The Medicine - Semester 2 Flashcards
What is the difference between a drug or a medicine?
Drug - Active pharmacological agent
Medicine - API within its formulation
How does drug development start?
Drug tested in solution for interactions with isolated target cells
Why aren’t drugs administered as solutions?
Not administered in solution due to expense and impracticality
What are the aims of certain dosage forms?
Favourable manufacture, cost, stability
Sufficient amount of API must reach target cells
Define bioavailability and absolute bioavailability
Bioavailability - Absorption of drug as well as availability at site of action
Absolute Bioavailability - Amount of drug from the dosage form in the systemic circulation
Why is blood considered the central compartment?
Links all the tissues in the body
Describe the general routes of administration
Across epithelial layers (skin, GIT, bronchioles, pulmonary)
Bypassing epithelial layers (intra or extravascular injections)
When are parenteral administration routes used?
Patients who can’t take oral drugs
If quick response is required
If drug is unsuitable for oral administration
How do transdermal drug delivery systems work?
High concentration of drug in formulation - drug is low Mr and lipophilic
Excipients may enhance sc permeability
Rate controlling polymeric membrane controls drug release
Why may GI delivery be preferred over transdermal?
Higher SA and higher permeability (absence of stratum corneum)
What affects availability of absorption for a drug?
GIT Variables: intestinal transit time, properties of GIT fluid, properties of tissue at the absorption site
Drug/Dosage Form Variables: Chemical properties of the drug, formulation, pharmalogical effects of excipients
How does absorption differ at different points in the GIT?
Transit time increases as drug moves further down
Properties of the absorbing tissues changes
How do buccal/sublingual delivery systems work?
Mouth is more permeable than skin but smaller SA
Low Mr, lipophilic drugs
Convenient administration
Fast action and avoidance of first pass metabolism
How are drugs absorbed in the stomach?
Fairly low SA
Little absorption - tight junctions and no nutrient transporters
Weak acids and highly permeable drugs may be absorbed
How are drugs absorbed in the intestine?
High SA (microvilli)
Highly perfused
Nutrient transporters
Potential for paracellular transport
What are the three absorption pathways? Describe them
Transcellular: Small, lipophilic, unionised forms
Paracellular: Hydrophilic drugs with low Mr
Carrier Mediated: Protein transporters in membrane
Describe the absorption of gabapentin
Bioavailability decreases as dose increases due to need for active transport
Pro-Drug can be transported by a number of carriers, increasing bioavailability
How do drugs undergo first pass metabolism?
Drugs pass through liver before entering circulation by hepatic portal flow, may be broken down at this stage
How are excipients chosen and what is their purpose?
Generally dependent on indication
Enhance chemical properties of a medicine
What are the objectives of a dosage form?
Produce a predictable therapeutic response
A product that has capability for large scale manufacture
A quality of product that can be repeatably obtained
What aspects of novel drugs may present a problem during manufacturing?
High MW
Peptide, protein or viral components
What are the pharmaceutical considerations of dosage forms?
How different formulations will impact absorption
Physicochemical properties of drug itself
Therapeutic condition and the patient
Financial considerations
Describe pre formulation
Stage of development before drug is made into a medicine
Optimisation of a drug candidate to form a drug product
one is then picked for further development
What makes a good drug candidate to develop further?
Properties lead to an obvious formulation
Generally easiest to formulate