2. PHARMACOLOGY
o 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.
o In its entirety embraces the knowledge of the history,
source, physical, and chemical properties, biochemical
and physiological effects, mechanisms of action,
absorption, distribution, biotransformation, excretion
and therapeutic uses of drugs.
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3. PHARMACOLOGY
o The interest is primarily in drugs that are
useful in the:
treatment,
prevention, and
diagnosis of disease.
o But also includes substances that cause
poisoning as well as environmental pollution
due to their toxicity, and drugs of abuse.
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4. DRUG
o A chemical substance of known structure, other
than a nutrient or an essential dietary ingredient,
which, when administered to a living organism,
produces a biological effect.
May be chemicals administered to achieve a
beneficial therapeutic effect on some process within
the patient or for their toxic effects on regulatory
processes in parasites infecting the patient.
o A drug should produce its desired effects with
tolerable undesired effects.
o The selectivity of its effects is one of its most
important characteristics.
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5. MEDICINE
o Is a chemical preparation which usually but
not necessarily contains one or more drugs,
administered with the intention of producing
a therapeutic effect.
o Usually contain other substances (excipients,
stabilisers, solvents, etc.) besides the active
drug, to facilitate administration
o To count as a drug, the substance must be
administered as such, rather than released by
physiological mechanisms
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6. DRUG VS MEDICINE
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• Drugs may be
synthetic chemicals,
chemicals obtained
from plants and
animals or products
of genetic
engineering
7. CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY
Is defined as the effects of drugs in man.
This is emphasized because, effects of drugs
are affected by interspecies variation and
modified by disease.
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8. PHARMACOTHERAPEUTICS
o Deals with the use of drugs in the prevention and
treatment of disease.
o Safe use of drugs requires sound knowledge of their
route of administration, mode of action, side effects,
toxicity, range of dosage, rate and route of excretion,
contraindications and interaction with other drugs.
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9. TOXICOLOGY
o Branch of pharmacology which deals with the
undesirable effects of chemicals on living systems,
from individual cells to complex ecosystems.
o It is concerned not only with drugs used in prevention
and treatment of disease but with many other
chemicals that may be responsible for household,
industrial and environmental poisoning.
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10. The relationship between the dose of a drug
given to a patient and the utility of that drug
in treating the patient’s disease is described
by two basic areas of pharmacology;
- pharmacokinetics
- pharmacodynamics.
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11. PHARMACOKINETICS
Is defined as what the body does to the drug.
Deals with the:
- absorption,
- distribution,
- biotransformation, and
- excretion of the drug.
These factors coupled with dosage determine the
concentration of a drug at the site of action and intensity of
its effects as a function of time
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12. PHARMACODYNAMICS
Is defined as what the drug does to the body.
The study of the biochemical and physiological effects of
drugs and their mechanisms of action .
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14. DRUG NOMENCLATURE
o A drug can be identified by three possible
names:
• Chemical name
• Non-proprietary name and
• Proprietary name
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15. HISTORY OF DRUG
NOMENCLATURE
o Drugs were named after gods, prevailing
sociocultural practices, source of drug, in the
name of scientists contributing its development
and anecdotal discoveries e. g
o Morphine took its name from the Greek god of dreams Morpheus
(Greek: Μορφεύς)
o The name warfarin stems from its discovery at the University of
Wisconsin, incorporating the acronym for the organization which
funded the key research (WARF, for Wisconsin Alumni Research
Foundation) and the ending -arin, indicating its link with coumarin.
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16. 1. CHEMICAL NAME
o Gives the chemical constitution of the drug,
giving the precise arrangement of atoms and
atomic groups in the molecule.
o Format follows International Union of Pure
and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC)
o Example:
N-acetyl-p-aminophenol
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17. 2. NON-PROPRIETARY NAME
Is usually the chemical name derived
from its pharmacological class or
chemical name of the active ingredient.
As a result, the same name can be used
on several different formulations of the
same active ingredient (hence
registration is by formulation and not
chemical name).
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18. NON-PROPRIETARY NAME
Two classes:
o Approved/generic name
Name given to a drug before it becomes official;
may be used in all countries, by all
manufacturers; it is not capitalized e. g
acetaminophen
o Official name
Usually the World Health Organisation's
recommended International Non-proprietary
Name (rINN). Used in pharmacopoeia, may be
same as generic name e. g paracetamol 18
19. NON-PROPRIETARY NAME
• There is increasing worldwide adoption of the same
name for each therapeutic substance (active
ingredient).
• For newer drugs the USAN (United States Adopted
Name) is usually adopted for the non-proprietary
name in all countries.
• INN are selected in principle only for single, well-
defined substances that can be unequivocally
characterized by a chemical name (or formula). It is
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20. 3. PROPRIETARY NAME
Also known as trade name is a name given
by the manufacturer and is a trade mark e g
Panado for paracetamol.
If a drug is manufactured by more than one
company it may have several proprietary
names.
The name is unique to that formulation (no
two formulations of the same drug are
exactly the same). 20
21. PROPRIETARY NAME
o The international agreement on drug names is
mediated through the World Health Organization and
pertinent health agencies or drug regulatory
authorities of the cooperating countries.
o The non-proprietary name should be used whenever
possible, to avoid confusion when the same drug is
available under several proprietary names.
o However when substitution of brands is not
recommended a proprietary name has to be used
when prescribing and dispensing.
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23. TEXTBOOKS
o Basic and Clinical pharmacology 10th
Edition, B. G. Katzung
o Intergrated Pharmacology 3rd Edition,
Page et al
o Rang and Dale’s Pharmacology 8th
edition
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24. PHARMACOLOGY - AN INTRODUCTION
1. Artemether
2. Valium
3. Frusemide
4. Piriton
5. Promethazine
6. Voltaren
7. Amoxyl
Chemical name
Official name
Generic name
Trade (brand)
Source of information
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