Thermal Analysis In Pharmaceutical Research, Development, And Quality Control

By Monika Schennen, Julienne Regele, Calliste Scholl, and Morgan Ulrich

The pharmaceutical industry, a central pillar of modern society, shoulders the responsibility of billions of lives worldwide. The industry's global revenue was approximately $1.5 trillion in 2022, marking a remarkable two decades of growth.

The progress of pharmaceutical development relies on the ongoing search for novel active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), such as analogs, phytopharmaceuticals, and biopharmaceuticals, which hold promise for yielding life-changing drugs. This endeavor coincides with a growing emphasis on innovating new dosage forms and drug combinations, enhancing manufacturing processes, and investigating fresh applications for existing drugs.

To meet the pharmaceutical industry's needs for drug research, development, and analysis, thermal analysis techniques for fast and effective characterization and quality control are required. Although thermal analysis encompasses numerous methods, this article focuses on three key examples. Continue reading to learn about differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis, and sorption analysis.