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Lecture #1: INTRODUCTION: Drug

The document provides an introduction to pharmacology, defining key terms like drugs, receptors, dosage, and branches of pharmacology. It discusses different drug sources including plants, animals, microbes, and synthetic sources. Different drug naming systems are explained, including chemical names, generic names, and trade names, with an example of acetaminophen/Panadol.

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Hafsa Shakil
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94 views4 pages

Lecture #1: INTRODUCTION: Drug

The document provides an introduction to pharmacology, defining key terms like drugs, receptors, dosage, and branches of pharmacology. It discusses different drug sources including plants, animals, microbes, and synthetic sources. Different drug naming systems are explained, including chemical names, generic names, and trade names, with an example of acetaminophen/Panadol.

Uploaded by

Hafsa Shakil
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Lecture #1: INTRODUCTION

Drug:
The word drug comes from a French word ‘Drogue’ meaning a dry herb. Any substance that, when taken
into a living organism, may modify one or more of its functions. A drug includes any substance that
alters physiologic function in the organism, regardless of whether the effect is beneficial or harmful.

1. Agonist: An agent that can bind to a receptor and elicit a biologic response.
2. Antagonist: Bind to a receptor with high affinity but possess zero intrinsic activity.
Drug Receptor:
The molecular components of the body present at the target site with which drugs interact to bring
about their effects.

Drug Response:
The pharmacodynamic (PD) response to the drug, which is all the effects of the drug on any physiologic
and pathologic process, in relation to effectiveness and adverse reactions.

Dose:
Dose is the specified amount of medication taken at one time.

Dosage:
The dosage is the prescribed administration of a specific amount, number, and frequency of doses over
a specific period of time.
Pharmacy:
Deals with the preparation and dispensing of medications.

Pharmacology:
Pharmacology (Gr. pharmakon - a drug or poison, logos - word or discourse) is the science dealing
with actions of drugs on the body (pharmacodynamics) and the fate of drugs in the body
(pharmacokinetics).
Branches of pharmacology:
Pharmacotherapeutics:

The area of pharmacology that refers to the application of pharmacological information together with
the knowledge of disease for the use of specific drugs to prevent, treat, or diagnose a disease.
Pharmacokinetics:
The study of how the body deals with the drug in terms of the way it is absorbed, distributed, and
eliminated.
Biodisposition is a term sometimes used to describe the processes of metabolism and excretion.
Pharmacodynamics:
The analysis of what the drug does to the body, including the mechanism by which the drug exerts its
effect.
Toxicology:
The study of the harmful/undesirable effects of chemicals/drugs on biological processes.

Chemotherapy:
Study of the treatment of diseases by chemicals that kill the cells, especially those of micro-organisms
and neoplastic cells.
Pharmacoeconomics:
Pharmacoeconomics deals with the cost of drugs. In this discipline the cost of one drug is compared with
another for same use. The cheap drugs are preferred.
Pharmacogenomics:
Pharmacogenomics is the broader application of genomic technologies to new drug discovery and
further characterization of older drugs. Recombinant DNA technology involves the artificial joining of
DNA of one specie to another.
Pharmacoepidemiology:
Pharmacoepidemiology deals with the effects of drugs on a large population. The effects may be good or
harmful.
Drug Sources:
Plant Sources:
Oldest source.
1. Leaves
2. Flowers
3. Fruits
4. Seeds
5. Barks
6. Stems
7. Roots
Animal Sources:
Microbial Sources:
Mineral Sources:
1. Metallic sources
2. Non-Metallic sources
Synthetic/Semi-Synthetic Sources:

Drug Nomenclature (PANADOL):

Chemical Name:
Specific compound’s structure
 N-Acetyl-p-aminophenol
Generic Name (official name/non-proprietary name):
Shorter and derived from the chemical name.
 Acetaminophen
Trade Name (brand name):
Is assigned to the compound by the pharmaceutical company and may or may not bear any reference at
all to the chemical and generic terminology.
 Tylenol, Panadol
Bioequivalence:
Substitution of a generic drug can help reduce health care costs.
Conditions:
1. As safe and effective as the original brand-name product, provided that the generic formsatisfies
certain criteria.
2. Same type and amount of the active ingredient(s)
3. Same administration route
4. Same pharmacokinetic profile (ADME)
5. Same therapeutic effects as the brand-name drug
OTC vs Prescription Medication:
Assignment #1:
Q#1: Examples of sources.
Q#2: 1 example to explain drug nomenclature (no structure).
Q#3: Example of bioequivalent drugs. Explain your choice.
REFERENCES:
1. Pharmacology on rehabilitation- Charles D. Ciccone
2. Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology- Carl Rosow

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