Excipients have a key role in the creation of medicines, in order to preserve the efficacy, safety, and stability of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and ensuring that they offer patients their promised advantages.
The usage of excipients in optimum quantities can provide manufacturers in pharmaceutical industry with cost-efficiency in drug development, support in drug formulations innovation, and enhanced functionality.
The federation represents the four existing regional IPECs namely IPEC Europe, IPEC Americas, IPEC China and IPEC Japan. Major goals of the federation will be promoting supply chain security and further development of third-party certification, harmonization of standards and also providing a source of advice and expertise for other stakeholders on excipients.
Patricia Rafidison of IPEC Europe has been named as the chair of the IPEC Federation. Janeen Skutnik of IPEC Americas chosen for the position of vice chair and Atsushi Nakamura of IPEC Japan as the Treasurer.
Mr Rafidison said: “The excipient industry has always been complex, with huge diversity among suppliers, and globalisation has added to that complexity. For that reason it is more important than ever before that the industry can speak with one unified voice.”
Skutnik said: “The IPEC Federation is an important milestone in the development of globally harmonised excipient guidances. As governments, regulators and other healthcare stakeholders increase their scrutiny of excipients, the Federation provides an opportunity to increase global awareness and understanding of excipients, and provides solutions to address the complexity of the global supply chain.”