A Review of Analytical Methods for Codeine Determination

Codeine is derived from morphine, an opioid analgesic, and has weaker analgesic and sedative effects than the parent molecule. This weak opioid is commonly used in combination with other drugs for over-the-counter cough relief medication. Due to the psychoactive properties of opioid drugs, the easily obtained codeine often becomes subject to misuse. Codeine misuse has emerged as a concerning public health issue due to its associated adverse effects such as headache, nausea, vomiting, and hemorrhage. Thus, it is very important to develop reliable analytical techniques to detect codeine for both quality control of pharmaceutical formulations and identifying drug misuse in the community. This review aims to provide critical outlooks on analytical methods applicable to the determination of codeine.

Selective spectrophotometric methods for determination of ternary mixture with overlapping spectra: a comparative study

Comparable double divisor ratio spectra derivative, area under curve of derivative ratio and mean centering of ratio spectra spectrophotometric methods were introduced for determination of orphenadrine citrate (ORPH), caffeine (CAF) and aspirin (ASP); a combination for symptomatic relief of mild to moderate pain of acute musculoskeletal disorders; with evident accuracy and precision. The suggested methods have the advantage over the previously published spectrophotometric method for determination of the same combination in that they did not require a preliminary separation step and able to resolve the ternary mixture, with severe overlapping spectra, with competent sensitivity and selectivity. The recommended methods allow the determination of ORPH, CAF and ASP in the range of 2-32, 2-28 and 3-28 μg mL(-1), respectively. The validity of the proposed methods was examined by analysis of different laboratory prepared mixtures of ORPH, CAF and ASP and assay of their tablet formulation where reliable results were obtained. Statistical analysis between the suggested spectrophotometric methods and the reported HPLC method using student's-t and F-ratio tests reveals that the suggested methods are as accurate and precise as the reported one.

Content uniformity and dissolution tests of triplicate mixtures by a double divisor-ratio spectra derivative method

The use of a UV double divisor-ratio spectra derivative calibration for the simultaneous analysis of synthetic samples and commercial tablet preparations without prior separation is proposed. The method was successfully applied to quantify three ternary mixtures, chlorpheniramine maleate and caffeine combined with paracetamol or acetylsalicylic acid and a mixture of acetylsalicylic acid combined with paracetamol and caffeine, using the information in the absorption spectra of appropriate solutions. Beer's law was obeyed in the concentration range of 0.84-4.21 microg/ml for chlorpheniramine maleate, 1.60-15.96 microg/ml for caffeine, 2.0-20.0 microg/ml for acetylsalicylic acid and 1.58-15.93 microg/ml for paracetamol. The whole procedure was applied to synthetic mixtures of pure drugs as well as to commercial preparations (Algon) by using content uniformity and dissolution tests (USP 24) and was found to be precise and reproducible. According to the dissolution profile test more than 84% of paracetamol and caffeine were dissolved within 20 min. Acetylsalicylic acid dissolved more slowly, taking about 45-60 min to dissolve completely. A chemometric method partial least squares (PLS) and a HPLC method were also employed to evaluate the same mixtures. The results of the proposed method were in excellent agreement with those obtained from PLS and HPLC methods and can be satisfactorily used for routine analysis of multicomponent dosage forms.

Simultaneous spectrophotometric determination of pseudoephedrine hydrochloride and ibuprofen in a pharmaceutical preparation using ratio spectra derivative spectrophotometry and multivariate calibration techniques

Spectrophotometric methods are described for the simultaneous determination of pseudoephedrine hydrochloride and ibuprofen in their combination. The obtained data were evaluated by using five different methods. In the first method, ratio spectra derivative spectrophotometry, analytical signals were measured at the wavelengths corresponding to either maximums and minimums for both drugs in the first derivative spectra of the ratio spectra obtained by using each other spectra as divisor in their solution in 0.1 M HCl. In the other four spectrophotometric methods using chemometric techniques, classical least-squares, inverse least-squares, principal component regression and partial least-squares (PLS), the concentration data matrix were prepared by using the synthetic mixtures containing these drugs in methanol:0.1 M HCl (3:1). The absorbance data matrix corresponding to the concentration data matrix was obtained by the measurements of absorbances in the range 240-285 nm in the intervals with deltalambda = 2.5 nm at 18 wavelengths in their zero-order spectra, then, calibration or regression was obtained by using the absorbance data matrix and concentration data matrix for the prediction of the unknown concentrations of pseudoephedrine hydrochloride and ibuprofen in their mixture. The procedures did not require any separation step. The linear range was found to be 300-1300 microg/ml for ibuprofen and 100-1300 microg/ml for pseudoephedrine hydrochloride in all five methods. The accuracy and the precision of the methods have been determined and they have been validated by analyzing synthetic mixtures. The five methods were successfully applied to tablets and the results were compared with each other.