Therapeutic Modalities

complexities that lie within health and disease

• health is not a definable state (environments differ)

• deviation from normality does not define a disease

• intervention is not restricted to the treatment of disease

Role of therapeutic intervention

To minimise the disvalue associated with disease.

Morbidity definition

The present symptoms that an individual currently has.

Prognosis definition

The likelihood of increased morbidity or premature death.

Healthy individual definition

Someone with no abnormal symptoms, disabilities and whose prognosis is that of an average individual of the same age

Pharmacological effect

An effect produced on a particular cell.

Efficacy

How well a therapy works on a controlled condition

Effectiveness

How well a therapy works in real-life use.

Benefit in drug therapy

Effectiveness expressed in monetary terms.

categories of chemical therapeutic agents

• conventional small molecule drug

• peptide/protein

• antibodies

• enzymes

• vaccines

• DNA products

properties of an ideal drug

• produce the desired affect

• easy to administer

• minimal dose and frequency

• minimal side effects

• timely elimination

• easily sourced

• inexpensive manufacture

• stable

advantages of conventional drug therapy

• patient acceptability

• widespread application

• oral delivery

• industry choice

disadvantages of conventional drug therapy

• diminishing pipeline

• side effects

health definition

a dynamic state of wellbeing characterised by physical, mental and social potential which satisfies the demand of life commensurate with age, culture and personal responsibility

Mono-clone

1 antibody

Poly-clone

multiple antibodies

What are the three key factors of disease?

- disvalue (naturalistic view)
- deviation from normality (normative view)
- aetiology (cause)

What other than treatment intervenes with disease?

- contraception
- hair loss
- sexual potency

Toxicity

the degree to which a substance can damage an organism

Vulnerable groups

susceptible to enzymatic degradation and greatly influence metabolism

Pharmacophore

part of the molecule that interacts with the target protein or receptor

Carrier group

control ionisation and lipophilicity of the molecule and consequently influence druglikeness