Pharmaceutical manufacturing

Pharmaceutical manufacturing (/ˌfɑːrməˈsjuːtɪkəl mæn.jʊˈfæk.tʃər.ɪŋ/) is the process of industrial-scale synthesis of pharmaceutical drugs by pharmaceutical companies. The process of pharmaceutical manufacturing can be broken down into a series of unit operations, such as milling, granulation, coating, tablet pressing, and others.

Etymology

The term "pharmaceutical" comes from the Greek word "pharmakeia" (/fɑːrˈmeɪkiə/), which means "drug-making". The term "manufacturing" comes from the Latin "manu factus", which means "made by hand".

Related terms

Active pharmaceutical ingredient (API): This 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.

Excipient: This is a substance formulated alongside the active ingredient of a medication, included for the purpose of long-term stabilization, bulking up solid formulations that contain potent active ingredients in small amounts, or to confer a therapeutic enhancement on the API or a smoother delivery mechanism.

Biopharmaceutical: A biopharmaceutical, also known as a biologic(al) medical product, or biologic, is any pharmaceutical drug product manufactured in, extracted from, or semi synthesized from biological sources.

Pharmacovigilance: This is the science and activities relating to the detection, assessment, understanding and prevention of adverse effects or any other drug-related problem.

Good manufacturing practices (GMP): These are the practices required in order to conform to the guidelines recommended by agencies that control the authorization and licensing of the manufacture and sale of food and beverages, cosmetics, pharmaceutical products, dietary supplements, and medical devices.