Pharmaceutics Definition
Area of biomedical & pharmaceutical sciences that deals with drug delivery systems.
Goals of Pharmaceutics (2)
- Design and evaluate contemporary dosage forms that are safe, effective, and reliable.
- Understanding impacts of formulation and manufacturing factors on quality of dosage forms (ex: chemical & physical stability)
Drug Definition
An agent intended for use in the diagnosis, mitigation, treatment, cure, or prevention of disease in humans or other animals.
Dosage Forms
How drugs are delivered to patients.
Application of Dosage Forms (4)
- Design
- Development
- Production
- Utilization
Blends basic, applied, & clinical sciences with pharmaceutical technology.
Pharmaceutical Product Requirements (7)
- Physically & chemically compatible
- Protected against decomposition & contamination
- Release ingredients proper quantity
- Lend itself to efficient administration
- Attractive features to increase patient acceptance
- Effectively packaged
- Clearly & completely labeled
Reasons not to Give Pure Drug (5)
- Potency (some require mg others mcg)
- Protect drug from degradation once administered
- Bitter taste
- Rate controlled drug action
- Optimal targeting to disease site
Different Dosage Forms + Timing
Certain dosage forms have faster onsets of action & peak action time (affects system faster), but this reduces their duration of action (have to increase how frequently the medication is taken)
Systemic v.s. Local Delivery
Getting the drug delivered throughout the whole body (systemic) versus having the drug affect a localized, specific area (local)
Systemic Dosage Forms (5)
- Oral (preferred, cheap, easy to prepare & handle)
- Injection (emergency drugs or drugs unable to be made orally)
- Transdermal Patches
- Suppositories
- Aerosols (Narcan)
Local Dosage Forms (7)
TOPICALS
- Creams/ointments
- Topical oral dosage forms
- Opthalmic
- Nasal
- Aerosol (Inhalers)
- Ear Drops
- Nails
Delivery System Criteria (7)
- Desired drug delivery performance - not highly sensitive to physiological variables like gastric motility & emptying, pH, fluid volume, food effects, etc.
- Patient acceptability - encourage compliance through color, taste, appearance, size, etc.
- Sufficient Stability - reasonable “shelf-life”
- Compatibility - to other drug components and container
- Protection - against moisture, temperature, oxygen
- Preservation - against microbial or fungal growth
- Cost-effective - efficient production that provides accuracy of dosing & drug delivery performance from one dose to the next
Challenges of New Drug Classes (5)
- Usually poor solubility
- Hard to formulate into medicine due to inherent delivery system problems
- Large macromolecules that can’t pass membranes
- Need to develop newer ways to deliver medicines to overcome barriers like extended release medications or alternative methods like skin, lungs, or injections
- Genomic revolution - hard to get medicines into the genetic material
Things to Understand to Design Dosage Form (3)
- Disease
- Drug
- Interactions of disease, drug, and patient
Pharmacokinetics Definition
Science of kinetics of drug absorption, distribution, metabolism, & excretion of drugs and their metabolites in the body.
Goal of Pharmacokinetics
Design & prediction of optimal dosing regimens for individuals or groups of patients.
