Fluoxetine is an antidepressant of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor class. Two simple, rapid and sensitive first and second derivative spectrophotometric methods are developed for the determination of fluoxetine (FLX) in pharmaceutical dosage forms (capsules). The absorption minima was chosen (at 235 nm) in first order (Method A) and amplitude (229-238.5 nm) was selected in second order derivative spectral calculations. Fluoxetine follows Beer’s law in the concentration range of 1-60 µg mL-1 (r2= 0.999) in first order as well as in second order (r2 = 0.9994) derivative spectroscopy respectively. The proposed methods can be successfully applied for the determination of Fluoxetine in commercial brands of pharmaceutical formulations. No interferences were observed from the common excipients in the formulations. The methods were validated according to ICH guidelines.
Fluoxetine HCl, Derivative spectrophotometry, Antidepressant drug