Pharmacotherapy

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Pharmacotherapy, also known as pharmacological therapy or drug therapy, is defined as medical treatment that utilizes one or more pharmaceutical drugs to improve ongoing symptoms (symptomatic relief), treat the underlying condition, or act as a prevention for other diseases (prophylaxis). [1]

Contents

It can be distinguished from therapy using surgery (surgical therapy), radiation (radiation therapy), movement (physical therapy), or other modes. Among physicians, sometimes the term medical therapy refers specifically to pharmacotherapy as opposed to surgical or other therapy; for example, in oncology, medical oncology is thus distinguished from surgical oncology.

Today's pharmacological therapy has evolved from a long history of medication use, and it has changed most rapidly in the last century due to advancements in drug discovery. The therapy is administered and adjusted by healthcare professionals according to the evidence-based guidelines and the patient's health condition. Personalized medicine also plays a crucial role in pharmacological therapy. Personalized medicine, or precision medicine, takes account of the patient's genetic variation, liver function, kidney function, etc, to provide a tailor-made treatment for a patient. In pharmacological therapy, pharmacists will also consider medication compliance. Medication compliance, or medication adherence, is defined as the degree to which the patient follows the therapy that is recommended by the healthcare professionals. [2]

History

Image of latex sap from a poppy plant. Opium is extracted from latex sap. Opium pod cut to demonstrate fluid extraction1.jpg
Image of latex sap from a poppy plant. Opium is extracted from latex sap.

From natural compounds to pharmaceutical drugs

The use of medicinal substances can be traced back to 4000 BC in the Sumer civilization. [3] Healers at the time (called apothecaries), for example, understood the application of opium for pain relief. [4] The history of natural remedies can also be found in other cultures, including traditional Chinese medicine in China and Ayurvedic medicine in India, which are still in use nowadays. [5] Dioscorides, a 1st -century Greek surgeon, described more than six hundred animals, plants, and their derivatives in his medical botany, which remained the most influential pharmacopeia for fourteen hundred years. [6] Besides substances derived from living organisms, metals, including copper, mercury, and antimony, were also used as medical therapies. [6] They were said to cure various diseases during the late Renaissance. In 1657, tartar emetic, which is an antimony compound, was credited with curing Louis XIV of typhoid fever. [6] The drug was also administered intravenously for the treatment of schistosomiasis in the 20th century. [7] However, due to the concern over acute and chronic antimony poisoning, the role of tartar emetic as an antischistosomal agent was gradually replaced after the advent of praziquantel. [7]

Other than using natural products, humans also learned to compound medicine by themselves. The first pharmaceutical text was found on clay tablets from the Mesopotamians, who lived around 2100 BC. [5] Later in the 2nd century AD, compounding was formally introduced by Galen as “a process of mixing two or more medicines to meet the individual needs of a patient”. [5] Initially, compounding was only done by individual pharmacists, but in the post-World War II period, pharmaceutical manufacturers surged in number and took over the role of making medicine. [3] Meanwhile, there was a marked increase in pharmaceutical research, which led to a growing number of new drugs. [3] Most drug discovery milestones were made in the last hundred years, from antibiotics to biologics, [5] contributing to the foundation of current pharmacological therapy.

Drug discovery

Penicillin chemical structure Penicillin core.svg
Penicillin chemical structure

Most drugs were discovered by empirical means, including observation, accident, and trial and error. [6] One famous example is the discovery of penicillin, the first antibiotic in the world. The substance was discovered by Alexander Fleming in 1928 after a combination of unanticipated events occurred in his laboratory during his summer vacation. [8] The Penicillium mold on the petri dish was believed to secrete a substance (later named "penicillin") that inhibited bacterial growth. [8] Large pharmaceutical companies then started to establish their microbiological departments and search for new antibiotics. [9] The screening program for antimicrobial compounds also led to the discovery of drugs with other pharmacological properties, such as immunosuppressants like Cyclosporin A. [9]

The drug-receptor recognition involves a "key", which is a ligand such as a drug, and a "lock", which is a receptor. Ligand-receptor interaction.png
The drug-receptor recognition involves a "key", which is a ligand such as a drug, and a "lock", which is a receptor.

The discovery of penicillin was a serendipitous (i.e. chance) discovery. Another, more advanced approach to drug discovery is rational drug design. The method is underpinned by an understanding of the biological targets of the drugs, including enzymes, receptors, and other proteins. In the late 19th century, Paul Ehrlich observed the selective affinity of dyes for different tissues and proposed the existence of chemoreceptors in our bodies. [9] [10] Receptors were believed to be the specific binding sites for drugs. [9] The drug-receptor recognition was described as a key-and-lock interplay by Emil Fischer in the early 1890s. [11] It was later found that the receptors can either be stimulated or inhibited by chemotherapeutic agents to attain the desired physiological response. [9] Once the ligand interacting with the target macromolecule is identified, drug candidates can be designed and optimized based on the structure-activity relationship. [11] Nowadays, artificial intelligence is employed in drug design to predict drug-protein interactions, drug activity, the 3D configuration of proteins, etc. [11]

Evidence-based medicine

Evidence-based medicine is defined as deploying the best current scientific evidence that is available to give the best treatment and make the best decision effectively and efficiently. [12] Clinical guidelines are developed based on scientific evidence; for example, the ACC/AHA guidelines (for cardiovascular diseases), the GOLD guidelines (for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), the GINA guidelines (for asthma), etc. They convert and classify the evidence using a systematic method, aiming to provide care with quality. [13] The guidelines cannot substitute clinical judgment, as they cannot meet all the circumstances. [13] Healthcare professionals can use the clinical guidelines as references or evidence to support their clinical judgement when prescribing therapy to patients.

Example: Clinical Guideline for controlling blood pressure (hypertension)

If there is an Asian male patient who is 40 years old and has recently been diagnosed with high blood pressure (with a blood pressure of 140/90) and without any other chronic diseases (comorbidities), such as type-2 diabetes, gout, benign prostatic hyperplasia, etc. His estimated 10-year risk of cardiovascular disease is 15%.

According to the NICE 2019 Hypertension guideline, the healthcare professional can consider starting anti-hypertensive therapy after a discussion with the patient. [14] The first-line therapy will be either an Angiotensin Converting Enzyme Inhibitor (ACEi) or an Angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) (if the patient cannot tolerate ACEi). [14] If the blood pressure of the patient is not well controlled, the healthcare professionals can consider adding a calcium channel blocker (CCB) [15] or a Thiazide-like diuretic to the previous therapy, i,e, ACEi or ARBs with a CCB or a thiazide-like diuretic. [14]

Personalized medicine

Summary of pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics.svg
Summary of pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics

Every patient has their own body condition, for example, kidney function, liver function, genetic variations, medical history, etc. These are all the factors that should be considered by healthcare professionals before giving any pharmacological therapy. Most importantly, the advancing technology in genetics guides us to have more insight into the linkage between health and genes. [16] In pharmacological therapy, two areas of study are evolving: pharmacogenetics and pharmacogenomics. Age will affect the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of drugs, and hence the efficacy of the therapy. The effect of age causes deterioration of organ function, [17] like liver function and kidney function. Pharmacokinetics is the study of drugs' effects on absorption, distribution, metabolism, and elimination. Pharmacodynamics is the study of drugs' effects on our body and their mechanisms.

Pharmacogenetics and pharmacogenomics

Pharmacogenetics is defined as the study of inherited genes causing different drug metabolisms that vary from each other, such as the rate of metabolism and metabolites. [18] Pharmacogenomics is defined as the study of associating the drug response with one's gene. [19] Both terms are similar in nature, so they are used interchangeably.

Multiple alleles can contribute together to a change in response to a drug by expressing a different form of an enzyme that responds differently than the normal ones. [18] The different forms of enzymes (phenotypes) include ultra-rapid metabolizers, moderate metabolizers, no-enzyme activity, etc. The genetic variations can also be used to match the particular adverse drug reaction in order to prevent the patient from suffering the unfavorable outcomes. [20] The genetic make-up can affect the pharmacokinetics .

Example: Azathioprine Therapy

Azathioprine is an immunomodulator for inflammatory bowel disease, for instance. Its metabolite relies on two different enzymes (TPMT and NUDT15) to eliminate its effect on our body during its metabolism. If the patient has the phenotype of the enzymes that metabolize it poorly, i.e., the poor metabolizer, more toxic metabolites are accumulated in the body. Thus, the patient has a greater risk of the related side-effect. [21] The side effect causes the adjustment of dosage [21] or switching to another drug.

Example: Omalizumab Therapy

Omalizumab is a humanized monoclonal antibody for the treatment of various allergic diseases, including asthma, urticaria, and allergic rhinitis. [22] It targets the immunoglobulin E (IgE) in human body, which plays an important role in allergic reactions. [23] The efficacy of omalizumab may vary among patients. To identify responders to omalizumab, the level of several biomarkers can be measured, including serum eosinophils, fractional exhaled nitric oxide, and serum IgE. [23] [24] For instance, patients with higher baseline eosinophil counts are likely to respond better to omalizumab therapy. [24]

Medication compliance

Medication compliance is defined as the degree to which the patient follows the therapy that is recommended by healthcare professionals. [2] There are direct and indirect methods to evaluate compliance. Direct method refers to the measurement that the healthcare professionals observed or measure the patient's drug-taking behavior. Indirect method refers to the healthcare professionals do not observe or measure the drug-taking behavior of the patient but use the other source of information to evaluate the compliance.

The direct method includes measurement of drug (or the corresponding metabolite) concentration, [2] [25] while the indirect method includes pill counting [2] [25] and the self-report from the patient. [2] [25] The direct method is more time-consuming, more expensive, more invasive, but it is more accurate. [2] The indirect method has a lower accuracy but is easier to administer to the patient. [2] If the patient fails to comply with treatment, for example, by not taking the medication according to the instructions, it leads to risk and a poor treatment outcome.

Example: Tuberculosis treatment

For tuberculosis patients, directly observed therapy is still part of the treatment. [26] This is to increase medication compliance. [27] This is to prevent treatment failure, relapse, and transmission in the community. [28] Apart from the traditional direct observed therapy (DOT), there is another method proposed to try increasing medication compliance. Video-observed therapy (VOT) is one of the methods. It has some advantages and disadvantages. It reduces the cost of healthcare and the travel costs for the patient. [27] The downside of the intervention is the need for quality control training as it would be hard to confirm the patient's adherence. [27]

Role of Pharmacists

Pharmacists are experts in pharmacotherapy and are responsible for ensuring the safe, appropriate, and economical use of pharmaceutical drugs. The skills required to function as a pharmacist require knowledge, training and experience in biomedical, pharmaceutical and clinical sciences. [29] Pharmacology is the science that aims to continually improve pharmacotherapy. The pharmaceutical industry and academia use basic science, applied science, and translational science to create new pharmaceutical drugs.

As pharmacotherapy specialists and pharmacists have responsibility for direct patient care, often functioning as a member of a multidisciplinary team, and acting as the primary source of drug-related information for other healthcare professionals. A pharmacotherapy specialist is an individual who is specialized in administering and prescribing medication, and requires extensive academic knowledge in pharmacotherapy. [30]

In the US, a pharmacist can gain Board Certification in the area of pharmacotherapy upon fulfilling eligibility requirements and passing a certification examination. [31] [32] While pharmacists provide valuable information about medications for patients and healthcare professionals, they are not typically considered covered pharmacotherapy providers by insurance companies.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pharmacology</span> Branch of biology concerning drugs

Pharmacology is the science of drugs and medications, including a substance's origin, composition, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Medication</span> Substance used to diagnose, cure, treat, or prevent disease

A medication is a drug used to diagnose, cure, treat, or prevent disease. Drug therapy (pharmacotherapy) is an important part of the medical field and relies on the science of pharmacology for continual advancement and on pharmacy for appropriate management.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pharmacist</span> Healthcare professional

A pharmacist, also known as a chemist in Commonwealth English, is a healthcare professional who is knowledgeable about preparation, mechanism of action, clinical usage and legislation of medications in order to dispense them safely to the public and to provide consultancy services. A pharmacist also often serves as a primary care provider in the community and offers services, such as health screenings and immunizations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Methotrexate</span> Chemotherapy and immunosuppressant medication

Methotrexate, formerly known as amethopterin, is a chemotherapy agent and immune-system suppressant. It is used to treat cancer, autoimmune diseases, and ectopic pregnancies. Types of cancers it is used for include breast cancer, leukemia, lung cancer, lymphoma, gestational trophoblastic disease, and osteosarcoma. Types of autoimmune diseases it is used for include psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis, and Crohn's disease. It can be given by mouth or by injection.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pharmacy</span> Clinical health science

Pharmacy is the science and practice of discovering, producing, preparing, dispensing, reviewing and monitoring medications, aiming to ensure the safe, effective, and affordable use of medicines. It is a miscellaneous science as it links health sciences with pharmaceutical sciences and natural sciences. The professional practice is becoming more clinically oriented as most of the drugs are now manufactured by pharmaceutical industries. Based on the setting, pharmacy practice is either classified as community or institutional pharmacy. Providing direct patient care in the community of institutional pharmacies is considered clinical pharmacy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pharmacogenomics</span> Study of the role of the genome in drug response

Pharmacogenomics, often abbreviated "PGx," is the study of the role of the genome in drug response. Its name reflects its combining of pharmacology and genomics. Pharmacogenomics analyzes how the genetic makeup of a patient affects their response to drugs. It deals with the influence of acquired and inherited genetic variation on drug response, by correlating DNA mutations with pharmacokinetic, pharmacodynamic, and/or immunogenic endpoints.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Polypharmacy</span> Use of five or more medications daily

Polypharmacy (polypragmasia) is an umbrella term to describe the simultaneous use of multiple medicines by a patient for their conditions. The term polypharmacy is often defined as regularly taking five or more medicines but there is no standard definition and the term has also been used in the context of when a person is prescribed 2 or more medications at the same time. Polypharmacy may be the consequence of having multiple long-term conditions, also known as multimorbidity and is more common in people who are older. In some cases, an excessive number of medications at the same time is worrisome, especially for people who are older with many chronic health conditions, because this increases the risk of an adverse event in that population. In many cases, polypharmacy cannot be avoided, but 'appropriate polypharmacy' practices are encouraged to decrease the risk of adverse effects. Appropriate polypharmacy is defined as the practice of prescribing for a person who has multiple conditions or complex health needs by ensuring that medications prescribed are optimized and follow 'best evidence' practices.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adverse drug reaction</span> Harmful, unintended result of medication

An adverse drug reaction (ADR) is a harmful, unintended result caused by taking medication. ADRs may occur following a single dose or prolonged administration of a drug or may result from the combination of two or more drugs. The meaning of this term differs from the term "side effect" because side effects can be beneficial as well as detrimental. The study of ADRs is the concern of the field known as pharmacovigilance. An adverse event (AE) refers to any unexpected and inappropriate occurrence at the time a drug is used, whether or not the event is associated with the administration of the drug. An ADR is a special type of AE in which a causative relationship can be shown. ADRs are only one type of medication-related harm. Another type of medication-related harm type includes not taking prescribed medications, known as non-adherence. Non-adherence to medications can lead to death and other negative outcomes. Adverse drug reactions require the use of a medication.

An adverse effect is an undesired harmful effect resulting from a medication or other intervention, such as surgery. An adverse effect may be termed a "side effect", when judged to be secondary to a main or therapeutic effect. The term complication is similar to adverse effect, but the latter is typically used in pharmacological contexts, or when the negative effect is expected or common. If the negative effect results from an unsuitable or incorrect dosage or procedure, this is called a medical error and not an adverse effect. Adverse effects are sometimes referred to as "iatrogenic" because they are generated by a physician/treatment. Some adverse effects occur only when starting, increasing or discontinuing a treatment. Using a drug or other medical intervention which is contraindicated may increase the risk of adverse effects. Adverse effects may cause complications of a disease or procedure and negatively affect its prognosis. They may also lead to non-compliance with a treatment regimen. Adverse effects of medical treatment resulted in 142,000 deaths in 2013 up from 94,000 deaths in 1990 globally.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rifaximin</span> Antibiotic medication

Rifaximin, is a non-absorbable, broad spectrum antibiotic mainly used to treat travelers' diarrhea. It is based on the rifamycin antibiotics family. Since its approval in Italy in 1987, it has been licensed in over more than 30 countries for the treatment of a variety of gastrointestinal diseases like irritable bowel syndrome, and hepatic encephalopathy. It acts by inhibiting RNA synthesis in susceptible bacteria by binding to the RNA polymerase enzyme. This binding blocks translocation, which stops transcription. It is marketed under the brand name Xifaxan by Salix Pharmaceuticals.

In medicine, patient compliance describes the degree to which a patient correctly follows medical advice. Most commonly, it refers to medication or drug compliance, but it can also apply to other situations such as medical device use, self care, self-directed exercises, or therapy sessions. Both patient and health-care provider affect compliance, and a positive physician-patient relationship is the most important factor in improving compliance. Access to care plays a role in patient adherence, whereby greater wait times to access care contributing to greater absenteeism. The cost of prescription medication also plays a major role.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nebivolol</span> Chemical compound

Nebivolol is a beta blocker used to treat high blood pressure and heart failure. As with other β-blockers, it is generally a less preferred treatment for high blood pressure. It may be used by itself or with other blood pressure medication. It is taken by mouth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clinical pharmacy</span> Branch of pharmacy for direct provision

Clinical pharmacy is the branch of pharmacy in which clinical pharmacists provide direct patient care that optimizes the use of medication and promotes health, wellness, and disease prevention. Clinical pharmacists care for patients in all health care settings but the clinical pharmacy movement initially began inside hospitals and clinics. Clinical pharmacists often work in collaboration with physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and other healthcare professionals. Clinical pharmacists can enter into a formal collaborative practice agreement with another healthcare provider, generally one or more physicians, that allows pharmacists to prescribe medications and order laboratory tests.

Medication therapy management, generally called medicine use review in the United Kingdom, is a service provided typically by pharmacists, medical affairs, and RWE scientists that aims to improve outcomes by helping people to better understand their health conditions and the medications used to manage them. This includes providing education on the disease state and medications used to treat the disease state, ensuring that medicines are taken correctly, reducing waste due to unused medicines, looking for any side effects, and providing education on how to manage any side effects. The process that can be broken down into five steps: medication therapy review, personal medication record, medication-related action plan, intervention and or referral, and documentation and follow-up.

Automatic Generic Substitution is a proposal by the Department of Health (DH) whereby in January 2010 pharmacists could be obliged to substitute a generic version of a medication even if the prescriber had written the prescription for a specific brand, as part of a new deal on drug pricing.

Drug therapy problems (DTPs) represent the categorization and definition of clinical problems related to the use of medications or "drugs" in the field of pharmaceutical care. In the course of clinical practice, DTPs are often identified, prevented, and/or resolved by pharmacists in the course of medication therapy management, as experts on the safety and efficacy of medications, but other healthcare professionals may also manage DTPs.

Psychiatric pharmacy, also known as mental health pharmacy, is the area of clinical pharmacy specializing in the treatment of people with psychiatric illnesses through the use of psychotropic medications. It is a branch of neuropsychiatric pharmacy, which includes neurologic pharmacy. Areas where psychiatric pharmacists are found most abundantly are in chemical dependency, developmental disabilities, long-term care facilities, adherence clinics, mental health clinics, and within the prison system. However, psychiatry and neurology are not the only areas where psychiatric pharmacists require comprehensive knowledge. They must also be proficient in clinical problem solving, interprofessionalism, and communication with understanding and empathy for the patient population they serve, as they are a sensitive group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Drug labelling</span>

Drug labelling is also referred to as prescription labelling, is a written, printed or graphic matter upon any drugs or any of its container, or accompanying such a drug. Drug labels seek to identify drug contents and to state specific instructions or warnings for administration, storage and disposal. Since 1800s, legislation has been advocated to stipulate the formats of drug labelling due to the demand for an equitable trading platform, the need of identification of toxins and the awareness of public health. Variations in healthcare system, drug incidents and commercial utilization may attribute to different regional or national drug label requirements. Despite the advancement in drug labelling, medication errors are partly associated with undesirable drug label formatting.

Commonly prescribed drugs are drugs that are frequently provided by doctors in a prescription to treat a certain disease. These drugs are often first-line treatment for the target diseases and are effective in tackling the symptoms. An example of the target disease is ischemic heart disease. Some examples of commonly prescribed drugs for this disease are beta-blockers, calcium-channel blockers and nitrates.

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