Classification of Pharmaceutical Medicine

A medication is a drug used to diagnose, cure, treat, or prevent disease. Drugs used in medicine generally are divided into classes or groups on the basis of their uses, their chemical structures, or their mechanisms of action.

Medicine

These different classification systems can be confusing, since each drug may be included in multiple classes. Drugs are classified in multiple ways. Such classifications are not always useful and some drugs will fall into more than one category depending on the dose used.

Classification Of Medicine

Medicine is classified based on different forms. Let's begin with the level.

Read Also: Overview of pharmaceutical excipient

Classification On Level

1. Prescription only medicine (POM) are medicine only a pharmacist can dispense

2. Over the counter (OTC) medisnece are those ones a patient can buy and use from pharmacy and patent store without prescription

3. Control drugs (CD) are those ones that only a pharmacist can dispense from a prescription sheet

Classification On Source

1. Synthetic chemicals

2. Chemical substances or metabolic products made by microorganisms

3. Chemical substances derived from plants

Classification On Route Of Administration

1. Oral

2. Parenteral

3. Topical

4. Pulmonary/Inhalation

5. Vagina

6. Anal

7. Sublingual and buccal

Classification On Dosage Form

1. Solid

2. Liquid

3. Inhalation

Classification On Mode Of Action

Example is vasodilator

Classification On Therapeutic Effect

1. Antibiotics

2. Antifungal

3. Antiviral

4. Antacid

5. Antihypertensive

6. Antidepressants

7. Antidiarrheal

8. Antihistamine

9. Etc

Read Also: Routes of drug administration

Classification On Chemical Structure

Example is penicillins, beta blockers, steroids, barbiturates, benzodiazepines, glycosides

Classification On Principal Pharmacological Effect

Examples are bacteriostatic, diuretic, sedative, anesthetic, analgesic, purgative, antiemetic, anthelmintic, etc.

Classification On Physiological Effect

Example is parasympathomimetic, adrenergic, b-blocker, neuromuscular blocker.