INTRODUCTION TO PHARMA -EARL

pharmakon

“drug, poison”

“logia”

“study of”, “knowledge of”

Pharmacology

The study of substances that interact with living systems through chemical processes.

• The study of drugs or medication action

Paracelsus

father of toxicology

Pharmacotherapeutics

The science of substances used to prevent, diagnose, and treat disease.

Toxicology

The branch of pharmacology that deals with the undesirable effects of chemicals on living systems, from individual cells to humans to complex ecosystems.

Drugs

refer to pharmaceutical products that pertain to chemical compounds or biological substances, other than food, intended for use in the treatment, prevention, or diagnosis of disease in humans or animals.

Generic Name

• Assigned to a drug usually based on the chemical name

• Also known as Non-proprietary name

Official Name

Drug name that appears on the official reference

Pharmacopeias

All drugs in the world are listed down in ____

USP-NF

monographs contain specifications that helps ensure the strength, quality, and purity of named items.

Trade Name

The name which pharmaceutical company adapt to their particular drug product.

Counterfeit Drugs

drugs made by anybody who is not part of the company; a copycat

Unibranded generics

named after the corporation, they bear only the name of their corporation or company

Forte

drowsy; usually added to the name if a drug is improved or something is added to it

Tablet

takes time to dissolve in the body

Capsule

absorbed much faster compared to tablet

Chemical Name

• The exact molecular formula of the drug

•Usually, a very long name and difficult to pronounce.

Active Ingredient

the one that produces the effect

Price

Brand name is more expensive than Generic name; Marketing, Research, Copyright, Freebies

Chemical Group

• Drugs that are classified based on the chemical structure.

• What structure is common or similar in the different drugs

• If they have the same functional groups, the activity would be almost similar.

Mechanism of Action

Drug classes that share a common molecular mechanism of action by modulating the activity of a specific biological target.

Receptors

these activities include agonist (activates the cell), antagonist (opposes the effect), inverse agonist, or modulator

Enzyme Inducer

if an enzyme in the body is activated by a drug

Enzymes

• target mechanisms include activator or inhibitor.

• act as catalysts; they speed up chemical reactions in the body

Calcium

is a drug that when it enters the blood vessels, it will lead to vasoconstriction.

Calcium Channel Blocker

blocks the calcium so that it won’t enter thus causing vasodilation.

Mode of Action

Drug classes that are categorized by the anatomical or functional change the drugs induced.

Therapeutic Effect

Drug classes that are categorized by the pathology the drugs treat.

Over-the-counter drugs

• no purchasing restrictions by the FDA.

• These drugs can be bought without prescription.

• Can be seen in groceries or drug stores; such as paracetamol

Prescription Drugs

• Also known and Legend Drugs

• Determined unsafe for OTC purchase due to possible adverse effects if taken without physician’s advice.

• FDA has deemed it necessary for the patient to seek a physician first before purchasing this prescription.

Controlled Substances

Drug controlled by a special prescription requirement because of the danger of addiction or abuse.

Prescription Drugs

Products that bear the Rx symbol in their packaging requires prescription

Over-the-counter drugs

Products with no Rx on the packaging, can be dispensed w/o prescription

Controlled Substances

• Have a distinct symbol on its label.

• It requires a special prescription from a physician with valid S-2 license issued by PDEA.

Indications

• Contains the list of medical conditions or disease for which the drug is meant to be used.

• What the drug is used for.

• “This drug is indicated for…”

Actions

• Contains the description of cellular changes occurs as a result of the drug.

• What change the drug produces in the body to treat the condition.

Contraindications

• Contains the list of conditions for which the drug should not be used.

Cautions

• Contains the list of conditions or patient types that demands closer observation for specific side effects when given the drug.

Side Effects

• Contains the list of unintended, unpleasant, or dangerous secondary effects other than the desired effect of the drug.

• Example: Benadryl can cause drowsiness.

Interactions

• Contains the list of other drug or specific food that may alter the effect of the drug, generally should not be given during the course of therapy.

• You will know what not to take together with the drug.

Pharmacokinetics

• The study of the time course of drug absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion.

• It answers the question: “what does the body do to the drugs?”

• Describes the movement of drugs through the body

Pharmacodynamics

• refers to the relationship between drug concentration at the site of action and the resulting effect, including the time course and intensity of therapeutic and adverse effects.

• It answers the question: “what does the drug do to the body?”

• Describes the body’s biological response to drugs.

Plants

Considered as the primary source of drugs, where active ingredients are extracted from bark, leaves, resin, roots, fruits and flowers of a plant.

Animal

Lacking substances in the human body can be replaced with similar substances found in glands, organs and tissues of this

Mineral

Substances that are found in earth and soil.

Synthetic

Drugs that are manufactured in laboratories using advance human skills and understanding of chemistry.

Local Effect

• Drug effect that is limited to the area of the body where it is applied or administered.

Systemic Effect

• Drug effect that reaches widespread areas of the body.

100 and 1000 g/mol

Average molecular weight of drugs

Covalent Bond

this bond is very strong and, in many cases, not reversible under biologic conditions.

Electrostatic Bond

this bond is much more common bonding in drug-receptor interactions.

Hydrophobic Bond

this bond is usually quite weak and are probably important in the interactions of highly lipidsoluble drugs with the lipids of cell membranes and perhaps in the interaction of drugs with the internal walls of receptor “pockets.”