This document provides an introduction to pharmacology presented by Dr. Pravin Prasad to BNS 1st year students. It defines clinical pharmacology and pharmacology, discusses major areas of pharmacology including medical pharmacology and toxicology. It also covers key terminology used in pharmacology like pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and pharmacotherapeutics. Additionally, it discusses different drug nomenclature systems including chemical names, non-proprietary names, proprietary names, and code names. The document aims to familiarize students with basic concepts and terminology in pharmacology.

1. Pharmacology: An
Introduction
Dr. Pravin Prasad
MBBS, MD Clinical Pharmacology
Assistant Professor, Department of Clinical Pharmacology
Maharajgunj Medical Campus, Maharajgunj, Kathmandu
12 December 2021 (26 Mangsir 2078), Sunday

2. By the end of this session, BNS 1st year
students will be able to:
Define Clinical Pharmacology
Explain the terminologies and abbreviations used in
Pharmacology
List and compare the different drug nomenclature
commonly used

3. Before being organised….

4. Goats after consuming coffee berries

5. Ancient Poisons….

6. Use of herbs in Ancient times…

7. Before being organised..
Gambolling and frisking of coffee berries (caffeine)
consumed goats through the night
Poisoners using mushroom or deadly nightshade plant
(containing belladonna alkaloids atropine and
scopolamine)
Used by ladies to dilate their pupils as eyedrops
(belladonna compounds) “beautiful ladies”

8. Before being organised..
Chinese herb ma huang (ephedrine) as circulatory
stimulant
Poisoned arrows (curare) by South American Indians
for hunting
Poppy juice (opium) for pain relief and control of
dysentries and recreational purposes

9. Then…
Drug invention/discovery became more allied with
synthetic organic chemistry.
Paul Ehrlich postulation about dyes
►Invention of arsphenamine in 1907; patented as
“salvarsan”
Gerhard Domagk
►Prontosil
“ERA OF ANTIMICROBIAL THERAPY”

10. Introduction: Defining pharmacology
Pharmacology is a science of drugs.
►Pharmacon – drug
►logos – discourse in
The subject of pharmacology is a broad
►Source, physical and chemical properties, compounding
►Physiological actions, absorption, fate and excretion, and
►Therapeutic uses

11. Introduction: Defining pharmacology
Pharmacology is a science of drugs.
►Pharmacon – drug
►logos – discourse in
Can be defined as:
►The study of substances that interact with living systems
through chemical processes, especially by binding to
regulatory molecules and activating or inhibiting normal
body processes

12. Pharmacology to Clinical Pharmacology
and Beyond: Changing Concepts
Period of
bizzare notions
(before 17th
century)
Reliance on
experimentatio
n and
observation;
Development
of materia
medica
(17th century)
Development
in
Experimental
Pharmacology
(late 18th and
early 19th
century)
Development
in Clinical
Pharmacology ;
i.e. controlled
clinical trials,
rational
therapeutics
(late 19th
century)
Pharmacogeno
mics (near
future)

13. Pharmacology to Clinical
Pharmacology: Changing Concepts
Clinical Pharmacology is the scientific study of drugs
(both old and new) in man.
►Pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic
investigations
►Healthy volunteers and patients

14. Pharmacology: Major Areas
• Medical Pharmacology
• The science of substances used to prevent,
diagnose and treat disease
• Toxicology
• Deals with the undesirable effects of
chemicals on living systems, from individual
cells to humans to complex ecosystems

15. Terminologies
Pharmacokinetics
―Refers to the movement of the drug in and alteration of
the drug by body
―Includes absorption, distribution,
binding/localization/storage, biotransformation and
excretion of the drug
Pharmacodynamics
―Physiological and biochemical effects of drugs, and
―Their mechanism of action at various levels
Pharmacotherapeutics
―Application of pharmacological information together
with knowledge of disease for its prevention, mitigation
or cure

16. Terminologies
Drug
―French: Drougue-a dry herb
―Drug is any substance or product that is used or is
intended to be used to modify or explore
physiological systems or pathological states for the
benefit of the recipient
Chemotherapy
―Treatment of systemic infection/malignancy with
specific drugs that have selective toxicity for the
infective organism/malignant cell with no/minimal
effects on the host cells

17. Terminologies
Pharmacy
―It is the art and science of compounding and
dispensing drugs or preparing suitable dosage forms
for administration of drugs to man or animals
Abbreviations ??

18. Time to Brainstorm!!!
A 32 year male patient came to ENT OPD with
complains of sore throat for 2 days, fever, high grade for
2 days, difficulty in swallowing; was examined by doctor
on duty, diagnosed as Acute pharyngitis and Azithral,
with other drugs, was prescribed.
He went to pharmacy and was dispensed Zulid, stating
Azithral is out of stock
The patient is worried that the pharmacist changed the
medicine and came to you.
►What will you do?

19. Time to Brainstrom: Medicine check!

20. Drug Nomenclature
Chemical Name Non-proprietary Name Proprietary Name
Describes the substance chemically Name accepted by competent scientific
body/authority (USAN, BAN, rINN)
Name assigned by the manufacturer and
is their property or trademark
Code name assigned by the
manufacturer for convenience and
simplicity before an approved name is
coined
Referred to as approved name unless
the drug is included in pharmacopoeia
After being included, it is called official
name
At times also referred as generic names
Also known as Trade name
• 1-(isopropylamino)-3-(1-naphthyloxy)
propan-2-ol
• RO 15-1788 (code name used for
flumazenil)
• Propanolol
• Meperidine/pethidine
• Lidocaine/lignocaine
• Diplar (Deurali Janta)
• Ciplar (Cipla)
• Inderal (Abott)
Uniformity, convenience, economy,
better comprehension
Catchy, short, easy to remember, usually
suggestive, consistency achieved
Cumbersome; not suitable for
prescribing purposes
Consistency of product may not be
achieved (quality, bioavailability)
Confusion in drug nomenclature

21. With that lets wrap up for today!!
Next class we will discuss about:
►Essential Medicine (Drugs) Concept
►Rational Use of Medicine (Drugs)
And, You will be interacting about Abbreviations used
in Pharmacology!!!
Thank you!