Corn Starch
Excipient (pharmacologically inactive substance)
What is Corn Starch?
Corn starch is a natural starch product that is derived from the corn kernel. It is a white to slightly yellowish fine powder commonly used in the food and pharmaceutical manufacturing industries.
In the pharmaceutical industry it is used as a disintegrant and binder. Disintegrants enable tablets and capsules to break down into smaller fragments (dissolve) so that the drug can be released for absorption.[1]
Corn starch is on the generally recognized as safe food substances list published by by the FDA.[2]
[1] Dave RH. Overview of pharmaceutical excipients used in tablets and capsules. Drug Topics (online). Advanstar. 10/24/2008; http://drugtopics.modernmedicine.com/drugtopics/Top+News/Overview-of-pharmaceutical-excipients-used-intabl/ArticleStandard/Article/detail/561047. Accessed 08/19/2011.
[2] FDA’s SCOGS database; corn starch, Report No. 977050-51-3, 1979.; ID Code: 96; http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/fcn/fcnDetailNavigation.cfm?rpt=scogsListing&id=96. Accessed August 12, 2011
Top Medications Containing Corn Starch
- Acetaminophen and Hydrocodone Bitartrate 500 mg / 5 mg (Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals)
- Acetaminophen and Hydrocodone Bitartrate 500 mg / 10 mg (Vintage Pharmaceuticals Inc.)
- Acetaminophen and Oxycodone Hydrochloride 325 mg / 5 mg (Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals)
- Alprazolam 1 mg (Actavis)
- Alprazolam 0.5 mg (Actavis)
- Buprenorphine Hydrochloride (Sublingual) 8 mg (Roxane Laboratories, Inc.)
- Clonazepam 1 mg (Actavis)
- Clonazepam 1 mg (Mylan Pharmaceuticals Inc.)
- Clonazepam 0.5 mg (Mylan Pharmaceuticals Inc.)
- Endocet 325 mg / 10 mg (Endo Pharmaceuticals Inc.)
- Gabapentin 600 mg (Glenmark Generics Inc.)
- Naproxen 500 mg (Teva Pharmaceuticals USA)
- Oxycodone Hydrochloride 30 mg (Actavis)
- Oxycodone Hydrochloride 30 mg (Actavis)
- Oxycodone Hydrochloride 15 mg (Actavis)
- Oxycodone Hydrochloride 15 mg (Actavis)
- Oxycodone Hydrochloride 30 mg (Mylan Pharmaceuticals Inc.)
- Suboxone 8 mg / 2 mg (Reckitt Benckiser Pharmaceuticals, Inc.)
- Tramadol Hydrochloride 50 mg (Teva Pharmaceuticals USA)
- Xanax 2 mg (Pfizer U.S. Pharmaceuticals Group)
