Laboratory analysis of pharmaceutical powder

According to the European Pharmacopeia, a pharmaceutical powder is defined as “as a dry, solid substance, composed of finely divided drugs with or without excipients and intended for internal or external use. It is a solid substance in finely divided state typically obtained by crushing, grinding, or comminuting”.

Powdered medications can be found in various forms : pills, effervescent powders, inhalable products, powders intended for injectable solutions… Powdered medications are mainly administered orally, nasally or by inhalation.

The quality requirements of powdered medications can need to be analyzed both during the process of putting a medication to market and at any point during a product’s lifecycle. Assurance of the high quality of powders leads pharmaceutical industrialists to carry out numerous quality control tests in accordance with well-defined references such as pharmacopeias.