There are two groups that must be discussed when covering the facts about pharmaceutical ingredients and this include intermediates and active pharmaceutical ingredients.
Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients
The primary ingredients in any pharmaceutical product are the active pharmaceutical ingredients. The active ingredients in a pharmaceutical product are the ones that are biologically active. You will sometimes hear this be referred to “bulk active” or “active substance” if you are referring to a natural product. There are some products or medications that have multiple active ingredients. The traditional word for an API is pharmacon which simply means drug or substance.
Active constituent is a term that is often used when discussing an active substance that is in plants like salicylic acid that is present in willow bark. The word ingredient makes most people think about tangible substances and that is not always the case.
Pharmaceutical Intermediates
Pharmaceutical intermediates are complex chemical compounds that are much like building blocks when it comes to producing active pharmaceutical ingredients. They are important to every drug even if it is still in its testing stages. Intermediates are not considered to be active ingredients but serve as a link between the chemicals and the whole of the pharmaceutical being processed. Without these intermediates, there is no pharmaceutical or drug.
An active pharmaceutical ingredient is a substance or mixture of multiple substances that is used to help manufacture a drug in combination with the active ingredient. Once these ingredients are combined with the major ingredients it creates an entire drug or pharmaceutical product. They need each other in order to be effective to the individual who uses it.
American Custom Chemicals Corporation makes active pharmaceutical intermediates, active ingredients, and other components available to pharmaceutical companies via their website. Visit their website to learn more about the products and services that they offer.
