100 pharmaceutical-specific terminology with their definitions that Global Language System
- Active Ingredient: The part of a medication that produces its therapeutic effects.
- Adverse Event: Any undesirable or unexpected event that occurs after taking a medication.
- Biologic: A medication made from living organisms or their products.
- Biosimilar: A medication that is similar in quality, safety, and efficacy to an existing biologic drug.
- Black Box Warning: The most serious warning that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) can require for a medication, indicating that the medication carries a significant risk of serious or life-threatening adverse effects.
- Brand Name: A name given to a medication by the manufacturer.
- Controlled Substance: A medication that is regulated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) because it has a potential for abuse or dependence.
- Counterfeit Medication: A medication that is intentionally mislabeled, contaminated, or otherwise adulterated.
- Dosage Form: The physical form in which a medication is presented, such as a tablet, capsule, or injection.
- Drug Interaction: A change in the way a medication works due to its interaction with another medication or substance.
- Drug Metabolism: The process by which the body breaks down and eliminates medications.
- Drug Resistance: The ability of bacteria or viruses to resist the effects of a medication.
- Excipient: An inactive ingredient in a medication that serves as a filler or binder.
- Expedited Review: An accelerated process for reviewing and approving medications by regulatory agencies, typically used for medications intended to treat serious or life- threatening conditions.
- Generic Name: The official name given to a medication by regulatory agencies, typically based on its active ingredient.
- Half-Life: The time it takes for half of a medication to be eliminated from the body.
- In Vitro: Referring to experiments or procedures conducted outside of a living organism, such as in a laboratory setting.
- In Vivo: Referring to experiments or procedures conducted within a living organism.
- Indication: The specific condition or disease for which a medication is intended to treat.
- Investigational Drug: A medication that is still in the testing phase and has not yet been approved for use by regulatory agencies.
- Labeling: The information provided with a medication, including its indications, dosage, side effects, and contraindications.
- Life Cycle Management: The process of managing a medication’s development, approval, and marketing throughout its lifespan.
- Medical Device: Any instrument, apparatus, machine, or implant used in the diagnosis, treatment, or prevention of medical conditions.
- Medical Terminology: The specialized language used by healthcare professionals to describe medical conditions, procedures, and treatments.
- Medication Error: Any preventable event that leads to inappropriate medication use or patient harm.
- Monoclonal Antibody: A type of biologic medication that is engineered to target specific cells or proteins in the body.
- New Drug Application (NDA): A formal request to regulatory agencies to approve a new medication for marketing and use.
- Off-Label Use: The use of a medication for a condition or disease that is not specifically approved by regulatory agencies.
- Orphan Drug: A medication intended to treat a rare disease or condition, which may not be financially viable for pharmaceutical companies to develop.
- Over-The-Counter (OTC): Referring to medications that are available without a prescription.
- Packaging: The container and labeling used to present a medication, including information on its dosage, administration, and storage.
- Patent: A legal protection granted to pharmaceutical companies that allows them exclusive rights to produce and sell a medication for a certain period of time.
- Pharmacodynamics: The study of how a medication affects the body.
- Pharmacogenomics: The study of how genetic variations can affect a person’s response to medications.
- Pharmacokinetics: The study of how medications are absorbed, distributed, metabolized, and eliminated by the body.
- Pharmacology: The study of drugs and their effects on the body.
- Placebo: A substance that has no therapeutic effect but is given as a treatment for its psychological benefits.
- Prescription: An order for medication or treatment given by a healthcare provider.
- Prodrug: A medication that is inactive until it is metabolized into its active form by the body.
- Quality control: The process of ensuring that medications meet specific quality standards before they are released for use.
- Randomized controlled trial (RCT): A clinical trial in which participants are randomly assigned to receive either the medication being tested or a placebo, to determine its effectiveness and safety.
- Rare disease: A disease or condition that affects a small number of people, typically less than 200,000 individuals in the United States.
- Regulatory agency: A government agency responsible for overseeing and regulating the development, approval, and marketing of medications.
- Route of administration: The method by which a medication is administered, such as orally, intravenously, or topically.
- Safety profile: The collection of information on a medication’s side effects and adverse events.
- Side effect: An unintended, undesirable effect of a medication.
- Standard of care: The accepted standard of treatment for a particular condition or disease.
- Sterile: Free from microorganisms or other contaminants.
- Suppository: A medication that is inserted into the rectum or vagina for local or systemic effect.
- Synergy: The combined effect of two or more medications that is greater than the sum of their individual effects.
- Therapeutic area: A specific field of medicine or healthcare, such as oncology or cardiology.
- Therapeutic index: The ratio between a medication’s therapeutic dose and its toxic dose.
- Toxicity: The potential for a medication to cause harm or adverse effects.
- Trade name: A name given to a medication by its manufacturer for marketing purposes.
- Treatment algorithm: A step-by-step guide for the treatment of a particular condition or disease.
- Vaccine: A medication that stimulates the immune system to produce antibodies against a particular pathogen.
- Withdrawal: The process of discontinuing a medication, typically done gradually to minimize the risk of withdrawal symptoms.
- Adherence: The degree to which a patient follows a prescribed treatment regimen.
- Agonist: A medication that activates a specific receptor in the body, producing a particular effect.
- Antagonist: A medication that blocks a specific receptor in the body, inhibiting a particular effect.
- Bioavailability: The proportion of a medication that is absorbed and available for use by the body.
- Combination therapy: The use of two or more medications to treat a particular condition or disease.
- Compliance: The degree to which a patient follows a prescribed treatment regimen.
- Contraindication: A condition or factor that makes a particular medication or treatment unsuitable for a patient.
- CYP450 enzymes: A group of enzymes in the liver that metabolize medications.
- Dose-response curve: A graphical representation of the relationship between the dose of a medication and its effect.
- Drug delivery system: The method by which a medication is delivered to the body, such as a patch or inhaler.
- Efficacy: The degree to which a medication produces the desired therapeutic effect.
- Excitotoxicity: The damage to nerve cells caused by excessive stimulation by neurotransmitters.
- Formulation: The process of developing a specific dosage form of a medication.
- Generic drug: A medication that is equivalent to a brand-name drug in terms of dosage, safety, and efficacy, but is not marketed under a brand name.
- Half-life: The time it takes for half of a medication to be eliminated from the body.
- In vitro: Referring to experiments or procedures conducted outside of a living organism, such as in a laboratory setting.
- In vivo: Referring to experiments or procedures conducted within a living organism.
- Interstitial fluid: The fluid that surrounds cells in the body.
- Intramuscular injection: An injection into a muscle, typically used for medications that need to be absorbed slowly over time.
- Intravenous injection: An injection into a vein, typically used for medications that need to be delivered quickly to the bloodstream.
- Liposome: A small, spherical vesicle made up of lipids that is used as a drug delivery system.
- Metabolism: The process by which the body breaks down and eliminates medications.
- Microencapsulation: The process of enclosing small particles or droplets of medication in a protective coating.
- Nanoparticle: A small particle that is less than 100 nanometers in size, used in drug delivery systems.
- Nebulizer: A device that converts liquid medication into a fine mist that can be inhaled into the lungs.
- Neurotransmitter: A chemical that transmits signals between nerve cells in the body.
- Osmosis: The movement of water from an area of low concentration to an area of high concentration, across a semipermeable membrane.
- Parenteral: Referring to medications that are administered by injection, rather than by mouth.
- Particle size distribution: The range of particle sizes in a medication.
- Pharmacodynamics: The study of how a medication affects the body.
- Pharmacogenetics: The study of how genetic variations can affect a person’s response to medications.
- Pharmacokinetics: The study of how medications are absorbed, distributed, metabolized, and eliminated by the body.
- Pharmaceutical excipient: An inactive ingredient in a medication that serves as a filler or binder.
- Pharmacophore: The part of a molecule that is responsible for its biological activity.
- Placebo: A substance that has no therapeutic effect but is given as a treatment for its psychological benefits.
- Prodrug: A medication that is inactive until it is metabolized into its active form by the body.
- Protease inhibitor: A medication that inhibits the activity of protease enzymes, used to treat certain viral infections such as HIV.
- Receptor: A protein on the surface of a cell that binds to specific molecules, such as neurotransmitters or hormones.
- Solute: The substance that is dissolved in a solution, such as a medication.
- Solution: A homogeneous mixture of two or more substances, such as a medication dissolved in water.
- Supersaturation: The state of a solution in which more solute is dissolved than would normally be possible.
- Targeted drug delivery: The delivery of a medication specifically to a particular site in the body, such as a tumor.
- Therapeutic index: The ratio between a medication’s therapeutic dose and its toxic dose.
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