Resources
Excipients
History, properties and pharmaceutical use of the excipients we source for pharmaceutical formulation.
4 min read
Microcrystalline Cellulose: A Cornerstone Excipient for Tablets and Capsules
It never appears on a medicine box, yet it hides inside the vast majority of tablets sold worldwide. Microcrystalline cellulose, or MCC, is the quiet excipient without which many active ingredients would never hold together as a tablet. Here is a look at its history, manufacturing process, and role in pharmaceutical formulation.
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3 min read
Croscarmellose Sodium: The Leading Super-Disintegrant for Tablets and Capsules
When a tablet breaks apart within seconds in the stomach, the credit often goes to a quiet excipient: croscarmellose sodium. This cellulose derivative is cross-linked so it swells on contact with water without ever dissolving, and since the 1980s it has become one of the most widely used super-disintegrants in the pharmaceutical industry. Here is a look at its origin, structure, and mechanism of action.
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3 min read
Lactose, the Benchmark Filler Excipient in Pharmaceutical Formulation
Unassuming and inexpensive, yet indispensable: lactose is one of the most widely used excipients in tablet and capsule manufacturing worldwide. Here's a look at the history, properties and pharmaceutical applications of this milk sugar, from seventeenth-century whey to today's spray-dried grades built for direct compression.
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3 min read
Dicalcium Phosphate: A Mineral Excipient for Tablet Compression
A tablet is never just its active ingredient — it also needs bulk, volume and structural integrity. That is where dicalcium phosphate comes in: a white, water-insoluble mineral salt that, under trade names such as Emcompress®, DI-CAFOS® or A-TAB®, quietly underpins a large share of solid dosage forms. Here is a closer look at its origin, structure and uses.
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3 min read
Povidone: A Binding, Film-Forming, and Solubilizing Excipient in Pharmaceutics
No modern tablet gets made without technical polymers capable of binding powders together. Povidone, better known under its trade name Kollidon®, is one of the most widely used excipients in the pharmaceutical industry. Here is a look at its history, manufacture, and uses, from tablet binder to skin antiseptic.
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