The English name of a raw material drug is API (Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients), which refers to the active ingredients of a drug and are the fundamental substances that constitute its pharmacological effects. Raw materials cannot be directly used by patients and must be further processed into formulations through the addition of excipients and other processes before patients can take them. Intermediates are a type of material produced in the process steps of an API that must undergo further molecular changes or refinement to become an API. The broad industry of raw materials includes APIs and intermediates.