Pharmacology is the study of drugs and their interactions with living systems. It covers the absorption, distribution, metabolism, and elimination of drugs in the body, the effects of drugs on the body including the mechanism of action, indications, and side effects, and the clinical uses of drugs and drug selection for medical problems. New drugs must be approved by regulatory authorities like the FDA through testing and clinical trials before being used therapeutically.
Lecture 1. introduction to pharmacology (lecture notes text)
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PHARMACOLOGY is the study of drugs and their interactions with the
living systems.
A DRUG is any substance other than food or water which exerts a biochemical
or physiological effect on the cell, tissue, organ, or organism. It is given to prevent,
diagnose, or treat a disease. Each drug has three names:
Chemical name: Acetyl salicylic acid
Pharmacological name: Aspirin
Trade name: Rivo
Drugs are listed and categorized in an official publication called
Pharmacopeia
This contains names of drugs and their structure, degree of purity, dosage,
effects, mechanism of action, methods of administration, and adverse
reactions…. etc. An example of pharmacopeia is: U.S.P. in USA and B.P. in UK.
Before validating a drug for therapeutic use, it must be approved by a ruling
authority of a government. Such Drug Approval: requires its testing along
sequential phases, starting by experimental animal studies for efficacy versus
toxicity. Then its clinical trials proceeding first on healthy volunteers, then in
diseased states, before it can be admitted for approval. Examples of approval
bodies is the American Food and Drug administration (FDA) or the European
Medicines Agency (EMA)…. etc.
ASPECTS COVERED BY PHARMACOLOGY
I. Pharmacokinetics: The study of the body effect on the drug, its
absorption, distribution, metabolism, and elimination.
II. Pharmacodynamics: The study of the effect of a drug on the body, its
mechanism of action, indications, unwanted effects, and contraindications.
III. Pharmaco-therapeutics: The study of the clinical uses of the drug and
drug selection in different medical problems.
SCOPE OF PHARMACOLOGY
