Pharmaceutics

Pharmaceutics is the discipline of pharmacy that deals with the process of turning a new chemical entity (NCE) or an existing drug into a medication to be used safely and effectively by patients.^[1] The patients could be either humans or animals. Pharmaceutics helps relate the formulation of drugs to their delivery and disposition in the body.^[2] Pharmaceutics deals with the formulation of a pure drug substance into a dosage form.

Description

Pharmaceutics is also called the science of dosage form design. There are many chemicals with pharmacological properties, but need special measures to help them achieve therapeutically relevant amounts at their sites of action.^[2]

Branches

Branches of pharmaceutics include:

• Pharmaceutical formulation
• Pharmaceutical manufacturing
• Dispensing pharmacy
• Pharmaceutical technology
• Physical pharmacy
• Pharmaceutical jurisprudence

History

Pharmaceutics deals with the formulation of a pure drug substance into a dosage form. Pure drug substances are usually white crystalline or amorphous powders. Before the advent of medicine as a science, it was common for pharmacists to dispense drugs as is. Most drugs today are administered as parts of a dosage form. The clinical performance of drugs depends on their form of presentation to the patient.^[3]

Education

Pharmaceutics is a specialization in the field of pharmacy. Typically, Pharm-D graduates can choose to continue studies in this field towards a PhD degree.

See also

• List of pharmaceutical companies
• Pharmacognosy
• Pharmaceutical industry
• Nicholas Culpeper – 17th-century English physician who translated and used "pharmacological texts"

References

1. Aulton, Michael E.; Taylor, Kevin (2013). Aulton's Pharmaceutics: The Design and Manufacture of Medicines. Elsevier Health Sciences. ISBN 978-0-7020-4290-4.
2. "What is Pharmaceutics? | Pharmaceutics". Sop.washington.edu. Archived from the original on 2013-08-23. Retrieved 2013-08-26.
3. Rhodes, Gilbert S. Banker, Christopher T. (24 May 2002). Modern Pharmaceutics, 1 (5th ed.). Hoboken: Informa Healthcare. ISBN 0824744691. OCLC 52634365. Archived from the original on 24 February 2022.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

External links

• Media related to Pharmaceutics at Wikimedia Commons
• Excipient selection for injectable / parenteral formulations