Excipient (pharmacologically inactive substance)

What is it?

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]