Benefits and Limitations of Polymorphic and Amorphous Forms of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients

Active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) can exist in different polymorphic forms as well as in amorphous state. Polymorphic and amorphous forms of APIs can differ in physicochemical properties which in turn can significantly influence their therapeutic safety and effectiveness of the treatment. This review focuses on benefits and limitations of polymorphic and amorphous forms of APIs used in preformulation and formulation studies. Authors present their work on safety precautions for the use of polymorphic and amorphous forms of APIs, analytical techniques used for their identification as well as methods of their preparation especially in regard to limitations of labile APIs.