Stability of paracetamol in packaged tablet formulations.

A study of the influence of various temperature and humidity conditions on the stability of a number of commercial paracetamol tablet formulations in original packaging has been conducted over a period of six months. Paracetamol degradation in tablets follows apparent first-order kinetics and the shelf-lives (t(90)) range from 9.8 to 23.0 months. PVC/PVDC/Al foil and polycoated paper packaging offer better protection to the tablets compared to that of viscose film.