Raw materials used in the pharmaceutical industry

Let's take a deep dive into the raw materials used in the pharmaceutical industry. This classification separates the raw materials.

Generally speaking, pharmaceutical raw materials can be divided into the following three categories: active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), inactive ingredients or excipients, packaging raw materials

1. Pharmaceutical raw materials (APIs) of active pharmaceutical ingredients

The API is one of the main components of the drug, which has the activity of the drug and is responsible for the effect of the drug. Accuracy and precision of raw materials are the two main aspects of manufacturing APIs.

Strength of API: Each drug has a standard for determining the strength of API. The FDA requires manufacturers to demonstrate the efficacy of their products with patients in the lab and in real life.

The global market for active pharmaceutical ingredients is expected to reach $198.8 billion by 2022 with a CAGR of 6.4%. The main factors driving this growth are patent expiry, government initiatives. , penetration and an increase in the elderly population.

The largest API manufacturers are in Asia, especially in India and China.

2. Raw materials of pharmaceutical excipients

Excipients are also known as inactive ingredients or drug carriers. Pharmaceutical raw materials used as excipients consist of solvents and other such carriers. Excipients bring bulk and stability to the drug formulation, as well as facilitate absorption and prevent drug denaturation.

International Pharmaceutical Standards have guidelines for the qualification of these materials as excipients.

Industry analysts predict the excipients market will reach a CAGR of 6.53% by 2021 and reach $7.7 billion globally by 2022. According to the ASD report, the global excipients market is being driven by growth in the consumption of oral pharmaceuticals.

North America holds the largest market share of pharmaceutical excipients due to the presence of large excipient manufacturers here and rising demand for pharmaceutical drugs. Europe accounted for the second largest share, followed by Asia Pacific.

3. Raw materials for pharmaceutical packaging

Packaging in the pharmaceutical industry also needs to be perfect and precise. Raw materials used for packaging in the pharmaceutical industry include plastics, polymers, glass, foil, paper, and more. Packaging is a separate category for pharmaceuticals because of the variety of raw materials used.

By 2020, the global pharmaceutical packaging market demand is expected to reach more than 80 billion US dollars. North America and Europe regions account for a major share of the pharmaceutical packaging materials market.

Advances in drug delivery technology have started the use of innovative packaging in the pharmaceutical industry, increasing the demand for a variety of packaging materials.