The key difference between active and inactive ingredients is that active ingredients are the components in a drug that have a therapeutic effect on the body, whereas inactive ingredients are the components in a drug that have non-medicinal importance.
Generally, a medication contains both active and inactive ingredients. Whether or not they are active or inactive, all the components in the drug are of importance. Sometimes, inactive ingredients may add color, flavor, or odor to the drug or act as filling material.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What are Active Ingredients
3. What are Inactive Ingredients
4. Active vs Inactive Ingredients in Tabular Form
5. Summary – Active vs Inactive Ingredients
What are Active Ingredients (Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients)?
Active ingredients are components of drugs that can cause the therapeutic effect of the drug. The active ingredient is also known as active pharmaceutical ingredient or API. It is the portion of the drug that shows the therapeutic effects on the body. Therefore, it is the chemical compound that is responsible for making the body feel better.
In addition to drugs, there are active components in other products such as cosmetic products, skincare products, hair care products, disinfectants, etc. In these products, the active ingredient determines the effectiveness of the product by performing the final outcome.
What are Inactive Ingredients (Excipients)?
Inactive ingredients are also known as excipients, and they are the non-medicinal components of the drug. These components do not show any pharmacological effect on the body. However, these ingredients are important and necessary for most drugs because drugs are not solely made of one medicinal ingredient. The important features of inactive ingredients include importance as binding agents, acting as buffers, acting as fillers, as stabilizers for the active components, as preservatives, as flavoring agents, or coloring agents, as coatings for pills, capsules, and tablets, etc. They also help the body to effectively absorb the medicine, as disintegrants, etc.
Moreover, inactive ingredients can determine the shape, color, and size of the drug. Typically, these drugs make up the bulk of a drug. However, sometimes, some drugs contain inactive ingredients that can act as active ingredients occasionally, e.g. alcohol can be active or inactive.
Usually, inactive drugs are harmless. However, some people develop side effects to these components. In addition, FDA approves most of the inactive ingredients as safe chemicals.
What is the Difference Between Active and Inactive Ingredients?
Usually, a medication contains both active and inactive ingredients. The key difference between active and inactive ingredients is that active ingredients are the components in a drug that have a therapeutic effect on the body, whereas inactive ingredients are the components in a drug that have non-medicinal importance.
Below is a summary of the difference between active and inactive ingredients in tabular form for side by side comparison.
Summary – Active vs Inactive Ingredients
Whether active or inactive not, all components in a drug are of importance. The key difference between active and inactive ingredients is that active ingredients are the components in a drug that have a therapeutic effect on the body, whereas inactive ingredients are the components in a drug that have non-medicinal importance. Therefore, an active ingredient in a drug or other product performs the therapeutic effect of the drug or the required outcome of the product. However, the inactive ingredient of the drug or the product performs work that has many functions: filling, binding, flavoring, coloring, preservation, buffering, coating, etc.
Reference:
1. “Inactive Ingredients Search FAQ“. U.S. Food And Drug Administration, 2022.
2. “Active Ingredients Make Medications Work To Help Patients“. Verywell Health, 2022.
Image Courtesy:
1. “Cure, doctor, finger, hand, laboratory, medical care, medication, syringe, vaccination, medicine” (CC0) via Pxhere
2. “Skincare-routine-beauty-care-face” (CC0) via Pixabay