TY - JOUR A1 - Pise, Gajanan A1 - Komala, H A1 - Dastikop, Shilpa A1 - Manohar, Naveen A1 - Akshay, L A1 - Sanagoudar, Vinitha T1 - Morphometric analysis of itraconazole pellets of commonly available brands using dermoscopy Y1 - 2021/7/1 JF - Indian Journal of Drugs in Dermatology JO - Indian J Drugs Dermatol SP - 72 EP - 78 VL - 7 IS - 2 UR - https://www.ijdd.in/article.asp?issn=2455-3972;year=2021;volume=7;issue=2;spage=72;epage=78;aulast=Pise DO - 10.4103/ijdd.ijdd_9_21 N2 - Introduction: Itraconazole (ITZ) is commonly used to treat cutaneous and systemic mycoses. The bioavailability of ITZ capsules varies between individuals; therefore, the quality of ITZ pellets is a major determinant of their absorption and therapeutic efficacy. Morphometric analysis is a surrogate method of evaluating the absorption and efficacy of ITZ capsules, and the number and size of pellets in each capsule are the most important morphometric parameters. Aim: To analyze the morphometric characteristics of commonly available brands of ITZ. Materials and Methods: Commonly available formulations of ITZ in the market were analyzed using a hand-held dermoscope. Morphometric characteristics of 30 and 10 brands of 100-mg and 200-mg formulations were analyzed, respectively. A dermoscope was used to determine the size and the number of pellets per capsule. Furthermore, variations in the size of pellets across brands were compared to that in the global innovator brand. Statistical analysis used was SPSS v. 21 (IBM Inc., Armonk, NY). Results: The capsules included 126–1010 pellets of 788–2343 µm, and dummy pellets and loose powder were found in some brands. Five brands that cost <20 Indian rupees (INR) per capsule included good pellet count, small pellet size, and low size variation. Two other brands included these qualities but were priced at INR 20–30 per capsule. The size variation was the minimum, and no dummy particles or loose powder were observed with the innovator brand; however, it was the costliest. Conclusion: The morphometric characteristics of ITZ formulations varied significantly between brands, which may significantly affect their efficacy. ER -