pharmaceutical Formulas. P.F. Vol. 1 being The Chemist and Druggist Book of selected Formulas from the British, United States, and other Pharmacopœias, together with Non-Official Formulas from various Sources. Tenth edition, entirely revised and rewritten. By S. W. Woolley and G. P. Forrester. Pp. xvi + 1146. (London: The Chemist and Druggist, 1929.) 15s.