About Pharmacy

Pharmacy: Derived from the Greek word Pharmakon, which means medicine or drug.

Pharmacy: It is the art and science of preparing, dispensing, and ensuring the proper use of medications, along with providing drug-related information to the public.

Definition
of Drug

According to the FDA (Food and Drug Administration), Drug is a substance intended for use in the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease.

The material may be:

  • Natural in origin (plant-animal-minerals).
  • Synthetic drugs like aspirin.
  • Semi synthetic like ampicillines.
  • Pharmacy Profession

    Patient Services

    Direct Activities
    • Hospital Pharmacy
    • Clinical Pharmacy
    • Community Pharmacy
    • Bio chemical analysis
    • Microbiological analysis
    • Immunological analysis

    Drug Services

    Indirect Activities
    • Drug promotion
    • Family planning program
    • Dehydration treatment program

    Innovating New Drugs

    • Screening for effect and safety
    • Analysis
    • Formulation
    • In process quality control
    • Production
    • Final quality control
    • Distribution

    Pharmacist Career

    Community Pharmacist

    Provides medication and advice directly to patients in retail settings.

    Hospital Pharmacist

    Works in hospitals to manage and supply medications for patients.

    Clinical Pharmacist

    Collaborates with doctors to ensure the best drug therapy for patients.

    Industrial Pharmacist

    Involved in drug manufacturing, formulation, and quality control.

    Medical Representative

    Promotes and sells pharmaceutical products to healthcare professionals.

    Academic / Research Pharmacist

    Teaches pharmacy students and conducts drug research.

    Aims of Modern Pharmaceutical Education

    Scientific
    Background

    Provide strong scientific foundation in chemistry, biology, and pharmacology.

    Professional
    Skills

    Equip students with practical skills and knowledge for clinical and community pharmacy.

    Business
    Training

    Teach pharmaceutical marketing, management, and entrepreneurship.

    General
    Education

    Promote critical thinking, ethics, communication, and lifelong learning.

    Real Pharmacy Practical Classes

    Provides Knowledge Of
    • Basic Laboratory Skills: Understanding fundamental lab procedures including weighing, measuring, mixing, and sample handling.
    • Handling of Apparatus: Training on using laboratory instruments like burettes, pipettes, microscopes, and spectrophotometers safely and accurately.
    • Handling of Chemicals: Learning proper storage, labeling, usage, and disposal of chemicals to ensure safety and compliance with regulations.
    • Handling of Biological Compounds: Acquiring skills to work with tissues, cells, enzymes, and biological samples for pharmaceutical applications.
    • Safety Measures: Following safety protocols such as wearing PPE, dealing with chemical spills, first aid, and emergency procedures.
    • Documentations: Maintaining accurate records of experiments, formulations, results, and lab activities to ensure traceability and accountability.

    Nature of Practical Classes in Pharmacy

    Key Practical Components
    • Evaluation of drugs: Testing the effectiveness, safety, and quality of pharmaceutical products.
    • Compounding of drugs: Preparing custom medication by mixing ingredients to suit individual patient needs.
    • Extraction of drugs from natural sources: Isolating active compounds from plants and other natural materials.
    • Titrations: Performing chemical analysis to determine the concentration of a substance in a solution.
    • Synthesizing new drugs: Creating new chemical compounds in the lab that could lead to future medicines.
    • Evaluation of biological properties: Assessing how drugs interact with biological systems and their therapeutic effects.
    • Manufacturing formulations: Learning how to produce different dosage forms like tablets, capsules, and syrups.
    • Packing of drugs: Understanding packaging techniques to preserve drug quality and ensure safe distribution.
    • Stability studies: Testing how environmental conditions affect the shelf life and integrity of medications.
    • Health and safety measures: Applying lab safety protocols to prevent accidents and ensure proper handling of substances.

    Kangeyam Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research