What is pharmacology and how does it differ from pharmacy?
Pharmacology is a branch of medical and biological sciences focused on researching, discovering, and characterizing chemicals that have biological effects on living organisms. Pharmacy is a health services profession that applies pharmacological knowledge in direct patient care, such as dispensing medications or providing clinical guidance. The key distinction is between science-oriented research (pharmacology) and patient-facing practice (pharmacy).
What do pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics mean in pharmacology?
Pharmacokinetics describes what the body does to a drug, covering liberation, absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion. Pharmacodynamics describes what the drug does to the body, including receptor binding, dose-response relationships, and the therapeutic window between effective and toxic doses.
Who established the first pharmacology department and when?
Rudolf Buchheim established the first pharmacology department in 1847 at the University of Tartu. The first pharmacology department in England opened in 1905 at University College London.
What does the word pharmacology come from?
Pharmacology derives from the Greek word pharmakon, meaning "drug" or "poison," combined with the Greek suffix -logia, meaning "study of" or "knowledge of." Pharmakon is also related to pharmakos, which referred to the ritualistic sacrifice or exile of a human scapegoat in ancient Greek religion.
How long does it take to bring a new drug to market and how much does it cost?
Testing a new drug can take up to six years, and the full development pipeline often costs over one billion US dollars. Only one out of every 5,000 potential medicines ever reaches the open market.
What is the therapeutic index in pharmacology?
The therapeutic index is the ratio of a drug's toxic dose to its effective dose. A narrow therapeutic index, close to one, means the effective dose is close to the toxic dose, requiring careful monitoring. Drugs such as warfarin, some antiepileptics, and aminoglycoside antibiotics have narrow therapeutic indices, as do most anti-cancer drugs.