A spectrophotometric method for the determination of some pharmaceutical amides, hydrazides and thiols is described. The method is based on the reaction of the studied drugs with 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl hydrazyl (DPPH). The latter is employed to abstract a hydrogen atom from the drugs thereby promoting a process of radical coupling. This results in a reduction of the violet colour of DPPH with the formation of the yellow coloured 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazine (DPPH2). This fading in colour of DPPH reagent depends on the concentration of the drug being determined. Beer's law is obeyed in the ranges of 1–5 μg/ml (for isocarboxazid and gliclazide), 0.25–2.5 μg/ml (for isoniazid), 0.5–5 μg/ml (for iproniazid), 1–7 μg/ml (for tolazamide), 2–15 μg/ml (for captopril) and 1–6 μg/ml (for sulphathiourea). The validity of the method was tested by analysing the studied drugs in pure form as well as in tablets. Results of analyses were compared statistically with the official or reported methods.