ABSTRACT Jackground: Diclofenac is one of the most commonly used non-steroidal anti-inflammatory lrugs (NSAIDs) for the treatment of pain, rheumatism and other inflammatory conditions.Aim: ~his study aimed to investigate whether the selected brands of diclofenac sodium meet heir label specifications as well as the BP 2009.Materials and Methods: Three brands of )iclofenac sodium were randomly selected in Pharmacies of Ishaka-Bushenyi Municipality, lushenyi. A total of 20 tablets of each brand were chosen and used for this study. Quantitative 3st(assay)based on UV-Vis spectroscopy as well as qualitative tests (weight variation,hardness and disintegration time test) were done. Information was recorded in duplicates and analysis conducted using MS Excel 20 I 0 Version.Results: Diclofenac sodium tablets used in this study showed weight variations but there were no significant differences (P value> 0.05). Hardness test hawed that brands D2 and D3 exhibited greater capability to resist breaking than D I with ardness of 784.25N, 629.12N and 427.44N respectively. The disintegration time test showed 1at brands D I and D2 passed the test while brand D3 failed to pass in acidic medium according ) the BP limits. The calibration curve was linear with correlation coefficient (r2 ) of 0.9997 at a concentration range of 5.00-30.00f1g/ml. According to BP specifications of 95-105%, all the 1ree brands failed the assay with a percentage stated content of 75.8%, 89.1% and 82.1% for rands Dl, D2, and D3 respectively. Conclusion and Recommendations: Within limitations of 1is study, brand D3 failed the disintegration time test in acidic medium. All diclofenac sodium rands failed the assay test because of using a low sonication time for extracting the API from 1e drug. Further tests should be carried out to validate the sonication time against absorbance to btain an optimum time for extracting the API from the drug.
