Pharmacy - what is it?

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

Pharmaceuticals is an industry whose task is to mass-produce standardized medicines. It is a historical continuation of pharmacy. There is a significant difference between the two concepts and methods of obtaining drugs.

Pharmacy and pharmaceuticals: what is the difference?

Pharmacy has been known since ancient times, when the first medicines began to be made. Today, pharmacy is a scientific discipline whose scope of activity includes the creation of drugs, the study of their reliability, research in the field of synthesis and production of drugs, the study of the mechanism of action of drugs on humans, and much more. Also the subject of study is the search and testing of natural remedies. Pharmaceutics is the industrial production of drugs, the next stage in the development of pharmacy to meet the needs of the mass consumer.

Pharmaceuticals as a part of pharmacy appeared in the 19th century, when it became clear that the well-known method of manufacturing medicines could not provide the mass consumer, and the drugs obtained were of a handicraft nature of manufacture. Consequencethere were frequent complications in patients, each specialist - "pharmacist" - had his own prescription for a particular drug, there was no common formulation and standardization of drugs.

Since the 19th century, the era of standardization and the emergence of pharmacy chains has started, the movement began in the USA, after understanding the profitability of creating a medical market. Medicines began to be mass-produced after the appearance of the first large-scale enterprises. Thus, pharmaceuticals is a technological production of medicines with all the attendant interests of a high-tech industry.

What pharmaceuticals do

In the modern world, pharmaceuticals is a field of knowledge and practice in the interests of the industrial, mass and economically perfect production of medicines and substances. She studies all aspects of mass production of drugs. In her competence:

• Studying the effectiveness of drugs and their effects on the human body.
• Study of the chemical constituents of drugs (dosing, concentration, etc.).
• Types of dosage forms, methods of their introduction into production and sale.
• Physical states of medicinal substances (size, shape, etc.).
• Mass production technology, machinery and apparatus for industry, production line equipment.
• Excipients of drugs, their effect on the final product and the human body.

Pharmaceutical development

The pharmaceutical industry originated in the second half of the 19th century. During this period, the first pharmacies appeared, where drugs were not compiled, but only sold. Proprietary funds were included in the implementation. The pioneers of the industrial production of drugs were two companies: Bohm's enterprise produced ammonia, and Pelletier - quinine. Their example was followed by the owners of retail pharmacies, on the basis of which large-scale production subsequently grew.

When enterprising pharmacists realized that pharmaceuticals are very profitable, they began to build their own enterprises. In 1827, the pharmacist Merck began to produce medicines based on natural ingredients (morphine, quinine, etc.), which later led him to create a large company. The basis of many well-known pharmaceutical brands has become an ordinary pharmacy, such as "Schering" (Germany) or "Park-Davis" (USA).

Pharmaceuticals and chemistry

This industry was not only limited to the activities of pharmacies. The pharmaceutical industry is directly related to the chemical industry. Chemical waste from production has been the start of several companies, such as Bayer. The government's policy of patenting drug names has also boosted the industry.

Any manufacturer could come up with his own name for the medicine and sell it under his own brand, which did not prevent others from selling the same product under other names. Successful advertising and marketing campaignsthe drug "Aspirin" is 24 times more expensive than acetylsalicylic acid, which he, in fact, was.

The unfolding war between Prussia and Austria in 1866 stimulated the production of pharmaceuticals. The subsequent military conflicts in Europe also served as an impetus for the rapid growth of large-scale production of patent medicines. Before the First World War, Germany was the leader of the pharmaceutical industry, its market share was 20% of the total turnover of medicines. Later, the leadership passed to companies from the USA.

Russian pharmaceuticals

Pharmacy in Russia began its development from monasteries, where all the suffering received not only spiritual food, but also help in curing ailments, numerous advice from healers. In 1091, the first hospital was established in Russia, the initiator was the Pereyaslav priest Ephraim. The chronicles have preserved the names of many monastery healers, and some of them have been honored for centuries, for example, Pimen the Postnik and Dimian the Healer.

The Mongol-Tatar invasion and several centuries of slavery stopped the development of science in many areas, medicine practically ceased to exist. Interest in her revived in the royal family in 1547, when several experts were brought to the court from Europe.

The first pharmacy appeared in Moscow under Tsar Ivan the Terrible, the duties of the employees included serving the royal family. It became the basis for the creation of the Pharmaceutical Chamber. Reliable data about the first pharmacy has not been preserved. It's believed thatIt was located opposite the Chudov Monastery in the Kremlin. All work was strictly regulated, the ingredients used were taken into account in a special book, the manufactured medicines were supplied with an inscription indicating the content and quantity of each component and the name of the pharmacist who created the mixture. The book was kept by the head of the Pharmaceutical Chamber along with all the medicines.

Peter's reforms

In 1654, a school was opened to train doctors and pharmacists. A public pharmacy appeared in Moscow in 1672, and it was located not far from Red Square, it was given the name New, so as not to be confused with Tsarskaya. Progress was also brought to this area by the main reformer of Russia, Peter I. In 1701, according to his decree, eight such shops were opened in Belokamennaya. The largest and most advanced pharmacy of that time was located on Myasnitskaya Street in 1706. The task of this institution included not only the distribution of medicines to a wide range of customers, but also the supply of medicines to army units.

In 1714, Peter the Great carried out another reform of medicine and renamed the Pharmaceutical Chamber into the Medical Office. The new institution was engaged in the control of military medical affairs, the regulation of the work of pharmacists. In the middle of the 18th century, 14 pharmacies were established in the capital, and they also appeared in many large cities.

Achievements of Russian pharmacists

Domestic pharmaceutical industry has made a significant contribution to world science. The brightest discoveries were made in the Medico-Surgicalacademy (Petersburg). On the basis of the educational institution, Professor O. V. Zabelin organized a laboratory where pharmacological experiments were carried out. Thanks to the activities of A. A. Sokolovsky, such disciplines as pharmacology and pharmaceutics were studied at Moscow University. Many scientists who worked at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries contributed to the development of drugs and preparations.

Pharmaceutical products in the Soviet period were produced only after a long period of testing, confirmation of the effectiveness and safety of its use. A network of laboratories and large enterprises for the synthesis of complex drugs was created in the country. The drugs produced were of high quality. At present, the Russian pharmaceutical industry fully complies with the world industry standards. A working network of laboratories and industries continues to develop new drugs, experiments and research are being carried out.

Russian pharmaceutical factories produce products that are in demand on the domestic and foreign markets. The five largest pharmaceutical enterprises in the Russian Federation look like this:

• AstraZeneca.
• CJSC "Vertex".
• STADA CIS.
• "Microgen".
• JSC "Grindeks".

Profession "pharmacist"

Pharmaceuticals is a science and industry that requires qualified personnel. Medical schools train specialists of two professions - a pharmacist and a pharmacist. A pharmacist is a junior medical staff, speci altyreceived in colleges, training lasts 4 years. The profession of a pharmacist is mastered in universities for 7 years (6 years of study + 1 year of internship).

Pharmacists get their knowledge base in four main areas. After graduation, specialists in this field work in pharmacies, pharmacy warehouses, laboratories, specialized research institutes. Pharmacy attracts students with great opportunities and dynamism. The specialist should not only dispense drugs, but give advice on alternative choices. In addition, the mastered knowledge base allows you to understand how medicines are formulated, what their effect is and contraindications.

Who can work as an employee of an enterprise whose line of business is pharmaceuticals? The medicine for any disease is produced taking into account and observing strict technologies and rules. There is work for a pharmacist in any part of the enterprise. Areas of work of such a specialist:

• Pharmacist-seller - works in a retail network of pharmacies. Responsibilities include communicating with customers, maintaining records, making prescription drugs, storing medicines correctly, replenishing stocks.
• Pharmacist-researcher working in laboratories. The tasks of the researcher are: to study the course of diseases, healing processes, the behavior of bacteria, viruses, microflora, etc. The most attentive specialists get access to work with dangerous types of viruses (AIDS, Ebola, etc.) to develop vaccines against these diseases.
• Pharmacists-distributors are in demand in pharmaceutical companies that sell their own drugs or are representatives of large corporations.

Pharmacy is a synthesis of science and production. Nearly everyone uses mass-produced medicines. A reasonable approach to the consumption of medicines contributes to maintaining he alth and curing many diseases.