Pharmaceutical Excipients

Pharmaceutical Excipients are crucial to drug delivery within the body. Generally, an excipient has no medicinal properties. Its standard purpose is to streamline the manufacture of the drug product and ultimately facilitate physiological absorption of the drug. Excipients might aid in lubricity, flowability, disintegration, taste and may confer some form of antimicrobial function. Selecting the appropriate excipient to support the design of your pharmaceutical formulation is an important step in the drug manufacturing process.

Selecting the Appropriate Excipient

Choosing one or several excipients for a drug formulation is an important step in drug development. A carefully-chosen excipient may reduce manufacturing costs by being multifunctional, or may enhance patient experience by offering taste masking properties. An excipient must best suit the intended dosage form of the drug, demonstrate great organoleptic properties, conform to pharmacopeial regulations, be easy to source, and work effectively. The right excipient will have the ideal pharmacokinetic properties for your intended pharmaceutical application. It will also work well with your existing equipment or fit into your manufacturing plan.

Deciding factors may include the intended use of the compound, the amount of compound needed (grams to tonnage) or environmental conditions that might affect an excipient. Other considerations include potential toxicity, the origin of the chemicals, and other special factors. For example, a plant-based excipient might be chosen over one of animal origin (gelatin).