Pharmacy: What is it?

Pharmacy: What is it?

The word "PHARMAKON," which refers to a medication or medicine, is the foundation of

the pharmacy profession.

Typically, it is a place where pharmaceuticals or medicines are sold.

Art and science of pharmacy are used to create pharmaceuticals that are used to treat

and prevent disease by using a variety of natural and synthetic substances.

In academic and professional settings, pharmacy is defined as the branch of science

concerned with the preparation, dosing, administration, and effects (including safety) of

pharmaceuticals (or medicinal drugs or simply drugs). Pharmacy is the synthesis of

chemistry and the health sciences in the broadest sense.

The origin of the pharmacy profession:

Pharmacology was evolving in the mediaeval Persian and European empires.

Historians claim that the Arabic civilizations were among the first to create a list of

medications and dosage forms (pills, syrups, extracts), as well as to establish the

pharmacist as a licenced healthcare practitioner.

There are influences from the Greek and Arabic cultures in this pharmacy (apothecary).

Professional guilds aided in the education of chemists and pharmacists, leading to the

establishment of formal institutions and organisations.

What is a pharmacist's job?

Often referred to as a DRUGGIST or CHEMIST.

An expert in the safe and efficient use of medicines, a pharmacist is a medical

professional.

What are the requirements for a pharmacist to get a job?

Acknowledgement of:

manufacture of drugs

checks for quality control,

discovering the products of deterioration

Proper storage of medications

preparation of the dosage form,

route of administration,

Drug-drug interactions and the effects of medications on diet.

Functions performed by a pharmacist:

Compounding and dispensing the patients' drugs was standard routine.

A pharmacist in the developed world:

a "happy to help person" with proper training.

Filling prescriptions.

provides patients with specialized guidance on the use of drugs.

In Pakistan, you can take courses such as:

Diploma in Pharmacy

Bachelor of Pharmacy

Master of Pharmacy

Master of Science in Pharmacy

Master of Technology in Pharmacy

Doctor of Pharmacy

Doctor of Philosophy in Pharmacy

Combining two degrees, such as a B.Pharm and an MBA or an M.Pharm and an MBA.

CAREER IN PHARMACEUTICALS

For the Public Sector

Pharmaceutical industries

Drugs Inspector

Analyst for the Federal Government

Hospital Pharmacist

Military forces

In the private sector, however,

Pharmaceutical companies, both global and regional

Production units

R&D Units

Quality Assurance

Laboratories (QC)

Clinical Trials

Biotechnology

Pharmaceutical Marketing

Pharmacovigilance

DEO such as medical writing, coding, etc.

Academicians

Clinician and hospital pharmacist

Pharmacy majors and minors:

The course will cover a wide range of topics, both major and minor.

Here are the main subjects (or modules) that we cover:

Human Physiology and Anatomy (Human Biology including Patho-physiology)

Pharmaceutical Chemistry (including Physical Chemistry, Inorganic Chemistry, Organic

Chemistry, Analytical Chemistry and Medicinal Chemistry)

Pharmaceutics (deals with formulation, drug delivery, drug stability, dosage forms, patient

acceptance etc.)

Pharmacology (study of effects of drugs on human body and biological systems – mixture

of biology, physiology and chemistry; will cover both basic, advanced and clinical

pharmacology)

Pharmacognosy (study of medicinal drugs derived from plants; deals with botany, plant

science and phyto-chemistry)

Biochemistry (study of biological reactions within living organisms)

Microbiology (study of micro-organisms like bacteria, virus, protozoa etc.)

Pharmaceutical Technology and Engineering (deals with basic concepts of Chemical

Engineering – e.g. Fluid Dynamics, Process Chemistry and Industrial Processes)

Minor modules or subjects

The following are some of the minor modules or subjects that will be covered:

Hospital Pharmacy

Clinical Pharmacy

Immunology

Marketing and business administration

Electronics and computer science (or Applications)

technological drawing

advanced mathematics

Statistics

Pharmaceutical biotechnology

Computational Chemistry

Note: This is not a complete list of minor and elective courses.)

Pharmacy departments

Pharmacognosy

Pharmaceutical chemistry

Pharmaceutical Analysis

Pharmacology

Pharmaceutics

Pharmacy Practice

Biopharmaceutics