Lecture: Introduction to Pharmacology
Definition of Terms:
1. Pharmacology – branch of Medicine that studies the biological effects of chemicals.
2. Pharmacotherapeutics or Clinical Pharmacology – the branch of pharmacology that uses
drugs to treat, prevent, and diagnose disease.
3. Therapeutic effect – desired effect of a drug.
4. Adverse effect – undesirable or potentially dangerous effects
5. Brand name – name given by pharmaceutical company that developed the drug
6. Chemical name – name that reflects the chemical brochure of the drug
7. Generic name – original designation given to the drug
8. Generic drugs – chemicals produced by other manufacturers
9. Over-the-counter (OTC) drugs – available without prescription for self-treatment
Sources of Drugs
Plants, Animals or Inorganic compounds
Plants, animals, or naturally occurring inorganic compounds can be the natural sources of
chemicals that might prove useful as drugs.
Plants have become the main component of the growing alternative therapy movement.
Animal Products
There are many animal products that are used to replace human chemicals that are not
produced because of disease or genetic problems.
Examples:
a. Insulin
Through genetic engineering human insulin can be produced by altering Escherichia
coli bacteria , making insulin a better product without some of the impurities that come with
animal products.
b. Thyroid drugs
c. Growth hormone
Inorganic Compounds
Salts of various elements have been found to produce therapeutic effects in the human
body.
, Synthetic Sources
Chemicals found in plants and animals for therapeutic activity are isolated and produced
synthetically.
The change in a chemical’s structure can make that chemical more useful as a drug -
more potent, more stable, or less toxic
Prototype is said to be the first or original of a group of drugs
Drug Evaluation
The process is tightly controlled by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), of the country
where it will be registered and subsequently used. In the Philippines, it is the Bureau of Food and
Drug that administer the testing and it ensures the safety and reliability of any drug.
Preclinical trials
Therapeutic values of chemicals are tested on laboratory animals (preclinical trials) for 2
reasons:
(1) To determine whether they have presumed effects in living tissue;
(2) To evaluate any adverse effects
This trials may result to discarding chemicals due to the following reasons:
Lack of therapeutic activity when used with living animals
Toxic to living animals
Teratogenic (causing adverse effects top the fetus)
Small or narrow margin of safety
Phase 1 Studies
When the chemicals or drugs passed the preclinical trials, human volunteers are used to test the
drugs. Normally, a small group of healthy volunteers will be selected. In Phase 1 studies,
investigators scrutinize the drugs being tested for effects in humans. They look not only for
therapeutic effects but also adverse effects (side effects) or level of toxicity. A chemical s
dropped after the end of phase 1 studies if :
They lack therapeutic effect in humans
They cause unacceptable adverse effects
They are highly teratogenic
They are too toxic
Definition of Terms:
1. Pharmacology – branch of Medicine that studies the biological effects of chemicals.
2. Pharmacotherapeutics or Clinical Pharmacology – the branch of pharmacology that uses
drugs to treat, prevent, and diagnose disease.
3. Therapeutic effect – desired effect of a drug.
4. Adverse effect – undesirable or potentially dangerous effects
5. Brand name – name given by pharmaceutical company that developed the drug
6. Chemical name – name that reflects the chemical brochure of the drug
7. Generic name – original designation given to the drug
8. Generic drugs – chemicals produced by other manufacturers
9. Over-the-counter (OTC) drugs – available without prescription for self-treatment
Sources of Drugs
Plants, Animals or Inorganic compounds
Plants, animals, or naturally occurring inorganic compounds can be the natural sources of
chemicals that might prove useful as drugs.
Plants have become the main component of the growing alternative therapy movement.
Animal Products
There are many animal products that are used to replace human chemicals that are not
produced because of disease or genetic problems.
Examples:
a. Insulin
Through genetic engineering human insulin can be produced by altering Escherichia
coli bacteria , making insulin a better product without some of the impurities that come with
animal products.
b. Thyroid drugs
c. Growth hormone
Inorganic Compounds
Salts of various elements have been found to produce therapeutic effects in the human
body.
, Synthetic Sources
Chemicals found in plants and animals for therapeutic activity are isolated and produced
synthetically.
The change in a chemical’s structure can make that chemical more useful as a drug -
more potent, more stable, or less toxic
Prototype is said to be the first or original of a group of drugs
Drug Evaluation
The process is tightly controlled by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), of the country
where it will be registered and subsequently used. In the Philippines, it is the Bureau of Food and
Drug that administer the testing and it ensures the safety and reliability of any drug.
Preclinical trials
Therapeutic values of chemicals are tested on laboratory animals (preclinical trials) for 2
reasons:
(1) To determine whether they have presumed effects in living tissue;
(2) To evaluate any adverse effects
This trials may result to discarding chemicals due to the following reasons:
Lack of therapeutic activity when used with living animals
Toxic to living animals
Teratogenic (causing adverse effects top the fetus)
Small or narrow margin of safety
Phase 1 Studies
When the chemicals or drugs passed the preclinical trials, human volunteers are used to test the
drugs. Normally, a small group of healthy volunteers will be selected. In Phase 1 studies,
investigators scrutinize the drugs being tested for effects in humans. They look not only for
therapeutic effects but also adverse effects (side effects) or level of toxicity. A chemical s
dropped after the end of phase 1 studies if :
They lack therapeutic effect in humans
They cause unacceptable adverse effects
They are highly teratogenic
They are too toxic
