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An excipient is an inactive substance used as a vehicle for medication, or an active ingredient. In addition excipients can be used to aid the process by which a product is manufactured. In general, the active substances (such as aspirin) may not be easily administered and absorbed by the human body; they need to be put in some appropriate form. The active substance is then dissolved or mixed with an excipient. Oral medication A medication is a licenced drug taken to cure or reduce symptoms of an illness or medical condition. ...
An active ingredient, also active pharmaceutical ingredient (or API), is the substance in drug that is pharmaceutically active. ...
Aspirin or acetylsalicylic acid is a drug in the family of salicylates, often used as an analgesic (against minor pains and aches), antipyretic (against fever), and anti-inflammatory. ...
Depending on the route of administration, and medication form, various excipients may be used. For oral administration, see Tablets and Capsules. For rectal administration see suppositories. In pharmacology and toxicology, a route of administration is the path by which a drug, fluid, poison or other substance is brought into contact with the body 1. ...
For other meanings please see Tablet (disambiguation) Common disk-shaped pills A pharmacological tablet is a medicinal or other active substance mixed with binder powders and pressed into a tablet form. ...
The word capsule (from the Latin capsula, a small box), has many similar meanings in English: In botany, a capsule is a type of dry fruit as in the poppy, iris, foxglove, etc. ...
Four 500mg acetaminophen/paracetamol suppositories A suppository is a medicine that is inserted either into the rectum (rectal suppository) or into the vagina (vaginal suppository) where it melts. ...
Once the active ingredient has been purified, it cannot stay in purified form for very long. In many cases it will denature, fall out of solution, or stick to the sides of the container. To stabilize the active ingredient, excipients will be added to ensure that the active ingredient stays active, and is stable for a long period of time to ensure that the shelf-life of the product makes it competitive with other products. The formulation of these excipients in many cases is considered a trade secret. A trade secret is a formula, practice, process, design, instrument, pattern, or compilation of information used by a business to obtain an advantage over competitors within the same industry or profession. ...
Although drugs are chosen primarily for their active ingredients, the other ingredients (excipients) needed to make the tablet, capsule or liquid are just as important. For this reason, excipients are only used when absolutely necessary and in the smallest amounts possible.
Types of excipients:
Binders Binders hold the ingredients in a tablet together. Binders are usually starches, sugars, cellulose or modified cellulose such as hydroxypropyl cellulose, lactose, or sugar alcohols like xylitol, sorbitol or maltitol. Starch is a complex carbohydrate which is insoluble in water. ...
Magnified view of refined sugar crystals. ...
Cellulose (C6H10O5)n is a long-chain polymeric polysaccharide carbohydrate, of beta-glucose. ...
Hydroxypropyl cellulose (cellulose, 2-hydroxypropyl ether) is a derivative of cellulose with both water solubility and organic solubility. ...
Lactose is a disaccharide that makes up around 2-8% of the solids in milk. ...
Xylitol, also called wood sugar or birch sugar, is a five-carbon sugar alcohol that is used as a sugar substitute. ...
Sorbitol, also known as glucitol, is a sugar alcohol the body metabolises slowly. ...
Maltitol is a sugar alcohol (polyol) used as a sugar substitute. ...
Fillers Fillers fill out the size of a tablet or capsule, making it practical to produce and convenient for the consumer to use. Plant cellulose (pure plant filler) is a popular filler in tablets or hard gelatin capsules. Dibasic calcium phosphate is another popular tablet filler. Soybean or safflower oil is used in soft gelatin capsules. Calcium phosphate is the name given to a family of minerals containing calcium ions (Ca2+) together with orthophosphates (PO43-), metaphosphates or pyrophosphates (P2O74-) and occasionally hydrogen or hydroxide ions. ...
Disintegrants Disintegrants expand and dissolve when wet causing the tablet to break apart in the digestive tract, releasing the nutrients for absorption.
Lubricants Lubricants prevent ingredients from clumping together and from sticking to the tablet punches or capsule filling machine. Common minerals like talc or silica, and fats, e.g. vegetable stearin, magnesium stearate or stearic acid are the most frequently used lubricants in tablets or hard gelatin capsules.
Coatings Tablet coatings protect tablet ingredients from deterioration by moisture in the air and make large or unpleasant-tasting tablets easier to swallow. For most coated tablets, a cellulose (plant fiber) film coating is used which is free of sugar and potential allergy-causing substances. Occasionally, other coating materials are used such as synthetic polymers, or corn protein zein or other polysaccharides. Zein is a class of prolamine protein found in maize. ...
Polysaccharides (sometimes called glycans) are relatively complex carbohydrates. ...
Enteric coatings or slow release coatings control the rate of drug release, or determine where the drug will be released in the digestive tract.
Sweeteners Sweeteners are added to make the ingredients more palatable, especially in chewable tablets or liquids.
Flavors and Colors Flavors and Colors are added to improve the taste or appearance of a formulation.
Preservatives Some typical preservatives used in pharmaceutical formulaitons are Retinol, the dietary form of vitamin A, is a fat-soluble, antioxidant vitamin important in vision and bone growth. ...
Tocopherol, or Vitamin E, is a fat-soluble vitamin in eight forms that is an important antioxidant. ...
Chemical structure of vitamin C. Vitamin C is a water-soluble nutrient essential for life, used by the human body for many purposes. ...
SE redirects here. ...
In chemistry, an amino acid is any molecule that contains both amino and carboxylic acid functional groups. ...
Cysteine is a naturally occurring hydrophobic amino acid which has a thiol group and is found in most proteins, though only in small quantities. ...
Methionine (Met, M. C5H11NO2S) is an essential nonpolar amino acid, and a lipotropic. ...
Citric acid is a weak organic acid found in citrus fruits. ...
Sodium citrate is the sodium salt of citric acid with the chemical formula of Na3C6H5O7. ...
Methylparaben, also methyl paraben, one of the parabens, has formula CH3(C6H4(OH)COO). ...
Propyl paraben, a propyl ester of p-hydroxybenzoic acid, is a natural substance derived from the scales of animals. ...
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