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Fact check: What are the common inactive ingredients in ivermectin tablets?
Executive Summary
Ivermectin tablet formulations commonly list microcrystalline cellulose, pregelatinized starch, magnesium stearate, colloidal silicon dioxide, and a disintegrant such as croscarmellose sodium among their inactive ingredients; some branded products (notably STROMECTOL) also include antioxidants and acidulants such as butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) and citric acid. The package inserts and product information summaries provided in the dataset consistently report these excipients across multiple entries, with recent entries dated February and April 2025 confirming the same core set of excipients [1] [2] [3].
1. What the documents claim — a clear roster of excipients that keeps repeating
The assembled analyses present a consistent list of inactive ingredients that appear across multiple ivermectin tablet documents: microcrystalline cellulose, pregelatinized starch (or pregelatinised maize starch), magnesium stearate, colloidal silicon dioxide, and croscarmellose sodium. Two independent package-insert style documents (one dated 2025-02-04 and one 2025-04-30) explicitly list the cellulose, starch, silicon dioxide, croscarmellose sodium and magnesium stearate combination, framing these as standard excipients used in solid oral dosage forms [1]. These ingredients serve conventional manufacturing roles—fillers/binders, disintegrants, glidants, and lubricants—so their recurrence across documents reflects standard pharmaceutical practice rather than an idiosyncratic formulation choice.
2. Brand variation that matters — STROMECTOL’s additional additives and what that implies
Several entries identify STROMECTOL (a branded ivermectin tablet) as including butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) and citric acid anhydrous in addition to the common excipients listed above [3] [4] [5]. BHA functions as an antioxidant to preserve active ingredients and some excipients, and citric acid can act as a pH adjuster or flavoring/acidulant. The presence of these additives in a branded product but not mentioned in all generic package inserts indicates minor, permissible formulation differences between manufacturers that do not alter the active drug but can affect shelf stability, taste, or suitability for people with specific sensitivities.
3. Convergence of sources and dates — recent confirmation of a standard formula
The dataset includes multiple recent entries confirming the same core excipients, notably package insert records dated 2025-02-04 and 2025-04-30, which independently list microcrystalline cellulose, pregelatinized starch, colloidal silicon dioxide, croscarmellose sodium and magnesium stearate [1]. Older regulatory product information from 2013 also aligns with these ingredients for STROMECTOL [2]. This pattern shows temporal consistency: formulations reported over a span of years remain substantially the same, with only occasional brand-specific additives (BHA, citric acid) introduced or highlighted.
4. Safety and allergy considerations the papers mention implicitly but do not expand
The assembled analyses do not provide clinical safety assessments, but listing BHA and citric acid in some formulations flags potential concerns for individuals with sensitivities or preferences: BHA is an antioxidant to which a minority of people may be sensitive, and citric acid can cause irritation in rare cases. The core excipients—microcrystalline cellulose, pregelatinized starch, croscarmellose sodium, colloidal silicon dioxide and magnesium stearate—are widely used and generally regarded as inert in most patients, yet excipient presence matters for allergy screening, vegan/vegetarian considerations, and excipient-related drug interactions, which the provided documents do not explore [1] [3].
5. Gaps, possible agendas, and practical takeaway for clinicians and patients
The documents provided focus on listing ingredients rather than explaining formulation rationale or patient implications, leaving gaps about allergenic potential, source materials (e.g., maize vs. other starch origins), or coatings that might matter to specific populations. Brand inserts emphasize product-specific additives—STROMECTOL’s inclusion of BHA and citric acid—suggesting a manufacturer agenda to document proprietary formulation differences while generics emphasize a minimal shared excipient list [3] [4] [5]. For practical use: if excipient sensitivity is a concern, check the exact product’s current prescribing information or label at dispensing; otherwise, expect the common excipients above to be present across most ivermectin tablets as confirmed by the provided sources [1].