[Stability of oral rehydration solutions in various packing materials]

The aim of this research was to provide data to select an ideal packing material to preserve the integrity of oral rehydration salts (ORS), a therapeutic formulation that is essential in developing countries. Previous research had verified that water is the factor that most affects ORS stability. For this research, a pharmaceutical industry prepared an ORS batch that was packed in six different types of packing materials. The humidity determination was made after storage of samples during 36 weeks at room temperature, at room temperature with 76% relative humidity, and at 40 degrees C with 80% relative humidity. The moisture in the samples was measured at pre-determined intervals using methods like loss on drying at 50 degrees C and the Karl Fischer method. The results indicated that the most efficient packing material was composed of 18g polyester, 35 g aluminum, and 50 g polyethylene (packing material no. 6).