L2 - what is a medicine?

Question 1

what is drug absorption?

Answer 1

the uptake of non-metabolised drug after the release from its formulation, from the site of delivery to the systematic circulation

(drug is getting across a biological membrane with exception of intravenous delivery)

Question 2

what are the routes of delivery for drugs?

Answer 2

• oral
• injections
• implants (long term delivery + subcutaneous)
• topical (creams and ointments) and transdermal (across skin into systemic circulation)
• pulmonary (inhalation)
• nasal
• buccal (mouth) and sublingual (under the tongue)
• ocular, otic (ear)
• rectal, vaginal

Question 3

types of injections

Answer 3

intravenous, intramuscular, subcutaneous (fatty tissue under skin), intradermal (into layers of skin)

Question 4

what does drug absorption involve?

Answer 4

drug crossing a biological barrier(s)

Question 5

Is there an absorption process in IV administration?

Answer 5

no. drug directly into blood

Question 6

what is biopharmaceutics?

Answer 6

aim of medicines design is to get the right drug to the right place at the right dose and at the right rate.

pharmaceutics optimises drug delivery

Question 7

what is a drug?

Answer 7

active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) that is responsible for the medicines therapeutic effect

Question 8

what is a medicine?

Answer 8

drug (API) and everything else (excipients) long list of ingredients.

MASS OF DRUG ON LABEL.

Question 9

what is the dosage form?

Answer 9

the physical form that a medicine is produced and administered, e.g tablets, creams, aerosols

Question 10

what are tablets?

Answer 10

solid forms that are swallowed

Question 11

what are capsules?

Answer 11

containers (gelatin) filled with medicine

Question 12

what are liquids?

Answer 12

solutions, suspensions, emulsions

Question 13

what are topicals?

Answer 13

creams, ointments, gels applied to skin

Question 14

what are inhalers?

Answer 14

devices that deliver medication directly to lungs

Question 15

considerations in design of dosage form?

Answer 15

1. physiochemical properties of drug (some drugs suitable for certain dosages, but some not)
2. biopharmaceutical considerations (how the administration route of dosage form affects rate and extent of absorption)
3. therapeutic considerations (dose you want to deliver and the rate at which you want to deliver it)

Question 16

time of onset of action of intravenous injections?

Answer 16

seconds

Question 17

time of onset of intramuscular + subcutaneous injections + buccal tablets + aerosols + gases

Answer 17

minutes

Question 18

time of onset of solutions, tablet etc (oral dosage forms)

Answer 18

mins to hours

Question 19

time of onset of enteric coated formulations (protects it from being dissolved in stomach so dissolves in small intestine instead)

Answer 19

several hours

Question 20

time of onset of implants and depot injections

Answer 20

days to weeks

Question 21

time of onset of topical preparations

Answer 21

varies

Question 22

what is a drug delivery system (DDS)?

Answer 22

process of administering drug to achieve a therapeutic effect. focuses on the technology used to deliver drug to target site.

Question 23

what are controlled release systems?

Answer 23

tablets/ capsules designed to release slowly overtime

Question 24

what are transdermal patches?

Answer 24

patches applied to skin that releases medicine over long time

Question 25

what are injectable systems?

Answer 25

intravenous and intramuscular

Question 26

what are nanoparticles and liposomes?

Answer 26

advanced systems that deliver drugs at cellular level for targeted therapy (e.g via intravenous injections)

Question 27

pipeline of generating medicines

Answer 27

1. drug discovery
2. preclinical studies = screens of lots of drug molecules, identify the ones that have wanted biological effect to make them into a medicine
3. clinical studies = prone to failure
4. FDA regulatory approval
5. postmarketing monitoring

Question 28

clinical studies

Answer 28

• phase 1 : see if drug is safe for healthy people
• phase 2: see if drug is safe for people with condition + how much it helps their symptoms
• phase 3: see if treatment is better than what we already have (comparisons)

then new drug application can be put in.

Question 29

drug discovery and pre clinical development

Answer 29

1. target identification and validation (target drug to have desired therapeutic effect)
2. drug screening (find out if drug actually binds to the target or not)
3. lead optimisation = drug synthesis (drug needs to have combination of safety, solubility, ability to be absorbed, metabolic stability)
4. formulation development = pre-form, formulation design and manufacture, disintegration, stability testing)
5. pharmacokinetics and toxicity

Question 30

what can formulation and drug delivery technology optimise?

Answer 30

the therapeutic effects of the drug as you could have a good drug but it is useless if it can’t reach its site. oral delivery is not always suitable