Student Ni’meh Alshami defends master’s thesis, invents combination product to prevent thromboembolic disease

Ni’meh Alshami, master’s student in the Industrial Pharmaceutical Technology program, defended her master’s thesis, “Formulation and Evaluation of Fixed-Dose Combination of Apixaban and Clopidogrel in a Solid Oral Dosage Form: In-Vitro Evaluation,” on February 25, 2023.

Funded by the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research, Alshami invented a combination product to prevent thromboembolic disease. Her research was supervised by Dr. Feras Qanaze and Dr. Hani Shtaya, associate professors at the Department of Pharmacy.

Alshami successfully formulated fixed-dose combination (FDC) tablets as a multidrug regimen for commonly used antithrombotic agents.

The FDC tablets were developed by combining immediate-release Clopidogrel tablets with extended-release Apixaban matrix tablets through direct compression and wet granulation. The final dosage consisted of one Clopidogrel (75mg) tablet and one or two APX (5mg each) tablets encapsulated within translucent hard gelatin shell capsules to deliver the three doses of the two drugs in one unit.

The tablets improve patient medication adherence, decrease polypharmacy, advance clinical outcomes and reduce medication costs.

Dr. Moammal Qurt and Dr. Feras Qanaze, assistant professors at the Department of Pharmacy and members of the master’s thesis discussion committee, maintained, “Alshami’s master’s thesis is similar to a PhD dissertation in its accuracy and innovation.” They added, “she has extensive experience in research and statistical analysis. During her master’s studies, she published more than 15 peer-reviewed scientific papers in collaboration with professors at the department.”

Alshami has another three research papers in the peer review process; two of which are based on her master’s thesis. Due to her remarkable research efforts, Alshami was honored by Dr. Abdallah Abu Khalil, chairperson at the Department of Pharmacy, in the presence of Dr. Rania Abu-Hamdah, dean of the Faculty of Pharmacy, Nursing and Health Professions.

Alshami obtained her first master’s degree in Community and Public Health from Birzeit University. She received her bachelor’s degree in pharmacy from the University of Jordan. Alshami currently works as a part-time lecturer at the Department of Pharmacy.