Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient
The active pharmaceutical ingredient, also known as API, is the main element that is a biologically active part of medicines or pesticides, which plays a big role in providing a therapeutic effect.
A dosage form is a finalised form of a finished product, which is composed mainly of two components, namely, the Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient and Excipients. Ingredients that are found in a dosage form other than the active pharmaceutical ingredients are also known as excipients. Excipients do not provide a pharmacological effect and are inert.
To comprehend the idea of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API), take the straightforward everyday existence illustration of prescriptions used to alleviate pain or fever.
On the off chance that anybody is experiencing fever, the person for the most part takes a dosage of paracetamol. Paracetamol or acetaminophen is the Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API) that alleviates fever and pain. API can be divided into two categories.
- Natural API
- Synthetic API
There are various qualities of API that are available in the market. The strength of API in any dose structure concludes areas of strength for how effective it will be.
Example
Metformin HCl is a commonly used active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) that is used to control a specific diabetic condition & is available in the following strengths:
- Metformin Hcl 500 mg
- Metformin Hcl 850 mg
- Metformin Hcl 1000 mg
It is a common misconception for many people who believe that the strength referenced
The finished bundling demonstrates the tablet’s weight. But the truth of the matter is that tablet strength and tablet weight are two distinct things. Take a basic illustration of Atenolol 50 mg tablets. Here, 50 mg isn’t the weight of the tablet rather 50 mg addresses just the amount of API in the tablet. Alongside API, different excipients are likewise utilised for manufacturing the dosage form, so tablet weight may be 100 mg or 200 mg, depending on the formulation. Moreover, a dosing structure might contain a single API or more than one API in a similar measurement structure to give a therapeutic effect. For example, Metformin HCl & Sitagliptin phosphate are two commonly used active pharmaceutical ingredients in a single tablet.
