ACETAMINOPHEN is one of the most important antipyretic and analgesic drugs. It has an excellent efficacy when it is used in therapeutic doses, but in unsafe doses it can be resulted in hepatotoxicity and permanent liver failure. Due to disparities that have been reported between the actual and stated concentration of ACETAMINOPHEN tablets, we aimed to compare the actual quantity of 8 Iranian generic ACETAMINOPHEN tablets with the stated amount on the label, using HPLC method. Drug concentration has been measured by HPLC. We performed USP procedure for all models such as tablets, capsule, and oral solution assay preparations USP-36 NF31 by standard preparations. Method validation was achieved. For USP guidelines performance we need to concern on standard references. By chromatography equipment, we used HPLC analyzer 1200 degasser, 1200 bin pump, 1200 ALS, and 1200 VWD. ACETAMINOPHEN sample solution included 325 mg weighted quantity of the powder that transferred to a 200 ml volumetric flask in addition to 100 ml of mobile phase. A part of this solution was transferred throughout a 0. 5 micrometer permeable filter (or finer). By injecting 10 μ L of standard solution into the chromatograph, major peaks are measured as a response. As a final point, calculation of the quantity of ACETAMINOPHEN in each brand was obtained via specific formula. According to the USP, all brands consisted of 90. 0– 110. 0 % of the labeled amount of active ingredient (p<0. 05). Consequently, The USP standards are met for drugs with different lot numbers by a variety of companies. The differences of clinical attributes of Paracetamol overdose between Iran and other countries may be related to pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamics issues, metabolism, genetic factors or environmental effects. Further studies are recommended.

The photo catalytic degradation of a common analgesic (ACETAMINOPHEN) with titanium dioxide irradiated with low energy ultraviolet light (365 nm) was studied in order to determine the effect of several parameters such as catalyst’s weight, photochemical effect, and initial concentration. The results indicate that ACETAMINOPHEN is degraded in the order of 4% by the photochemical effect. The presence of titanium dioxide in optimal amounts increases the rate of reaction and the overall conversion. The kinetic study demonstrated that photo catalytic degradation of ACETAMINOPHEN follows a pseudo first order reaction rate which could be represented by a model similar to Langmuir-Hinshelwood equation. Accordingly, the results confirmed that the degradation of ACETAMINOPHEN proceeds even while other intermediate organic products (IOP) are being formed; some of these organic products were identified by High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC). These products (OIP) remain in the solution for a while before being degraded to CO2. Furthermore, the experimental results indicate that the mineralization of ACETAMINOPHEN can be described by an overall kinetic rate equation obtained from the experimental values of total organic carbon (TOC).

Objective: ACETAMINOPHEN is an over-the-counter drug in Iran. Intentional and accidental poisoning with this drug is one of the most frequent causes of admission to our center. We studied the outcome of poisoning with this drug in our hospital.Methods: Over a two-year period from January 2005 to January 2007, 85 patients who were admitted to Sina Hospital for acute ACETAMINOPHEN poisoning, were followed up. Identification and outcome of patients were according to a physical examination, medical history, lab data and duration of hospital stay.Results: Acute ACETAMINOPHEN poisoning occurred in both genders and all age groups. Approximately 64 percent of patients were female. Children had minimal involvement and were usually accidental poisoning type (98%). In adults, admissions were more likely to be due to suicide attempts rather than accidental poisoning. The majority of cases were in hepatotoxic dose, but clinical courses were mild. Patients, who had acutely ingested more than 150 mg/kg or predicted to be hepatotoxic due to impaired liver function testes, had a longer hospital stay but in spite of this, we did not have any mortality.Conclusion: Overdose with ACETAMINOPHEN in adults was often indications of suicidal behavior, and in children was usually of accidental type. The outcome was generally good in spite of common ACETAMINOPHEN poisoning.