What Is Pharmacy? Meaning, Role in Biology & Its Applications
The pharmacy can be referred to as the clinical health science which plays the role of linking medical science with chemistry and it is responsible for the discovery, disposal, production, effective and safe utilization, and control of drugs and medications.
Pharmacy practice necessitates a thorough understanding of medications, their mechanisms of action, adverse side effects, reactions, mobility, and toxicity. It also necessitates treatment awareness and an appreciation of the pathological mechanism. Other skills, including knowledge of the acquisition and assessment of physical and laboratory data, are required by certain pharmacist specialities, like a clinical pharmacy.
Pharmacy work encompasses both traditional functions such as compounding and dispensing drugs, as well as more advanced health-care facilities such as clinical services, prescription safety and effectiveness reviews, and drug knowledge dissemination.
As a result, pharmacists are drug therapy specialists and the key health practitioners who maximise medication usage for the health of customers.
Sun Pharmacy
Sun pharmacy Industries Limited (d/b/a Sun Pharma) is a Mumbai-based Indian multinational pharmaceutical company that produces and sells pharmaceutical formulations as well as active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) largely in India and the United States. Cardiology, neuroscience, neurology, gastroenterology, and diabetology are among the clinical fields where the company provides formulations. It also sells peptides, steroids, sex hormones, anti-cancer, and controlled drugs, as well as APIs like carbamazepine, warfarin, clorazepate, and etodolac.
Research performed by BlueBytes, a leading Media Analytics company, in collaboration with TRA Research, a brand insights organisation, ranked Sun Pharma second among India's Most Reputable Brands (Pharmaceutical).
D Pharma
The Diploma in Pharmacy (DPharm or DPharma) is an entrance tertiary pharmacy certificate in India. It is earned after a two-year training period. Upon having completed higher secondary education in the science subjects with chemistry, physics, and biology or math as subjects, students get eligible for enrolling in the course.
To become a licenced pharmacist, you must first receive a certificate and then register with the Pharmacy Board. A lateral entry scheme allows a d pharma owner to enrol in a technical (undergraduate) degree program of Bachelor of Pharmacy.
A diploma holder may work as a licensed pharmacist supplying drugs and pharmaceuticals in a pharmacy or hospital. At a minimum, one employee in a pharmacy must be a certified and licenced pharmacist.
Homeopathic Pharmacy
Homeopathic pharmacy, also known as homoeopathy, is a pseudoscientific natural medicine scheme. Samuel Hahnemann, a German surgeon, came up with the idea in 1796. Homoeopaths claim that a drug that induces disease symptoms in healthy individuals will also relieve symptoms similar in ill people; this doctrine is known as similia similibus curentur, or "like cures like."
Remedies are homoeopathic preparations that are created using homoeopathic dilution. The chosen material is diluted frequently till the final product is chemically distinct from the diluent in this method. In certain cases, just not a single molecule of the original material can remain in the finished product. Homoeopaths can strike and/or move the product between dilutions, believing that this causes the diluent to recognize the original product after it has been removed. Practitioners believe that ingesting these preparations will cure or treat disease.
From at least the mid-nineteenth century, all applicable scientific information about chemistry, physics, biochemistry, and biology has contradicted homoeopathy. Homoeopathic medicines are biochemically inert and thus have no reported side effects. The subsequent recognition of bacteria or viruses as causes contradicts Hahnemann's theory of disease, which is based on concepts that he termed as miasms.
Community Pharmacy
The community pharmacy is where the profession's dichotomy can be found: health practitioners who are also retailers. A community pharmacy usually consists of a retail pharmacy with a dispensary, which stores and dispenses medicines. Muslim pharmacists in Baghdad are said to have opened the first drugstores in 754 AD, as per Sharif Kaf al-Ghazal.
In most countries, dispensaries are governed by pharmacy law, which includes provisions for storage conditions, mandatory texts, and equipment, among other things.
Pharmacy technicians are increasingly reliant on technology to help them in their new job, which involves dealing with patients' medications and patient safety concerns.
Hospital Pharmacy
A hospital pharmacy is a clinic that stores and distributes drugs to inpatients. Hospital pharmacies typically stock a wider variety of drugs than neighbourhood pharmacies, such as more advanced and investigational medications (medications that are being tested but have still not been authorised). Outpatients can receive over-the-counter and prescription drugs from hospital pharmacies.
Hospital pharmacies can dispense a large number of medications each day, which are distributed to wards and intensive care units as shown in a patient's medication regimen.
To help in the productive delivery of drugs, larger hospitals can use automated transport systems.
Total parenteral nutrition (TPN) and other medicines provided intravenously, including chemotherapy and neonatal antibiotics, are compounded by healthcare practitioners and professional pharmacy technicians. High-risk treatments as well as other compounding tasks can be outsourced by certain hospital pharmacies to compounding firms.
Clinical Pharmacy
Clinical pharmacy is a division of pharmacy wherein the clinical pharmacists offer direct clinical care of the patients to improve drug adherence and disease prevention. Patients are cared for by clinical pharmacists throughout all health care environments, however, the clinical pharmacy movement started in clinics and hospitals.
Clinical pharmacists also collaborate with other healthcare professionals such as doctors, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and other pharmacists. Clinical pharmacists may form a structured joint practise arrangement with some other healthcare professional, usually one or more doctors, allowing them to prescribe drugs and conduct laboratory tests.
FAQs on Pharmacy in Biology: Types, Uses & Career Opportunities
1. What is pharmacy and how does it fundamentally connect to the study of biology?
Pharmacy is the health science that links medical science with chemistry and is responsible for the discovery, production, control, and safe and effective use of medications. Its connection to biology is critical; pharmacy relies on a deep understanding of human anatomy, physiology, and pathology to understand how drugs interact with living systems. Fields like pharmacology, a core part of pharmacy, directly study the effects of drugs on biological processes.
2. What are the major branches or types of pharmacy practice?
The field of pharmacy is diverse, with several specialised branches. The main types include:
- Community Pharmacy: Retail pharmacies where pharmacists dispense medicines and provide health advice to the public.
- Hospital Pharmacy: Manages medication use within a hospital setting, working closely with doctors and nurses.
- Industrial Pharmacy: Focuses on the research, development, and manufacturing of drugs in pharmaceutical companies.
- Clinical Pharmacy: A health science discipline where pharmacists provide patient care that optimises medication therapy and promotes health, and disease prevention.
- Regulatory Pharmacy: Ensures the safety and efficacy of pharmaceutical products by overseeing compliance with government regulations.
3. What are the key career opportunities for students after pursuing a degree in pharmacy?
A degree in pharmacy opens up numerous career paths in both the public and private sectors. Some prominent opportunities include becoming a Community Pharmacist, Hospital Pharmacist, Drug Inspector in government agencies, a Pharmaceutical Researcher involved in new drug discovery, a Medical Science Liaison, or working in quality control, marketing, or regulatory affairs within a pharmaceutical company.
4. How is a strong foundation in biology beneficial for a successful career in pharmacy?
A strong foundation in biology is essential because it provides the core knowledge required to understand the 'why' behind medications. Understanding concepts like cell biology, genetics, microbiology, and human physiology allows a pharmacist to grasp how diseases affect the body and, crucially, the mechanism of action by which drugs combat those diseases. This knowledge is vital for ensuring patient safety and providing effective medication counselling.
5. What is the fundamental difference between a Pharmacist and a Pharmaceutical Scientist?
While both are crucial to the pharmaceutical field, their roles are distinct. A Pharmacist is a patient-facing healthcare professional who focuses on the safe and effective dispensing and management of existing medicines. A Pharmaceutical Scientist, on the other hand, is primarily a researcher who works in laboratories to discover, develop, and test new drugs before they ever reach the public.
6. How is biotechnology used in modern pharmacy to create new medicines?
Biotechnology has revolutionised pharmacy by enabling the production of complex, protein-based drugs called biologics. Using techniques like recombinant DNA technology, scientists can engineer microorganisms (like bacteria or yeast) or mammalian cells to produce therapeutic proteins. This is how modern medicines like synthetic insulin for diabetes, monoclonal antibodies for cancer treatment, and various vaccines are created.
7. Can you provide examples of important medicines that were originally derived from biological sources like plants or microbes?
Many of our most important drugs have natural origins, a field of study known as pharmacognosy. Key examples include:
- Penicillin: An antibiotic derived from the Penicillium fungus.
- Morphine: A powerful pain reliever extracted from the opium poppy plant.
- Quinine: An anti-malarial drug originally sourced from the bark of the Cinchona tree.
- Taxol (Paclitaxel): A potent anti-cancer drug first isolated from the Pacific yew tree.
8. Beyond just dispensing pills, what are the modern responsibilities of a pharmacist in patient care?
The role of a modern pharmacist has evolved significantly beyond simple dispensing. Today, they are integral members of the healthcare team responsible for Medication Therapy Management (MTM), which involves reviewing a patient's full medication regimen to prevent adverse drug interactions. They also provide crucial patient counselling, administer immunisations, monitor chronic diseases like diabetes and hypertension, and promote overall wellness and preventative care.
