The proliferation of illicit drug markets facilitate the flow of doubtful quality products of uncertain origin to the most disadvantaged populations. The consumption of counterfeit medicines that do not meet international standards can explain the repeated treatment failures, the development of tolerance or even addiction to drug observed after taking generic drugs. High consumption of compressed ibuprofen, second most consumed analgesic after paracetamol led us to a comparative study of physicochemical and dosage parameters of the generic pill ibuprofen 400 mg sold in the formal and informal market in Douala according to international pharmacopoeia. The results show that non-normalised medicines are present both in the formal and in the informal circuit. Each of the circuits presented a compliance rate of about 80%. Moreover, the presence of the same batch of tablet, from the same laboratory both in the formal and in the informal circuit would be a proof that the informal market of drugs "gazon" supply is assured by both the smuggling and the formal distribution sector. It is imperative that Governments in countries such as Cameroon through health and safety officers take radical decisions to control the quality, stability and efficiency of drugs introduced in their countries.

Cotrimoxazole is an association of two anti-infectives Sulfamethoxazole and Trimethoprim. It is a broad-spectrum antibiotic active against a wide range of microorganism (bacteria, fungi and protozoa). It is also used for the prevention of opportunistic infections in HIV-AIDS patients when the l CD4 level is between 350-500/mm3. For this reason, it is necessary to ensure the quality of the medicine administered to our population. The purpose of the present study was to assess the quality of the generic Cotrimoxazole 480 mg tablets marketed in the Douala city. A total of 37 lots of drugs were analysed, six (6) collected in the private organizations, seven (7) in the public sector and twenty-fourth (24) in the illegal market using the cluster sampling poll method. These drugs were therefore submitted to standards pharmaco-technical and physico-chemical tests. Accordingly, the tests of disintegration, hardness, friability, mass uniformity, dimension uniformity, identification and the dosage of the active compounds demonstrated 33% of non-compliance in the private sector, 86% in the public sector and 79% in the illegal sector. In conclusion, the study revealed that non-conformities affected the official sector (private and public) as well as the illegal in Douala market.