Pharmacology is a division of pharmaceutical sciences that is concerned with the study of action of chemical substances or drugs on human body. A drug can be defined as any artificial or natural, or endogenous molecule which exerts a biochemical or physiological effect on the cell, tissue, organ, or organism. Pharmacology is the study of action of drug on biological system and response of body to the drug or chemical substance. The discipline covers the sources, chemical properties, biological effects, and therapeutic uses of drugs.
Pharmacology is the science of drugs and their effect on living systems. You can find pharmacology present everywhere. In medicine cabinets, when you visit the dentists and when you take any type of medication. Pharmacology is also responsible for painkillers, caffeine drinks and antibiotics. It is the science of what is happening to your body and to the drug itself.
Every medication we take alters the chemistry within our body. The role of pharmacology is to understand why these changes are happening, allowing us to develop better drugs.
Pharmacology is crucial for:
discovering new medicines to help fight diseases
improving the effectiveness of medicines
reducing unwanted side effects of medicines
understanding why individuals differ in the way they respond to certain drugs, and why some others cause addiction
Pharmacology lies at the heart of biomedical science, linking together chemistry, physiology and pathology. Pharmacologists work closely with a wide variety of other disciplines that make up modern biomedical science, including neuroscience, molecular and cell biology, immunology and cancer biology.
Pharmacological knowledge improves the lives of millions of people across the world. It maximises their benefit and minimises risk and harm
As new diseases emerge, and older medicines - like antibiotics - no longer work as well, the contribution of pharmacology to finding better and safer medicines becomes all the more vital.