New Tests For Identifying Potentially Deadly Adulterants In Pharmaceutical Ingredients

To further protect patients from adulterated medicines, the U.S. Pharmacopeial Convention (USP) has announced revised standards for four ingredients widely used in prescription and over-the-counter drugs. The standards, posted on the USP Web site, include new tests for identifying two harmful and potentially deadly contaminants in the four pharmaceutical excipients - inactive ingredients common in medicines for purposes including sweetening agents and solvents.