Medical Material
pharmaceutical excipient
phar·ma·ceu·ti·cal ex·cip·i·ent
Definitions related to pharmaceutical excipient:
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(excipients) Usually inert substances added to a prescription in order to provide suitable consistency to the dosage form. These include binders, matrix, base or diluent in pills, tablets, creams, salves, etc.NLM Medical Subject HeadingsU.S. National Library of Medicine, 2021
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(inactive ingredient) An ingredient that is added for a purpose other than the intended pharmacological action.U.S. FDA GlossaryU.S. Food & Drug Administration, 2021
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(inactive ingredient) An ingredient which is not considered therapeutically active, e.g., colors, flavors, stabilizers, or preservatives, fillers, or structural components added to an active ingredient in order to facilitate administration of the active ingredient but without being considered therapeutically active. An inactive ingredient need not be biologically inert, e.g., might be active as an allergen or might have a pleasant taste, but is not an essential constituent delivering the therapeutic effect.NCI Health Level 7 VocabularyU.S. National Cancer Institute, 2018
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Any intentionally added component of a finished pharmaceutical product other than the claimed therapeutic or diagnostic ingredient(s). The excipients are added to facilitate administration or manufacture, improve product delivery, promote the consistent release and bioavailability of the drug, enhance stability, assist in product identification, or enhance other product characteristics. Pharmaceutical excipients do not affect therapeutic effects of the preparation or suitable tests or assays. The term does not apply to macromolecular compounds like albumin, or compounds like amino acids and sugars that are used in biological products, nor does it apply to process or product-related impurities (e.g. degradation products, residual solvents), or extraneous contaminants.NCI ThesaurusU.S. National Cancer Institute, 2021
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