Estimation of Paracetamol in various brands of Paracetamol Tablets and their Comparative Study

Paracetamol is a widely used non-prescription medication and is available in several brands in the market which makes it difficult to select the safe and effective one. Therefore, the study aims to establish the pharmaceutical equivalence of the different brands of paracetamol tablets and to justify the quality of different brands available in the market. The study involves the quantitative analysis of ten different brands of Paracetamol 500 mg tablets, using Ultra Violet Spectrophotometric methods, in which the samples were dissolved in 0.1M sodium hydroxide solution and distilled water and their various absorbances determined at the wavelength (λmax) of 257nm. Quantitative estimation of Paracetamol carried out by UV-Visible spectrophotometric methods, by using standard absorptivity value (assay method given in Indian Pharmacopoeia) and calibration curve method. The percentage content for each sample was calculated byboth methods using appropriate formulae and also determined whether or not they comply with standard specifications as per IP. The percentage content of paracetamol in different brands of paracetamol tablets was compared by IP Method. The results obtained by the IP method and Calibration curve method were also compared.