Published Article

ABSTRACT Microbial contamination of pharmaceutical products may originate from the raw materials, as microorganisms from the raw materials will invariably be transferred to the product. In addition, a lot of factors contribute to microbial load carried by a pharmaceutical preparation at every stage. These include: raw materials used, manufacturing processes or personnel, conditions of storage or from packaging materials. Most raw materials for pharmaceutical products support some forms of microbial growth, depending on the nutritive properties and moisture contents. Hence, dry powder or tablets are capable of undergoing some form of microbial spoilage or degradation. The more serious problem of microbial contamination of tablets is where there are no obvious signs of spoilage; hence, it is usually advisable to have knowledge of the microbial content of all drugs and medicines. KEYWORDS: Spoilage, Therapeutic agent, Microbial attacks, toxins, quality control