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The use of natural products has been a practice carried out by people throughout history to take care of their health and to alleviate a wide variety of ailments. The reasons for the use of natural medicine at this time, with so many advances in pharmacology, are varied, among which are the dissatisfaction of the immediate needs of people to feel better about themselves and the economic factor. It must be considered that not everything natural is good. Therefore, the products manufactured and distributed under the line of Natural Medicinal Products must go through a verification and certification process, ensuring that they contain sufficient information on their composition and effects to avoid the risks that they may bring to those who consume them. This research describes good practices in the manufacture of natural products and shows the establishment of a Quality Management System in the pharmaceutical industry in different countries of the world. Finally, the use of natural products in Costa Rica is detailed, certain aspects to establish a Quality Management System in the country, as well as its importance. UCR::Vicerrectoría de Investigación::Unidades de Investigación::Ciencias de la Salud::Instituto de Investigaciones Farmacéuticas (INIFAR) UCR::Vicerrectoría de Docencia::Salud::Facultad de Farmacia

Radiopharmaceuticals are a group of medicines known for their radioactive agents, known as radioisotopes. They are employed in various areas, primarily clinics for the diseases' diagnosis or treatment. Their structure comprises a radionuclide (regulates the physical characteristics) and a drug (determines the biological behavior). The following review describes the general and innovative applications of radiopharmaceuticals, the manufacturing process, and the regulation they must have to be administered safely. This work showed various functions of radiopharmaceuticals in the pharmaceutical industry for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes (99m Tc, 131 I, 67 Ga, 153 Sm, 201 Tl, 81m Kr, 223 Ra, 18 F, 90 Y, 186 Re, and 169 Er) and the innovation being developed to treat pathologies more efficiently and safely. The rigor required for the manufacturing as well as the quality control during their preparation, dispensation, and use was also appreciated. Concerning Costa Rica, their utilization continues to grow, so it is essential to maintain strict security protocols. UCR::Vicerrectoría de Investigación::Unidades de Investigación::Ciencias de la Salud::Instituto de Investigaciones Farmacéuticas (INIFAR)

The quality management systems are tools that can be implemented in different types of industry with the purpose of achieving improved quality standards on the products or services they develop, mainly looking to satisfy the customer and position themselves in the market with an advantage over the products offered. Within the pharmaceutical industry there are numerous regulations and laws that regulate and supervise the production of these products worldwide, ensuring that the industries dedicated to this area have certain regulations and meet minimum quality objectives, because they are products that have a high impact on human life and their improper use can mean major problems for it. This is why, over the years, organizations have been formed. It corresponds to a bibliographic review of international regulations on the manufacture of cosmetic products. Multiple sources are reviewed, from the original standards that contain the minimum requirements for a company that manufactures this type of product, to reviews by auditing and consulting organizations, as well as research on the same subject. It is important to note that basically all regulations, rules and standards specify the same requirements to meet the needs of the customer, and at the same time, meet the safety and quality of a product that will circulate both in domestic and international markets. In this sense, it is clear that the most widely used standard worldwide is ISO 22716:2007, which is widely disseminated across all continents, and is used as the basis for many of the national regulations implemented in countries. The changes made by local regulations are minimal to the content of the standard, adding some clauses to it, but leaving its basic structure intact. UCR::Vicerrectoría de Investigación::Unidades de Investigación::Ciencias de la Salud::Instituto de Investigaciones Farmacéuticas (INIFAR)

The cuayote (Gonolobus taylorianus) is a very unknown, endemic plant from the Central America zone. In Costa Rica, two species of the genus Apocynaceae, Gonolobus edulis and Gonolobus taylorianus are known by the popular name of cuayote. The fruit of both species is traditionally used for food purposes. A medicinal use of the plant and the fruit have also been reported for the treatment of warts and prostate. The fruit characterization revealed, through a phytochemical screening, the presence of important compounds such as flavonoids, steroids, triterpenes, carbohydrates and cardiotonic glycosides UCR::Vicerrectoría de Investigación::Unidades de Investigación::Ciencias de la Salud::Instituto de Investigaciones Farmacéuticas (INIFAR)