Intro. to medicines 1 Flashcards
Drug def.
Chemical substance that interacts with a part of the body (by binding to specific cell receptor) to alter existing physiological/biochemical processes. Principle active ingredient in medicine.
Drug Function
Diagnosis, mitigation, treatment, cure or prevention of disease.
Drug Sizes (Aspirin and Insulin)
Aspirin:21atoms Insulin: 797 atoms
Pharmaceutical Dosage Form Def.
Form medicine is taken by patient Eg: tablet, syrup
Why do dosage forms have unique formulations
Drug combined with other suitable ingredients
What does a patient take
Dosage form
Regulation (function)
Ensures medicines are of a certain quality
Ideal Dosage Form Qualities
1 dose is a manageable size, palatable, stable, easy to use, reach receptors quickly with minimal side effects, capable of large scale manufacture
Different aspects of Drug Stability
Chemical, Microbiological and Physical
Chemical Stability Def.
Molecules in drug don’t break down into different shapes. Eg resistance to oxidation
Microbiological Stability
No. of micro-organisms/endotoxins must remain the same. Eg eyedrops are sterile
Physical Stability
Tablet shouldn’t change state. Eg precipitating of liquid medicine in fridge
Receptor binding site on molecule
water based
Main base of drug molecule
lipid
carboxyl group is sensitive to
water
Micromolecule
A molecule less then 500 daltons in size