<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\nCombination products, also known as Fixed dose drug combinations (FDCs), are combinations of two or more active drugs in a single dosage form. The Food and Drug Administration, USA defines a combination product as \u2018a product composed of any combination of a drug and a device or a biological product and a device or a drug and a biological product or a drug, device, and a biological product\u2019. It is widely accepted that most drugs should be formulated as single compounds. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fixed ratio combination products are acceptable only when the dosage of each ingredient meets the requirement of a defined population group and when the combination has a proven advantage over single compounds administered separately in therapeutic effect, safety or compliance . Fixed dose combination are highly popular in the Indian pharmaceutical market and have been particularly flourishing in the last few years. The rationality of Fixed dose combination should be based on certain aspects such as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n- The drugs in the combination should act by different mechanisms.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- The pharmacokinetics must not be widely different.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- The combination should not have supra-additive toxicity of the ingredients.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Dosage alteration of one drug is not possible without alteration of the other drug.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Differing pharmacokinetics of constituent drugs pose the problem of frequency of administration of the formulation.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- By simple logic there are increased chances of adverse drug effects and drug interactions compared with both drugs given individually.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
Unfortunately, many Fixed dose combination being introduced in India are usually irrational. The most pressing concern with irrational FDCs is that they expose patients to unnecessary risk of adverse drug reactions, for instance, paediatric formulations of nimesulide + paracetamol. Nimesulide alone is more antipyretic than paracetamol, more anti-inflammatory than aspirin, and equivalent in analgesia to any of the NSAIDS alone, so efficacy gains are unlikely with added paracetamol. However, the patients may be subject to increased hepatotoxic effects from the combination. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fixed dose combination of diclofenac + serratopeptidase do not offer any particular advantage over the individual drugs despite the claim that serratopeptidase promotes more rapid resolution of inflammation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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