In a broad sense, the pharmacology deals with the study of drugs and their interactions with living systems. This study includes sources, chemical properties, dose, biological effects, therapeutic uses, and adverse effects of drugs. i.e. Pharmacology is the study of how drugs act on biological systems and how the body responds to the drug. It comprises all aspects of knowledge about drugs, but most importantly those that are relevant to effective and safe use for medicinal purposes. Pharmacology integrates the knowledge of many disciplines, including medicine, pharmacy, dentistry, nursing, and veterinary medicine. This integrative nature allows pharmacology to make unique and significant contributions to human health. Pharmacology is crucial for:  discovering new medicines to help fight diseases  improving the effectiveness of medicines  reducing unwanted side effects of medicines  understanding why individuals differ in the way they respond to certain drugs, and why some others cause addiction

1. INTRODUCTION TO PHARMACOLOGY
Prof. Amol B. Deore
Department of Pharmacology
MVP’s Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Nashik

2. Pharmacology
• Greek words
Pharmacon which
means ‘a drug’ and
logos means ‘study’
• the science of drugs
• study of drugs and
their interactions
with living systems

3. Pharmacology deals with study of sources,
chemical properties, dose, biological effects,
therapeutic uses and adverse effects of drugs.
Pharmacology is the study of how drugs act on
biological systems and how the body responds
to the drug.

4. Scope of Pharmacology
1. Integrates the knowledge of many disciplines, including
medicine, pharmacy, dentistry, nursing, and veterinary
medicine.
2. This integrative nature allows pharmacology to make
unique and significant contributions to human health.

5. Pharmacology is crucial for:
• discovering new medicines to help fight diseases
• improving the effectiveness of medicines
• reducing unwanted side effects of medicines
• understanding why individuals differ in the way they respond
to certain drugs, and why some others cause addiction

6. What is the Drug?
• Drug comes from a French word ‘Drogue’ meaning a dry herb.
• WHO definition- “A drug is any substance or product that is used or
intended to be used to modify or explore physiological systems or
pathological states for the benefit of the recipient.”
• Drugs may be used for prevention, diagnosis and treatment.

7. Pharmacy
Pharmacy is the science of
identification, compounding
and dispensing of drugs.
It also includes collection,
isolation, purification,
synthesis and standardisation
of medicinal substances.

8. Branches of Pharmacology

9. Pharmacokinetics
• Pharmacokinetics is the
study of absorption,
distribution, metabolism and
excretion of drugs
• their relationship with the
onset, duration and intensity
of the drug effect.

10. Pharmacodynamics
•Pharmacodynamics is the
study of the biochemical and
physiological effects of drugs
and their mechanisms of
action.

11. Therapeutics
• The therapeutics is the use of
drugs in the prevention and
treatment of disease.
• It is the application of
pharmacological information
together with the knowledge of
disease, for the prevention and
cure of the disease.

12. Chemotherapy
• Chemotherapy involves use of chemicals
for the treatment of infections.
• The term now also includes the use of
chemical compounds to treat
malignancies.
• It refers to the treatment of diseases by
chemicals that kill the cells, especially
those of microorganisms and neoplastic
cells.
• For example antibiotics like penicillin,
anticancer like methotrexate.

13. Toxicology
• Toxicology (Greek word Toxicon
means ‘poison’) is the study of
adverse effects of drugs on the
body.
• It deals with the symptoms,
mechanisms, treatment and
detection of poisoning caused
by different chemical
substances.

14. Clinical Pharmacology
• Clinical pharmacology is the
scientific study of drugs in
human.
• It includes pharmacokinetic and
pharmacodynamic
investigations in healthy or
diseased individuals.

15. Pharmacoeconomics
• Pharmacoeconomics deals with
the cost of drugs.
• In this discipline the cost of one
drug is compared with another
for same use.
• i.e. economic aspects of drugs
used therapeutically.

16. Pharmacogenetics
• Pharmacogenetics deals with
the genetic variations that
cause difference in drug
response among individuals
or population.

17. Pharamcogenomics
• a branch of pharmacogenetics which deals with the use of genetic
information while selecting drugs for a person.

18. Pharmacoepidemiology
•the study of both the
therapeutic and adverse
effects of drugs on a large
population. The effects may
be good or harmful.

19. Pharmacovigilance
•Pharmacovigilance is a branch
of pharmacoepidemiology
which deals with the
epidemiologic study of
adverse drug effects.

20. Animal Pharmacology

21. Animal Pharmacology
• Animal pharmacology deals with study of different
properties of drugs in animals.
• A vast variety of animals are utilized including rabbits, mice
guinea pigs, etc.
• Drugs are given to the animals and all parameters (their
behaviour, activities, vital signs, etc.) are recorded.
• Any change is noted down. If found to be useful in animals,
then the drug is tested on humans (clinical trials).

22. Pharmacopoeia
• Pharmacopoeia is the official publication containing a list of
drugs and medicinal preparations approved for use, their
formulae and other information needed to prepare a drug;
their physical properties, tests for their identity, purity and
potency.
• Each country may follow its own pharmacopoeia to guide its
physicians and pharmacists.

23. • We thus have the Indian Pharmacopoeia (IP), the British
Pharmacopoeia (BP) and the United States Pharmacopoeia (USP).
• The list is revised at regular periods to delete obsolete drugs and to
include newly introduced ones.

24. Assignment
1. Define Pharmacology.
2. Define Toxicology.
3. Define with examples- Chemotherapy.
4. Define Pharmacokinetics.
5. Define Pharmacodynamics.

25. Thanking You