Introduction to Pharmacopoeias

 

Recap –

The Pharmacopoeia is a official book issued under authority of government which usually contains list and formulae of drugs with their preparations and properties and the standards to be assigned to be pure.

The first Indian Pharmacopoeia (I.P.) was published in the year 1955.

The chronology of I.P.

  a.  First edition in 1955

b.  Second edition in 1966

c.  Third edition in 1985

d. Fourth edition in 1996

e. Fifth edition in 2007

f. .   Sixth edition in 2010

g. Seventh edition in 2014

To be continued……

·     List of common Pharmacopoeia and other standard reference books used in India :-

1 Indian Pharmacopoeia
2. British Pharmacopoeia
3. International Pharmacopoeia
4. United states Pharmacopoeia
5. Japanese Pharmacopoeia
6. Chinese Pharmacopoei
7. Martindale extra Pharmacopoeia
8. National formulary
9. Indian Pharmaceutical codex (IPC)
10.               United states dispensary

There are huge number of official books issued by government.

·     The history of Indian Pharmacopoeia (I.P.)

The government of India directed the Drug technical advisory board (D.T.A.B.) to list the drugs that are used in India which is not mentioned in British Pharmacopoeia and also recommend the standards that has to be governed for their purity.

The Indian Government published Indian pharmacopeial list in 1946 as a supplement to B.P.

It led to huge misleading in its title as it not only contain the substantial valued drugs but also laid down its standards.

The Indian pharmacopoeial list contains about 180 monographs out of which approximately 100 were grown in India and their galenical, eg berberi ,cassia, bael, cannabis, raulwalfia, chaulmoogra, ajowan, kurchi, kandala,etc.

The appendices give number of determinations referred to monographs.

The pharmaceuticals and drugs research committee to the council of The scientific and industrial research in Feb. 1947 compiled a brochure for the drugs that were indigenous in India. Later on it was decided to prepare a codex instead of brochure on lines of British pharmaceutical codex.

The government of India on 23 november 1948 elected 11 members from Indian pharmacopoeial committee for the preparation of Indian pharmacopoeia.

In compiling the first edition of Indian Pharmacopoeia all vital information were taken from scientific books like international pharmacopoeia, British pharmacopoeia, etc.

The first edition of Indian pharmacopoeia were compiled and the first edition of I.P. were published in year 1955.ber of authorized books issued by government.

·     Salient features of first edition of I.P. :-

    I.          The language used were mostly Latin.
 II.          The measures were in metric system.
III.          Doses are expressed in both metric as well as imperial system.
IV.          The list of preparation were given at the end of some monographs.
V.          The temperature were mostly in thermometric centigrade ©
VI.          The solubility expressions like freely soluble, slightly soluble, insoluble, etc were not known.

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2. As the time passes various amendments and upgradations were done in that case and after every five years new edition of pharmacopoeias were published.

·     Salient features of fourth edition of I.P. :-

                                            I.          Computer generated formula.

                                         II.          It contains 1149 monographs and 123 appendices.

                                      III.          I.R. and U.V. absorption spectroscopic tests were introduced.

                                     IV.          Bacterial endotoxins have more used for qualitative tests as compared to pyrogen tests.

                                        V.          Minor monographs along with its dosage forms have been introduced like eye drops ,ointments, pessaries, etc.

                                     VI.           Monograph of ORS were dropped due to stability.

                                  VII.          Biological assays were introduced for vaccines, hormones, blood products.

                               VIII.          Commonly accepted names were used in monographs for eg :- scopoalamine hydrobromide had been changed for hyoscine hydrobromide.

This was the whole information about Indian Pharmacopoeia.

In the next blog we shall cover the classification of dosage forms.

Till then signing off Sarang More.