Intro to Pharm

Introduction to Pharmacology

AnnMarie DelliPizzi, PhD

Page 1: Introduction to Pharmacology

  • Overview of pharmacology and its significance in medicine.

Page 3: What is Pharmacology?

  • Definition: Study of substances interacting with living systems through chemical processes.

  • Drug: Any substance used for diagnosis, cure, prevention, or treatment of disease.

  • Types of Therapeutic Agents:

    • Biologics: Naturally produced agents (e.g., hormones, vaccines).

    • Complementary and Alternative Medicines: Includes herbs, vitamins, and therapies.

Page 4-5: Drug Naming Conventions

  • Chemical Name: Specific chemical structure (e.g., N-acetyl-p-aminophenol).

  • Generic Name: Common name (e.g., Acetaminophen).

  • Trade/Brand Names: Marketed name (e.g., Tylenol).

Page 6: Trade vs Generic Drugs

  • Patent Protection: Pharmaceutical companies have exclusive rights for 17 years.

  • Market Competition: After patent expiration, generics can be sold at lower prices.

  • Formulation Differences: Variations in inactive ingredients can affect bioavailability.

Page 7-8: Drug Approval Process

  • Regulatory Body: FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDEA).

  • Phases of Testing:

    • Phase 1: Safety and dosage in a small group (20-80 subjects).

    • Phase 2: Efficacy and side effects in a larger group (hundreds).

    • Phase 3: Extensive testing for effectiveness and safety (thousands).

  • NDA Submission: After successful trials, a New Drug Application is submitted for FDA review.

Page 9-10: Controlled Substances

  • Regulation: Governed by the DEA and Controlled Substances Act (CSA).

  • Schedules: Classified based on medical use and abuse potential.

    • Schedule I: No accepted medical use (e.g., heroin).

    • Schedule II: High abuse potential with accepted medical use (e.g., morphine).

    • Schedule III-V: Gradually decreasing potential for abuse.

Page 11-12: Relative Safety of Drugs

  • ED50: Effective dose for 50% of the population.

  • TD50: Toxic dose for 50% of the population.

  • Therapeutic Index (TI): TI = TD50/ED50; a higher TI indicates a safer drug.

Page 15-17: Course of Drug Action

  • Drug Journey: From administration to action site and elimination.

  • Pharmacokinetics: What the body does to the drug (absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion).

  • Pharmacodynamics: What the drug does to the body (mechanism of action).

Page 20-22: Movement of Drugs Across Membranes

  • Absorption: Movement from administration site to circulatory fluids.

  • Bioavailability: Extent of drug absorption; varies by route (IV, IM, oral).

Page 25-27: Factors Affecting Absorption

  • Surface Area: Larger areas enhance absorption.

  • pH Levels: Affects ionization and absorption of weak acids and bases.

Page 30-32: Routes of Administration

  • Oral/Enteral: Most common but not the fastest.

  • Parenteral: Injection methods (subcutaneous, intramuscular, intravenous).

  • Topical: Local effects through skin or mucous membranes.

Page 34-36: Distribution of Drugs

  • Transport Mechanism: From bloodstream to tissues.

  • Factors Influencing Distribution:

    • Lipid solubility.

    • Blood flow and cardiac output.

    • Plasma protein binding (e.g., warfarin).

Page 39-40: Elimination of Drugs

  • Biotransformation: Chemical alteration of drugs, primarily in the liver.

  • Excretion: Removal of drugs from the body, mainly through kidneys.

Page 44-46: First Pass Metabolism

  • Definition: Oral drugs metabolized before reaching systemic circulation.

  • Impact: Can significantly reduce the amount of active drug available.

Page 48-49: Special Considerations in Geriatrics and Pediatrics

  • Geriatrics: Changes in absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion due to aging.

  • Pediatrics: Variations in drug handling due to developmental differences.

Page 50-53: Designing a Dosage Regimen

  • Therapeutic Index: Important for determining safe dosage ranges.

  • Key Terms:

    • Half-life: Time to reduce drug concentration by half.

    • Loading Dose: Initial higher dose for rapid therapeutic effect.

    • Maintenance Dose: Sustains drug levels within therapeutic range.

Page 56-58: Pharmacodynamics

  • Mechanism of Action: How drugs interact with target sites (e.g., receptors, enzymes).

  • Terminology:

    • Agonists: Activate receptors.

    • Antagonists: Block receptor activity.

    • Potency and Efficacy: Measure of drug effectiveness.

Page 61-62: Chirality in Drugs

  • Chirality: Many drugs exist in two forms; one may be more effective than the other (e.g., dextromethorphan vs. levorphanol).

This note summarizes the key concepts and details from the provided transcript on pharmacology, covering definitions, drug classifications, approval processes, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and special consi