Volume 26 continues the trend of shorter, more frequent volumes. With Volume 25, the series gained a new co-editor, Urs Meyer. While retaining the commitment to publish chapters on therapeutic or chemical classes and on general topics or concepts, the series' coverage has expanded to include methodological chapters, and new areas of recognized or potential significance to drug research, especially in molecular pharmacology.
Although the official compendia define a drug substance as to identity, purity, strength, and quality, they normally do not provide other physical or chemical data, nor do they list methods of synthesis or pathways of physical or biological degradation and metabolism. Such information is scattered throughout the scientific literature and the files of pharmaceutical laboratories. Analytical Profiles of Drug Substances brings this information together into one source.