Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient
Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API) is the term used to refer to the biologically active component of a drug product (e.g., tablet, capsule). Drug products are usually composed of several components. The aforementioned API is the primary ingredient. Other ingredients are commonly known as excipients.
Pronunciation
- Active: /ˈæk.tɪv/
- Pharmaceutical: /ˌfɑːr.məˈsuː.tɪ.kəl/
- Ingredient: /ɪnˈɡriː.di.ənt/
Etymology
The term "Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient" is a direct description of the role of this component in a drug. "Active" comes from the Latin "activus", meaning "active, practical". "Pharmaceutical" is derived from the Greek "pharmakeutikos", meaning "pertaining to drugs", and "ingredient" comes from the Latin "ingredi", meaning "to go in".
Related Terms
- Excipient
- Drug formulation
- Drug discovery
- Drug development
- Pharmacology
- Pharmacokinetics
- Pharmacodynamics
Description
The Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API) is the part of any drug that produces the intended effects. Some drugs, such as combination therapies, have multiple active ingredients to treat different symptoms or act in different ways.
Production of APIs has traditionally been done by the pharmaceutical companies themselves in their home countries. But in recent years many corporations have opted to send manufacturing overseas to cut costs. This has caused significant changes to how these drugs are regulated, with more rigorous guidelines and inspections put into place.
See Also
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