Excipients
Since excipients often make up the bulk of a formulation, the same requirements and quality criteria should apply. The great diversity and use of excipients throughout other industries makes it of paramount importance to establish their purity and chemical and pharmaceutical quality. Tests should include arheological study, solubility and kinetics of dissolution, determination of specific surface, establishment of a granulometric curve and shredding.
Any change in the excipient may cause variations in bioavailability and produce toxic phenomena or allergies. Several examples of such variations have been encountered with fatal consequences for the patient. Recommendations on the control and safe trade in starting materials for pharmaceuticals have been published by WHO (6). Certificates of analysis and vendor qualification should comply with guidelines of the International Pharmaceuticals Excipient Council (IPEC) (7).