Quality problems of vegetable inputs in the Brazilian compounding sector: an analysis of literature and pharmacy certificates in Maringá, Paraná, Brazil

Abstract

quality of herbal derivatives, mostly imported, represents a concern due to the escalation of prescriptions by Physicians, pharmacists, and nutritionists, among others. This work initially aimed to collect data from the literature about quality studies of compounding herbal products and, in a second moment, to analyze the result provided by the State University of Maringá (UEM) in the quality control of these derivatives for compounding pharmacies, between 11/2020 to 12/2022. Only 14 articles were identified
using the selected keywords, and only seven articles were eligible for inclusion, revealing the scarcity of this type of study. In the twenty-five months analyzed, 36 herbal derivatives were analyzed by the PALAFITO Laboratory at UEM. Most of the samples were approved, however, about 14% (n=5) were rejected, some due to the absence of the marker (5.6%, n=2). These results reveal the fragility -or the lack – of the supplier qualification process by the compounding sector. In several cases, problems related to assays not carried out by pharmacies were evidenced once their suppliers had been qualified.