Pharmacology
Pharmacology is the study of the actions of drugs on the body and the
way the body metabolizes drugs. The study of pharmacology includes
the biochemical action on the body by drug and incorporates the
knowledge and ideas from other scientific disciplines like biology,
chemistry and physiology.
In this section of the course, we will cover dosage forms and
administration, pharmacology itself, pharmacodynamics and a quick
overview of body systems like the cardiovascular system, skin, and
endocrine systems
Source of Drugs
 Natural Sources of Drugs
 Drugs that originate from plants or animals
 Examples:
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Acetylsalicylic acid (ASA or Aspirin) originates from the bark of the
willow tree.
Cocaine originates from the coca plant (Erythroxylum coca)
Morphine and Codeine originate from the Papaver somnifera plant
Digoxin comes from the Foxglove plant
Vincristine and Vinblastine are called vinca alkaloids and come from
the periwinkle plant.
Niacin is a B vitamin (B3) is found in green vegetables
Cyanocobalamine is a B vitamin (B12) found in eggplant and meats
Insulin was originally isolated from pork (porcine) or bovine (cow)
pancreas
Unusual Sources of drugs
 Lepirudin (Refludan®) is an anticoagulant that is used in
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hospital to treat PE and DVT. Source: ?
The saliva of leeches known as Hirudo medicinalis. A leech
is a blood sucking worm
Premarin® is conjugated estrogens used to treat vaginal
bleeding and to treat post menopausal Sx in middle aged
women. Source:?
The urine of pregnant mares
Captopril is an ACE inhibitor used to treat hypertension
and CHF. Source:?
Brazilian arrowhead viper: a poisonous snake
Synthetic Drug Sources
 Most synthetic drugs are really semi-synthetic in that
the drug is chemically modified from a natural source.
 Examples are:
 Oxycodone (Oxycontin®)
 Succinylcholine (Quelicin®)
 Piperacillin/Tazobactam (Zosyn®)
 Amoxicillin (Amoxil®)
Genetically Engineered Drugs
 Recombinant DNA technology is a new modality that arised in the late 1970’s
and early 1980’s. Greatly accelerated by the Human Genome Program
completion in the late 1990’s.
 Involves sequencing the gene for a human protein, carrying a vector for that
gene (usually a virus), have the vector infect a host (usually a bacteria, E. Coli)
and allowing the bacteria to mass produce the gene product for us to market.
 Examples:
 Recombinant human insulin . Recombinant insulin has almost completely
replaced insulin obtained from animal sources (e.g. pigs and cattle) for the
treatment of insulin-dependent diabetes ]
 Recombinant human growth hormone. (HGH, somatotropin). Growth
hormone is administered to patients whose are growth hormone deficient.
 Recombinant blood clotting factor VIII. Recombinant factor VIII is a bloodclotting protein that is administered to patients with hemophilia
 Recombinant hepatitis B vaccine. Prevention of hepatitis B infection is
controlled through the use of a recombinant hepatitis B vaccine, which
contains a form of the hepatitis B virus surface antigen that is produced in
yeast cells.
Drug Nomenclature
 Chemical name: the name of a drug according to its
chemical structure. Assigned by the Internal Union of
Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC)
 Generic Name: the name given to a drug in agreement
with the originally manufacturer and the US Adopted
Names Council. Also called the nonproprietary name.
 Trade Name: the trademark name given to a drug by
the original manufacturer. It is also called the
proprietary name. No other manufacturer can legally
use this name for their version of the drug
US adopted Names Council
(USANC)
 USANC provides a useful list of drug root words that it uses to classify
drugs. It is useful to know some of the root words to help you figure
out drug classes of the exam
Root Word
Drug Classification
Azepam
Benzodiazepam drug (i.e
Lorazepam)
Caine
Local anesthetic
(Bupivaciane)
Cillin
Penicillin type abx
(Amoxicillin)
Conazole
Antifungal agents
(Fluconazole)
Root Word
Drug Classification
Glitazone
Pioglitazone (Actos). Antidiabetes
Micin
Aminoglycoside abx (Gentamicin)
Thromycin
Macrolide (Azithromycin)
Olol
Beta Blockers (Metoprolol) (Toprol XL)
Olone
Glucocorticoids (Prednisolone)
Prazole
PPI (esomeprazole) Nexium ®
Pril
ACE Inhibitors (Lisinopril) Prinivil®
Sartan
ARB
Semide
Loop diuretics (Furosemide)
Vastatin
Statin drugs (Atorvastatin) (Lipitor®)
Losartan (Cozaar®)
Pregnancy Categories
 Drugs are classified into 5 classes based on their safe uses in
pregnancy
 Category A: Studies in pregnant women shows no risk (of birth
defects)
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Drugs in this case are the safest to use in pregnancy
 Category B: Animal studies show no risk
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Drugs in this case are still safe to use
 Category C: Animal studies show some risk but benefits may
outweigh the risk
 Category D: Some human risk has been shown or adverse fetal
complication are known
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ACE inhibitors
Statin Drugs
Tetracycline drugs
 Category X: Known teratogen
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Thalidomide
Isotretenoin
Common Pharmacy Resources
 American Hospital Formulary Service Drug Information
 Published by American Society of Health System Pharmacists
 Information on 30,000 + commercial drugs
 Drug Facts and Comparisons
 Information on more than 10,000 drugs
 Information on more than 5,000 OTC drugs
 Presented in table format in comparison of drugs in each
class
 FDA Approved Drug Products with Therapeutic Equivalence
 Called the “Orange book”
 Provides information on drugs and generic substitutions
 Goodman and Gilman’s the Pharmacological Basis of
Therapeutics
 Information on the clinical pharmacology of drugs in different
clinical situations
 Physician’s Desk Reference
 Contains package inserts information for thousands of drugs
 Marketed to physicians
 Remington The Science and Practice of Pharmacology
 Information of pharmacology and physical properties of drug
compounding products
 Trissel’s Handbook on Injectable drugs
 Provides information on the stability of IV formulations
 Compatibility of mixing various drugs in IV admixtures
 United States Pharmacopeia (USP)
 Official standard setting authority for all prescription medications,
and the compounding of medications
Pharmacy Publications
 AJHP: American Journal of Health Systems
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Pharmacists
AphA: Journal of American Pharmacists Associations
NPTA: Today’s Technician
Drug Topics
US Pharmacists