In pharma world, you are very much concern with all the active ingredients i.e. composition of drugs which are by and large chemical based, But you never know the detail of excepients used as a binding or stabilizing agents which can be chemical as well as organic based.

Allergy!! Specially wheat sensitivity or Celiac/Celiac Sprue or Gluten sensitive Enteropathy is encouraging trend in North India and in routine treatment of various conditions you can be never sure that excepients may have organic base like wheat.

When to call the Drug Manufacturer
The key word excepients section is starch. Strach can be derived from several sources including corn, potato, tapioca and wheat. If the product list starch as “ corn starch” or “starch(corn)”it can be assumed to be Gluten Free

If only starch, then only way to confirm is source of starch.

Other terms called pregelatinized starch and sodium starch glycolate. Both products are starches derived from corn wheat or rice, however they have been chemically treated or processed.

There are also the four “Dex- ingredients” derived from starch (dextrans) , dextrose, dextrates, dextrins.). Dextrans come from corn and potate starch, dextrose comes from corn. These Dex-ingredients are safe for Celiac patient.

Rye and barley are not used in pharmaceutical manufacturing.

Other problems is that pharmaceutical manufacturer, most often change excepients in their products without warning. And very comman is lack of knowledge of manufacturer regarding GF status. How ever among MNC’s only 5 of 100 had a policy ensuring GF status. Among Indian Pharma companies, situation is very gloomy.

Courtsey : Steven Plogted

Upcoming : List of commanly used excepients in pharma manufacturing. . .