COMPARATIVE EVALUATION OF MARKETED PARACETAMOL 500 MG TABLETS: A REVIEW OF QUALITY CONTROL PARAMETERS ACROSS DIFFERENT COMMERCIAL BRANDS

Paracetamol (Acetaminophen) is one of the most commonly used over-the-counter (OTC) medications worldwide for the treatment of pain and fever. Due to the availability of numerous generic, local, and multinational brands, maintaining consistent product quality is essential to ensure therapeutic efficacy and patient safety. The present review integrates findings from two comparative studies conducted in India that evaluated the physicochemical quality of marketed paracetamol 500 mg tablets using pharmacopeial and non-pharmacopoeial quality control tests. Both studies assessed parameters including weight variation, hardness, friability, disintegration time, and other critical quality attributes, while one study additionally evaluated dissolution profile and drug content. Overall, the findings demonstrate that the majority of marketed brands comply with official pharmacopoeial specifications and are suitable for clinical use, although minor variations were observed among certain brands. Continuous post-marketing surveillance remains essential to maintain consistent product quality and therapeutic performance.