Cardiff School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Museum Avenue, Cardiff, CF10 3AX, UK.
Lung. 2020 Oct;198(5):727-734. doi: 10.1007/s00408-020-00390-x. Epub 2020 Sep 5.
Most medicines are white bitter powders that are formulated as tablets and capsules but cough medicines are an exception where the taste and appearance of the medicine are more important to the patient than the pharmacology of the active ingredient. Excipients are generally defined as any ingredient in a medicine other than the active ingredient. In most medicines excipients play a supportive role in delivering the medicine, but in the case of cough medicines, excipients have more important and complex roles and they can also be the main active ingredient of the cough medicine as menthol, glycerol, and sugars, which are declared as active ingredients. This review searched the United Kingdom electronic medicines compendium (emc) and found over 100 excipients in 60 different liquid formulations of over the counter cough medicines. The excipients were divided into functional groups: sweeteners, thickeners, flavors, colors, antimicrobials, and buffers, and the incidence and function of the different excipients is discussed. When considering the efficacy of a cough medicine, clinicians and pharmacists tend to think of the pharmacology of antitussives such as dextromethorphan or expectorants such as guaifenesin, and they rarely consider the role of excipients in the efficacy of the medicine. This review discusses the functions and importance of excipients in cough medicines and provides some new information for clinicians, pharmacists, and all interested in the treatment of cough when considering the composition and efficacy of a cough medicine.
大多数药物都是白色苦味粉末，制成片剂和胶囊剂，但止咳药是个例外，药物的味道和外观对患者比活性成分的药理学更重要。赋形剂通常被定义为药物中除活性成分以外的任何成分。在大多数药物中，赋形剂在传递药物方面起着支持作用，但在止咳药的情况下，赋形剂具有更重要和复杂的作用，它们也可以是止咳药的主要活性成分，如薄荷醇、甘油和糖，这些都被宣布为活性成分。本综述在英国电子药物手册（emc）中进行了检索，发现超过 100 种赋形剂存在于 60 种不同的非处方止咳药的液体配方中。赋形剂被分为功能组：甜味剂、增稠剂、香料、颜色、抗菌剂和缓冲剂，并讨论了不同赋形剂的发生率和功能。当考虑止咳药的疗效时，临床医生和药剂师往往会想到右美沙芬等镇咳药的药理学或愈创甘油醚等祛痰药的药理学，而很少考虑赋形剂在药物疗效中的作用。本综述讨论了赋形剂在止咳药中的作用和重要性，并为临床医生、药剂师以及所有对治疗咳嗽感兴趣的人在考虑咳嗽药的成分和疗效时提供了一些关于赋形剂的新信息。
