What are excipients?
Excipients (or inactive ingredients) are ingredients used to convert active compounds into dosage forms suitable for administration. All pharmaceutical or nutritional products – whether they are tablets, capsules, or liquids – contain excipients, regardless of whether they are specifically labeled as such. It is simply not possible to formulate tableted products without using binders, coating agents, and/or disintegrants, as well as processing-specific excipients like lubricants.
Interest in the physical effects and properties of excipients used in pharmaceutical formulations has increased in recent years as pharmaceutical scientists have become increasingly aware of the fundamental effects excipients can exert on bioavailibility, stability, and overall performance of a product. Small variations in physical properties of an excipient can produce significant differences in the behavior of a finished product. In other words, using top quality excipients (inactive ingredients) is as important as using top quality active ingredients.
Pharmaceutical manufacturing is a science, and at USANA we approach excipients with the same scientific scrutiny we give active ingredients. Safety, quality, and effectiveness are paramount considerations for all USANA product ingredients.
Excipients used in USANA formulations are selected for their non-toxicity and contribution to overall integrity and performance of each product. Since we use the best ingredients, minimal excipient amounts can often be added to achieve the desired effect.
