Studies on Pseudoephedrine Hydrochloride as a Sympathomimetic Alternative to Phenylpropanolamine in Decongestant Formulations.

In this study, an attempt has been made to replace phenylpropanolamine with pseudoephedrine hydrochloride as active ingredient in tablets. The in-house SKG Pharma assay tests on tablets containing pseudoephedrine hydrochloride and phenylpropanolamine tablets (marketed in Nigeria) gave results of 98.32% and 95.93%, respectively. For the assay of pseudoephedrine, the standard for the percentage of the stated amount in the tablet is 100% ± 10% while the result obtained from this study is 95.93%. This shows that it conforms to the standard and as a result, passes the assay test. For the assay of phenylpropanolamine, the standard is 100% ±10%. The result obtained is 98.32%. From these results, it can be deduced that pseudoephedrine; a stereoisomer of ephedrine with similar but less potent pharmacological activity, is a safer molecule in tablet preparation than phenylpropanolamine.