APIs are a huge part of the pharmaceutical manufacturing world, being half of the drug itself. Understanding exactly what APIs are and their importance is vital when working in pharmaceutical manufacturing. We share everything you need to know in our blog below.
API stands for active pharmaceutical ingredient, meaning that it’s the active ingredient in a finished drug. An API is what produces the intended effects of a drug. This means that APIs are one of two main components in drugs, the other half being the excipients, chemically inactive substances that deliver the effect of API.
Therefore, APIs are incredibly important as they are what makes a drug act in a certain way. However, it’s important to understand that APIs aren’t drugs on their own, they require an excipient and must be processed properly to become safe medicine for clinical application.
To fully understand pharmaceutical APIs, let’s look at some common examples and explore what the active ingredients are:
