Pharmacology is a branch of medicine, biology, and pharmaceutical sciences concerned with drug or medication action, where a drug may be defined as any artificial, natural, or endogenous molecule which exerts a biochemical or physiological effect on the cell, tissue, organ, or organism. It is the science of drugs including their origin, composition, pharmacokinetics, therapeutic use, and toxicology. More specifically, it is the study of the interactions that occur between a living organism and chemicals that affect normal or abnormal biochemical function. If substances have medicinal properties, they are considered pharmaceuticals.
Azathioprine, sold under the brand name Imuran, among others, is an immunosuppressive medication. It is used for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, granulomatosis with polyangiitis, Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, and systemic lupus erythematosus; and in kidney transplants to prevent rejection. It is listed by the International Agency for Research on Cancer as a group 1 human carcinogen. It is taken by mouth or injected into a vein.
Simeticone (INN), also known as simethicone (USAN), is an anti-foaming agent used to reduce bloating, discomfort or pain caused by excessive gas.
Clinical pharmacology has been defined as "that discipline that teaches, does research, frames policy, gives information and advice about the actions and proper uses of medicines in humans and implements that knowledge in clinical practice". Clinical Pharmacology is inherently a translational discipline underpinned by the basic science of pharmacology, engaged in the experimental and observational study of the disposition and effects of drugs in humans, and committed to the translation of science into evidence-based therapeutics. It has a broad scope, from the discovery of new target molecules to the effects of drug usage in whole populations. The main aim of clinical pharmacology is to generate data for optimum use of drugs and the practice of 'evidence based medicine'.
Renzapride is a prokinetic agent and antiemetic which acts as a full 5-HT4 agonist and partial 5-HT3 antagonist. It also functions as a 5-HT2B antagonist and has some affinity for the 5-HT2A and 5-HT2C receptors.
Pinazepam is a benzodiazepine drug. It possesses anxiolytic, anticonvulsant, sedative and skeletal muscle relaxant properties.
Tofisopam is an anxiolytic that is marketed in several European countries. Chemically, it is a 2,3-benzodiazepine. Unlike other anxiolytic benzodiazepines however, tofisopam does not have anticonvulsant, sedative, skeletal muscle relaxant, motor skill-impairing or amnestic properties. While it may not be an anticonvulsant in and of itself, it has been shown to enhance the anticonvulsant action of classical 1,4-benzodiazepines and muscimol, but not sodium valproate, carbamazepine, phenobarbital, or phenytoin. Tofisopam is indicated for the treatment of anxiety and alcohol withdrawal, and is prescribed in a dosage of 50–300 mg per day divided into three doses. Peak plasma levels are attained two hours after an oral dose. Tofisopam is not reported as causing dependence to the same extent as other benzodiazepines, but is still recommended to be prescribed for a maximum of 12 weeks.
Melitracen is a tricyclic antidepressant (TCA), for the treatment of depression and anxiety. In addition to single drug preparations, it is also available as Deanxit, marketed by Lundbeck, a combination product containing both melitracen and flupentixol.
Bertilimumab is a human monoclonal antibody that binds to eotaxin-1, an important regulator of overall eosinophil function.
Micafungin, sold under the brand name Mycamine, is an echinochandin antifungal medication used to treat and prevent invasive fungal infections including candidemia, abscesses, and esophageal candidiasis. It inhibits the production of beta-1,3-glucan, an essential component of fungal cell walls that is not found in mammals. Micafungin is administered intravenously. It received final approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in March 2005, and gained approval in the European Union in April 2008.
Alverine is a drug used for functional gastrointestinal disorders. Alverine is a smooth muscle relaxant. Smooth muscle is a type of muscle that is not under voluntary control; it is the muscle present in places such as the gut and uterus.
Prucalopride, sold under brand names Resolor and Motegrity among others, is a medication acting as a selective, high affinity 5-HT4 receptor agonist which targets the impaired motility associated with chronic constipation, thus normalizing bowel movements. Prucalopride was approved for medical use in the European Union in 2009, in Canada in 2011, in Israel in 2014, and in the United States in December 2018. The drug has also been tested for the treatment of chronic intestinal pseudo-obstruction.
The American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics (ASPET) is a scientific society founded in late 1908 by John Jacob Abel of Johns Hopkins University, with the aim of promoting the growth of pharmacological research. Many society members are researchers in basic and clinical pharmacology who help develop disease-fighting medications and therapeutics. ASPET is one of the constituent societies of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB). The society's headquarters are in Rockville, MD. The current president is Michael F. Jarvis.
Asimadoline (EMD-61753) is an experimental drug which acts as a peripherally selective κ-opioid receptor (KOR) agonist. Because of its low penetration across the blood–brain barrier, asimadoline lacks the psychotomimetic effects of centrally acting KOR agonists, and consequently was thought to have potential for medical use. It has been studied as a possible treatment for irritable bowel syndrome, with reasonable efficacy seen in clinical trials, but it has never been approved or marketed.
WIN-2299 is an anticholinergic drug. Human reactions to WIN-2299 include sedation, LSD-like reactions, and an acute delirious episode.
ADX-71149, also known as JNJ-40411813 and JNJ-mGluR2-PAM, is a selective positive allosteric modulator of the mGlu2 receptor. It is being studied by Addex Therapeutics and Janssen Pharmaceuticals for the treatment of schizophrenia. It was also researched by these companies for the treatment of anxious depression, but although some efficacy was observed in clinical trials, it was not enough to warrant further development for this indication. As of 2015, ADX-71149 is in phase II clinical trials for schizophrenia.
Nufenoxole (SC-27166) is an antidiarrhoeal drug which acts as a peripherally selective opioid agonist, in a similar manner to loperamide and diphenoxylate. While it is able to activate μ-opioid receptors, it fails to cross the blood–brain barrier and so has a selective action against diarrhoea without producing analgesic effects.
