Polymorphism in Pharmaceuticals: Understanding Crystal Form Variations

A polymorphism statement is a legal statement made by a pharmaceutical company that defines the physical characteristics of a known drug compound and its possible crystalline forms.

Polymorphism

• According to the Food and Drug Administration, polymorphism is the ability for a compound to exist in more than one crystalline form. These forms often have different physical characteristics and react differently with other substances.

Reason For Polymorphic Statement

• Polymorphic statements are made to alert pharmacists of potential interactions between drugs due to the different crystalline possibilities.

Computer Polymorphic Statements

• In computer science, a polymorphic statement is one in which the same spelling of a function is used but the programming behaviors are different. According to knowledgerush.com, this means the coding of the program changes even as the original algorithm stays the same. This is very prevalent in Trojan and worm viruses.