Drug Classifications
Republic of the Philippines
Department of Education
REGION III-CENTRAL LUZON
SCHOOLS DIVISION OF TARLAC PROVINCE
MALACAMPA NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL-STE
DIRECTIONS: Read and analyze the following concepts. Answer the activities on a
separate sheet of paper.
CONSUMER CHEMISTRY QUARTER 4 WEEK 1-2
PROPERTIES OF MEDICINE AND ITS CLASSIFICATION
A medication (also referred to as medicine, pharmaceutical drug, medicinal
drug or simply drug) is a drug (macromolecule exploiting some biological target) used
to diagnose, cure, treat, or prevent disease. Drug therapy (pharmacotherapy) is an important
part of the medical field and relies on the science of pharmacology for continual
advancement and on pharmacy for appropriate management.
Physicochemical properties of drugs
It is the ability of the compound or medicine to elicit a therapeutic effect either
physical or chemical properties of the substance.
1. Physical properties – physical property of drug responsible for its action
2. Chemical properties – the drug’s reaction like neutralization, oxidation etc.
Various Physico-Chemical Properties are:
1. Solubility- is the ability of a solid, liquid, or gaseous chemical substance (referred to as
the solute) to dissolve in solvent (usually a liquid) and form a solution.  available by prescription.
2. Dissociation constant - An acid dissociation constant (Ka) is a quantitative measure of
the strength of an acid in solution.
3. Ionization of Drug - Ionized (or charged) drugs are not absorbed as efficiently as un-
ionized drugs are. Practically speaking, this means that if taken orally, a drug that is a
weak acid will be absorbed primarily in the acidic environment; whereas, a drug that is a
weak base will be absorbed in the alkaline environment small intestines.
4. Surface activity – the adsorption of the molecule on a surface-active monolayer of water
or air surface
5. Protein binding - refers to the degree to which medications attach to proteins within the
blood. A drug's efficiency may be affected by the degree to which it binds. The
less bound a drug is, the more efficiently it can traverse cell membranes or diffuse.
One of the key classifications is between traditional small molecule drugs; usually
derived from chemical synthesis, and biologic medical products; which
include recombinant proteins, vaccines, blood products used therapeutically (such
as IVIG), gene therapy, and cell therapy (for instance, stem cell therapies)
1. Anti-Hemorrhoid drugs - This medication is used to temporarily relieve swelling,
burning, pain, and itching caused by hemorrhoids (swollen vein)
2. Topical Antibiotics - are antibiotics that have been manufactured into a cream or an
ointment and can be applied directly to the skin. Antibiotics are medicines that destroy or
inhibit the growth of susceptible bacteria.
3. Cough Suppressants - do their job by blocking
your cough reflex. Dextromethorphan is the most common ingredient for this.
4. Anti-Acne drugs - Acne medications work by reducing oil production and swelling or
by treating bacterial infection. Acne drugs are either antibiotics, salicylic etc.
5. Non- steroidal Anti-inflammatory drugs - Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory
drugs (NSAIDs) are medicines that are widely used to relieve pain, reduce inflammation,
and bring down a high temperature. They're often used to relieve symptoms of headaches,
painful periods, sprains and strains, colds and flu, arthritis, and other causes of long-term
pain. A good example are naproxen and ibuprofen.
6. Antiseptics - Antiseptics, or skin disinfectants, are chemicals for cleaning the skin and
wounds. They can kill or prevent the growth of microorganisms.
7. Analgesics -  are a class of medications designed specifically to relieve pain. They
include acetaminophen (Tylenol), which is available over the counter (OTC) or by
prescription when combined with another drug, and opioids (narcotics), which are only
8. Salicylates - are a group of chemicals derived from salicylic acid. They are found
naturally in certain foods and also synthetically produced for use in products like aspirin,
toothpaste and food preservatives. Both natural and synthetic forms can cause adverse
reactions in some people. are a group of drugs, including aspirin, available as both
prescription and non-prescription (over-the-counter) medications. They are often used to
relieve pain and inflammation, to reduce fever, and to prevent excessive blood clotting.
 PRESCRIPTION MEDICINES FROM OVER THE COUNTER MEDICINES IN Loperamide is an anti-diarrheal that is available in tablet, capsule, or liquid form. When
TERMS OF THEIR CHEMICAL PROPERTIES AND USES misusing loperamide, people swallow large quantities of the medicine. It is unclear how
often this drug is misused.
What is the difference between prescription drugs and OTC drugs?

A drug is a substance intended for use in the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment,
or prevention of disease. Here are the main differences between OTC drugs and
prescription drugs.
Prescription drugs are:
1. Prescribed by a doctor
2. Bought at a pharmacy
3. Prescribed for and intended to be used by one person
4. Regulated by FDA through the New Drug Application (NDA) process. This is the formal
step a drug sponsor takes to ask that the FDA consider approving a new drug for marketing.
An NDA includes all animal and human data and analyses of the data, as well as
information about how the drug behaves in the body and how it is manufactured. For more
information on the NDA process, please see "The FDA's Drug Review Process: Ensuring
Drugs Are Safe and Effective."

OTC drugs are:

1. Drugs that do NOT require a doctor's prescription

2. Bought off-the-shelf in stores
3. Regulated by FDA through OTC Drug monographs. OTC drug monographs are a kind of
"recipe book" covering acceptable ingredients, doses, formulations, and labeling.
Monographs will continually be updated adding additional ingredients and labeling as
needed. Products conforming to a monograph may be marketed without further FDA
clearance, while those that do not, must undergo separate review and approval through the
"New Drug Approval System."

What are some of the commonly misused OTC medicines?

There are two OTC medicines that are most commonly misused.

Dextromethorphan (DXM) is a cough suppressant found in many OTC cold medicines. Prepared by: Checked by:
The most common sources of abused DXM are "extra-strength" cough syrup, tablets and
gel capsules. OTC medications that contain DXM often also contain antihistamines and Ofelia M. Manzon Johnson P. Flores
decongestants. DXM may be swallowed in its original form or may be mixed with soda for Subject Teacher Head Teacher I -Science
flavor, called "robo-tripping" or "skittling." Users sometimes inject it. These medicines are
often misused in combination with other drugs, such as alcohol and marijuana.