Medicines

Regardless of whether it’s prescription or over-the-counter, the ingredients on a drug product label typically include one, maybe two, active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs). The rest of the list is comprised of “inactive” ingredients (excipients) which in reality are far from inactive. Variability may be acceptable for products such as printer ink and paintballs, but not pharmaceuticals, making quality standards for excipients critical to ensuring consistent drug quality.

Establishing the suitability of packaging systems for pharmaceutical products is critical. With many new materials and applications entering the marketplace, testing procedures for these systems need to be revised regularly to make sure quality attributes are considered. To that end, USP has started an effort to modernize its packaging standards. Learn more.

Nanomedicine—the use of nanoscale materials and technologies to treat diseases at the molecular level—has shown promising results in patient care, particularly in oncology. While this potential has led to increased research, there are challenges surrounding nomenclature, characterization and environmental impact. Learn how you can collaborate with USP to help determine a path foward.

Pharmacy experts explain the contemporary pharmacist's many roles.