Author: Glossary
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Drug handling
The manipulation of medications in order to administer them. It is important to carefully read the label or other printed instruction issued with medications. The ordered doses (quantities) should be measured accurately and never estimated. A measuring glass or spoon marked in milliliters, ounces, or both should be used. In giving a dose of medicine,…
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Drug enforcement administration number
A number assigned by the DEA to health care providers indicating that the person or facility is registered with the DEA to prescribe controlled substances.
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Computer assisted drug development
The automated design and testing of new chemical compounds for therapeutic use. Commonly, CADD involves using computerized algorithms to build molecules with specific sizes, shapes, or combining characteristics and assessing the biological activity of the molecules in various solutions.
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New methods of drug delivery
Several methods of drug delivery have been used experimentally. Included are chemical modification of a drug to enable it to penetrate membranes such as the blood-brain barrier; incorporation of microparticles in colloidal carriers made of proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, or synthetic polymers; controlled-release systems that permit a drug to be delivered for very long periods; and…
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Drug companion
A medication whose efficacy depends on its use with a second agent. The same drug may have little effect when used alone.
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Drug approval
The formal process through which drugs are tested before they are permitted to be sold. In the U.S., the process involves a series of studies on small groups of patients affected by diseases for which the drug may prove beneficial.
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Drug administration
The giving of a therapeutic agent to a patient, e.g. by infusion, inhalation, injection, paste, suppository or tablet.
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Drug abuse warning network
A national system of surveillance that records the number of deaths and emergency department visits caused by illicit drugs. It was renamed “New DAWN” in 2003.
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Ulcerogenic drug
A medicine, such as a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, that may cause peptic ulcers.
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Street drug
A drug obtained illegally. A street drug is usually a drug of abuse. A substance obtained from an illicit drug dealer, which can either be a legal substance unlawfully sold without a prescription or intended for non-medical purposes, or it can be an illegal substance prohibited from possession.