What Are the Different Types of Pharma Raw Materials?

Pharma raw materials are used to create medications and drugs, and pharmaceutical workers usually need a constant supply of raw materials to make new medications. Inactive pharma raw materials usually do not increase the effectiveness of the medication, nor do they treat conditions, but they do help form pills. Antibiotic raw materials are used to make medications that treat infections and, while they are ineffective against viruses, they are still used often. Vitamins are often manufactured or extracted for pharmaceuticals, and they can be used to treat deficiencies. Nucleic acid raw materials are often used to treat viruses.

Inactive ingredients are one of the most common, though ineffective, pharma raw materials. These materials are considered ineffective, because they are not meant to treat disorders or diseases; instead, they are used to create pills and to bind active ingredients. They also are useful in stabilizing active ingredients, which may be unusable if not for the inactive components. Common inactive raw materials include flavors, binding agents and dyes. Active ingredients are often powerful and very little may be needed in a pill, so inactive ingredients typically outweigh the active ones.

Many drugs are made from antibiotics or are antibiotic in nature. These pharma raw materials are responsible for treating infections from bacteria and fungi, and they can kill or slow down living organisms invading the body. Most antibiotics are engineered and made from natural ingredients, but some are extracted from living beings. Infections are common, so these raw materials are used often and create many different medications. Antibiotics usually are made into pills and liquids.

While vitamins are not commonly used to treat serious illnesses or disorders, they tend to be useful if someone is suffering from a vitamin deficiency. If someone has a lack of vitamin B12, for example, then a doctor may prescribe a vitamin B12 supplement. Vitamin pharma raw materials are often created from chemicals because this approach is cheaper than using natural sources; some people prefer natural vitamin extracts, so this is sometimes used, as well.

Nucleic acid pharma raw materials are often derived to help treat viruses. Unlike the other raw materials, nucleic acid is rarely natural when used in medication. It often is an analog, meaning it is created and made to be similar to natural nucleic acids, but they are not quite the same as natural sources. This acid is most commonly made into a suspension that is injected into patients.