Quality analysis of Albendazole drugs available in veterinary pharmacies of Nepal

Quality analysis of Albendazole drugs available in veterinary pharmacies of Nepal | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Quality analysis of Albendazole drugs available in veterinary pharmacies of Nepal Sujeeta Pokharel Dhakal, Binita Acharya, Sujan Rana, Shashidhar Sedhai, and 1 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-4843871/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 14 Oct, 2025 Read the published version in BMC Pharmacology and Toxicology → Version 1 posted 13 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Background Ecto- and endoparasites cause significant economic losses to the livestock industry, primarily due to helminth parasites. The heavy reliance on anthelmintics to control parasites, coupled with inadequate drug quality in terms of physical and content parameters, often leads to excessive and irrational use of anthelmintics. This poses a public health hazard due to the potential development of anthelmintic resistance. The dosage prescribed depends on the active ingredients present in the drug. Thus, an anthelmintic drug must contain the labeled amount of active pharmaceutical ingredients and comply with the standard quality tests. Veterinary Standards and Drug Regulatory Laboratory (VSDRL) is the national regulatory laboratory of Nepal for veterinary products, mandated to test the quality of various veterinary drugs. Amidst growing concerns of anthelmintic resistance and constant rumors of ineffectiveness of anthelmintics in the Nepalese market, it is vital to analyze the efficacy of veterinary drugs in Nepal. This study aims to analyze the quality (physical and content analysis) of Albendazole, the most common anthelmintic available in the local market. Methods We conducted the study from July 2021 to July 2023 at VSDRL in Kathmandu. A total of 118 samples of Albendazole drug (suspension of 25 mg/ml, tablets of 200 mg and 300 mg, and boluses of 600 mg and 1500 mg) were collected from seven different pharmaceuticals across 20 districts of Nepal. The samples were tested for their physical conformity and assay according to the laboratory protocols of VSDRL. Physical analysis included weight variation, hardness, friability, and disintegration, whereas the content analysis was performed using UV spectrophotometry and High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Data were entered and analyzed using MS Excel and visualized with R. Results On testing different formulations of Albendazole drugs of seven different veterinary drug manufacturing companies in the Nepalese market, we found the drugs were consistent in terms of weight, disintegration time, and assay. However, most drugs had poor hardness and friability quality. Conclusion Thus, it is necessary to routinely check the quality of veterinary drugs to ensure that they are manufactured and supplied to the market as per the recommended standards. Albendazole physical and content analysis drug quality VSDRL Nepal Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Published Journal Publication published 14 Oct, 2025 Read the published version in BMC Pharmacology and Toxicology → Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 26 Sep, 2024 Reviews received at journal 26 Aug, 2024 Reviewers agreed at journal 26 Aug, 2024 Reviews received at journal 12 Aug, 2024 Reviewers agreed at journal 11 Aug, 2024 Reviewers agreed at journal 11 Aug, 2024 Reviewers agreed at journal 10 Aug, 2024 Reviewers agreed at journal 09 Aug, 2024 Reviewers invited by journal 09 Aug, 2024 Editor invited by journal 05 Aug, 2024 Editor assigned by journal 02 Aug, 2024 Submission checks completed at journal 02 Aug, 2024 First submitted to journal 01 Aug, 2024 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-4843871","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":345216088,"identity":"ea22b6e4-f7ec-4362-808f-3c655bc9bd47","order_by":0,"name":"Sujeeta Pokharel 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The heavy reliance on anthelmintics to control parasites, coupled with inadequate drug quality in terms of physical and content parameters, often leads to excessive and irrational use of anthelmintics. This poses a public health hazard due to the potential development of anthelmintic resistance. The dosage prescribed depends on the active ingredients present in the drug. Thus, an anthelmintic drug must contain the labeled amount of active pharmaceutical ingredients and comply with the standard quality tests. Veterinary Standards and Drug Regulatory Laboratory (VSDRL) is the national regulatory laboratory of Nepal for veterinary products, mandated to test the quality of various veterinary drugs. Amidst growing concerns of anthelmintic resistance and constant rumors of ineffectiveness of anthelmintics in the Nepalese market, it is vital to analyze the efficacy of veterinary drugs in Nepal. This study aims to analyze the quality (physical and content analysis) of Albendazole, the most common anthelmintic available in the local market.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eMethods\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eWe conducted the study from July 2021 to July 2023 at VSDRL in Kathmandu. A total of 118 samples of Albendazole drug (suspension of 25 mg/ml, tablets of 200 mg and 300 mg, and boluses of 600 mg and 1500 mg) were collected from seven different pharmaceuticals across 20 districts of Nepal. The samples were tested for their physical conformity and assay according to the laboratory protocols of VSDRL. Physical analysis included weight variation, hardness, friability, and disintegration, whereas the content analysis was performed using UV spectrophotometry and High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). 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