Rapid screening of marketed paracetamol tablets: use of thin-layer chromatography and a semiquantitative spot test

Evaluated is the use of thin-layer chromatography (TLC) to determine the quality of paracetamol tablets marketed in Bangladesh. The procedure was carried out using a cheap and rapid TLC method developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Reported also is a semiquantitative specific spot test for screening paracetamol tablets. The results obtained indicate that, of the 38 brands tested, three were spurious, while 11 were of borderline quality. In some cases, the results were also verified using the British Pharmacopoeia method. The simplified tests described in this article cannot replace the British Pharmacopoeia or U.S. Pharmacopoeia methods but can be employed as initial screening tests.