Smita Salunke
Roles:
Author, Reviewer
Affiliation:
Pharmaceutics, UCL School of Pharmacy
Country:
United Kingdom
Biography
Dr Smita Salunke has a formulation science background with extensive experience both from industry and academia. Her experience as a researcher goes back more than a decade with extensive knowledge in pharmaceutical product development, project management, product and services management. Her impact based research has addressed the issue on availability of the information on safety and toxicity of excipients; one of the important aspect in justifying the use of excipients in paediatric medicines. Her significant contribution to the field of pharmaceutical excipients and scientific community is the creation of the STEP (Safety and Toxicity of Excipients for Paediatrics) database, evident through the users around the world (more than 3000; 44 countries; 6 continents).This work is an unique contribution to the health care domain where the usability of safety and toxicity information of excipients are paramount to scientists, regulators, clinicians, pharmacists and health care practitioners and other health care professionals in the treatment of a paediatric patient. She continues to work to expand the database with additional excipients, which will help developing countries in selection of excipients and facilitate paediatric drug development. Her current research is focused on biopharmaceutics of excipients in paediatric formulations motivated by a deep desire to address the issues and questions encountered by the industry, hospitals and government on acceptability of excipients in paediatric formulations. She is also applying her gained research experience in co-creating wise solutions to global challenges and problems associated with formulating medicines for children that are more acceptable to developing countries. Since 2009, she is facilitating and providing strategic direction to the international paediatric formulation consortium (European Paediatric Formulation Initiative (EuPFI) with members from industry, academics, hospitals and regulatory agency) towards improving multidisciplinary research in paediatric formulations.