EIGHT STAR PHARMACIST

EIGHT STAR PHARMACIST

 The concept of the “seven-star pharmacist” was introduced by WHO and adopted by FIP in 2000 in its policy statement on Good Pharmacy Education Practice to cover the roles of caregiver, decision-maker,communicator, manager, life-long learner, teacher and leader. The function of the pharmacist as a researcher has since been added and all these have been addressed in the competence standards.

1. Caregiver: 
Pharmacists must view their practice as integrated and continuous with those of the healthcare system and other health professionals.

2. Decision-maker: The appropriate, efficacious, safe and cost-effective use of resources (for example,personnel, medicines, chemicals, equipment, procedures, practices) should be the foundation of the pharmacist’swork. Achieving this goal requires the ability to evaluate, synthesise data and information and decide upon themost appropriate course of action.

3. Communicator: The pharmacist is in an ideal position to provide a link between prescriber and patient, and tocommunicate information on health and medicines to the public and other health professionals. Communication involves verbal, non-verbal, listening and writing skills.

4. Manager: Pharmacists must be able to manage resources (human, physical and financial) and information effectively; they must also be comfortable being managed by others, whether by an employer or the manager/leader of a healthcare team.

5. Life-long-learner: It is impossible to acquire in pharmacy school all the knowledge and experience needed topursue a life-long career as a pharmacist. The concepts, principles and commitment to life-long learning must begin while attending pharmacy school and must be supported throughout the pharmacist’s career. Pharmacists should learn how to keep their knowledge and skills up to date and how to put them into practice.

6. Teacher: Every pharmacist has a responsibility to assist with the education and training of future generations of pharmacists and the public. Participating as a teacher not only imparts knowledge to others, it offers an opportunity for the practitioner to gain new knowledge and to fine-tune existing skills.

7. Leader: Leadership involves compassion and empathy as well as vision and the ability to make decisions, communicate, and manage effectively. A pharmacist whose leadership role is to be recognised must have vision and the ability to lead.

8. Researcher: The pharmacist must be able to use the evidence base (e.g., scientific, pharmacy practice, healthsystem) effectively in order to advise on the rational use of medicines in the healthcare team. As a researcher,the pharmacist is able to increase the accessibility of unbiased health and medicines-related information for thepublic and other healthcare professionals.

FDA Warns of Rare Acetaminophen Risk

Acetaminophen, a fever and pain reliever that is one of the most widely used medicines in the U.S., can cause rare but serious skin reactions, warns the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Although rare, possible reactions to acetaminophen include three serious skin diseases whose symptoms can include rash, blisters and, in the worst case, widespread damage to the surface of skin. If you are taking acetaminophen and develop a rash or other skin reaction, stop taking the product immediately and seek medical attention right away.

PHARMACEUTICAL SUSPENSIONS

DISPERSE SYSTEM

—The term "Disperse System" refers to a system in which one substance (The Dispersed Phase) is distributed, in discrete units, throughout a second substance (the continuous Phase ).

—

—Each phase can exist in solid, liquid, or gaseous state .

—Suspensions are heterogenous system consisting of 2 phases.

   Definition

Ø   A Pharmaceutical suspension is a  coarse dispersion in which internal

      phase (therapeutically active ingredient)is dispersed uniformly

      throughout the external phase.

ØThe internal phase consisting of insoluble solid particles  

     having a range of size(0.5 to 5 microns) which is  maintained uniformly through out the suspending vehicle with aid of single or combination of suspending agent.

Ø The external phase (suspending medium) is generally
 aqueous in some instance, may be an organic or oily  liquid for non oral use.

The reasons for the formulation of a pharmaceutical suspension:

-- when the drug is insoluble in the delivery vehicle.

–To mask the bitter taste of the drug.

–To increase drug stability.

–To achieve controlled/sustained drug release.

SOME PHARMACEUTICAL SUSPENSIONS

—1. Antacid oral suspensions

—2. Antibacterial oral suspension

—3. Dry powders for oral suspension (antibiotic)

—4. Analgesic oral suspension

—5. Anthelmentic oral suspension

—6. Anticonvulsant oral suspension

—7. Antifungal oral suspension

Classification

Based On General Classes

Ø Oral suspension

     eg: Paracetamol suspension

       antacids, Tetracycline HCl.

Ø  Externally applied suspension

      eg :Calamine lotion.

Ø  Parenteral suspension

eg: Procaine penicillin G

Insulin Zinc Suspension

Based on Proportion of Solid Particles

Ø  Dilute suspension (2 to10%w/v solid)

Eg: cortisone acetate, predinisolone acetate

Ø  Concentrated suspension (50%w/v solid)

Eg: zinc oxide suspension

 Based on Electrokinetic Nature of Solid Particles

Ø Flocculated suspension

Ø Deflocculated suspension

Based on Size of Solid Particles

ØColloidal suspensions (< 1 micron)

-Suspensions having particle sizes of suspended solid less than about 1micron in size are called as colloidal suspensions.

Coarse suspensions (>1 micron)

ØSuspensions having particle sizes of greater than about 1micron in diameter are called as coarse suspensions.

Nano suspensions (10 ng)

Ø Suspensions are the biphasic colloidal dispersions of nanosized drug particles stabilized by surfactants.

ØSize of the drug particles is less than 1mm.

Advantages And Disadvantages

ADVANTAGES

Suspension can improve chemical stability of certain drug.

  E.g. Procaine penicillin G.

ØDrug in suspension exhibits higher rate of bioavailability than other dosage forms.

Solution > Suspension > Capsule > Compressed Tablet > Coated tablet

ØDuration and onset of action can be controlled.

    E.g. Protamine Zinc-Insulin suspension.

ØSuspension can mask the unpleasant/ bitter taste of drug.

    E.g. Chloramphenicol

DISADVANTAGES

ØPhysical stability , sedimentation and compaction can causes 

     problems.

Ø It is bulky sufficient care must be taken during handling and 

    transport.

Ø It is difficult to formulate.

Ø Uniform and accurate dose can not be achieved unless suspension are  packed in unit dosage form.

Applications

Ø  Suspension is usually applicable for drug which is insoluble

     (or )   poorly soluble.

    E.g. Prednisolone suspension

Ø  To prevent degradation of drug or to improve stability of drug.

     E.g. Oxy tetracycline suspension

Ø  To mask the taste of bitter of unpleasant drug.
      E.g. Chloramphenicol  palmitate suspension

Ø  Suspension of drug can be formulated for topical application  

     e.g. Calamine lotion

ØSuspension can be formulated for parentral application in order to

    control rate of drug absorption. E.g. penicillin procaine

Ø Vaccines as a immunizing agent are often formulated as suspension.
     E.g. Cholera vaccine

Ø  X-ray contrast agent are also formulated as suspension .

     eg: Barium sulphate for examination of alimentary tract.

RECEPTORS

RECEPTORS

 

 

 

 

CONTENTS

1- ENZYME-LINKED RECEPTORS
2- LIGAND GATED ION CHANNELS
3- VOLTAGE GATED ION CHANNELS
4- G PROTEIN COUPLED RECEPTORS
5- NUCLEAR RECEPTOR


 

 

 

 

ENZYME-LINKED RECEPTORS

 

These receptors are themselves enzymatic proteins. The agonist binding site lies on the outer, while the catalytic site lies on the inner face of the plasma membrane. These two domains are interconnected through a single trans- membrane stretch of peptide chain.
Most Enzyme-Linked receptors have tyrosine kinase as the enzyme. e.g. Insulin, epidermal growth factor, platelet derived growth factor & certain interleukins. The intracellular events are triggered by phosphorylation of relevant proteins. The receptor itself gets autophosphorylated on tyrosine residues which promote association of several receptor molecules, organizing the complex signaling mechanisms.

 

LIGAND GATED ION CHANNELS

They regulate the flow of ions across the membranes. Ligand binds and regulates their activity. They are fast acting receptors, respond in sub-milliseconds.
Natural ligands include Ach, Serotonin, GABA & Glutamate.
Neurotransmitter binds to the receptor, altering its concentration to open or close the channel to the flow of Na+, K+, Cl- or Ca++ ions across the membrane.
These receptors mediate neurotransmission, cardiac conduction and muscle contraction.


 


VOLTAGE GATED ION CHANNELS

They transport ions across the membrane and are regulated by the electrical potential difference near the channel. Some are composed in a way that they have a central pore through which ions travel down their electrochemical gradients.
Change in potential induces a conformational change in the channel, it opens admitting the ion influx or efflux to occur across the membrane down the electrochemical gradient.
Example include Na+ and K+ Voltage gated channels
They play role in the generation and propagation of nerve impulse across the membrane.

 


 
G PROTEIN COUPLED RECEPTORS

 
These are a large family of cell membrane receptors which are linked to the effector through one or more GTP-activated proteins.
These receptors comprise a α helical peptide which has seven membrane spanning regions.
The extracellular domain contains a ligand binding area, intracellularly, these are linked to a G protein (Gs,Gq,Gi) having 3 subunits α,β,ϒ, that binds GTP.
Binding of ligand to receptor activates the G protein, which releases GDP & binds GTP.
ADENYLYL CYCLASE (c AMP) PATHWAY
Turned on by Gsà activation of Adenylyl Cyclase àintracellular accumulation of
c AMP à increased Ca++ influx and enzyme activity

 

 
PHOSPHOLIPASE C (IP3-DAG) PATHWAY

Turned on by Gq à activation of Phospholipase C à Generation of IP3 & DAG à

Increased intracellular Ca++ and protein kinase activity

 



NUCLEAR RECEPTOR

 
These receptors work with other proteins to regulate the expression of specific genes.
Ligands include thyroid hormone, heme, cholesterol, Vitamin A & D
Ligand binding to the receptors à translocation from cytoplasm to cell nucleus à binding to nuclear hormone response elementsà resulting in up regulation or down regulation of gene expression
There are 48 known human nuclear receptors, e.g. Thyroid hormone receptor, Retinoic acid receptor, Estrogen receptor

 

ANS REVIEW

Dengue Fever

Dengue virus infection is the most common mosquito-borne infection worldwide–even surpassing malaria. This is a member of the flaviviridae. Other members of the flaviviridae family include: yellow fever, West Nile virus, St. Louis and Japanese encephalitis.

Symptoms include fever, headache, muscle and joint pains, and a characteristic skin rash that is similar to measles. In a small proportion of cases the disease develops into the life-threatening dengue hemorrhagic fever, resulting in bleeding, low levels of blood platelets and blood plasma leakage, or into dengue shock syndrome, where dangerously low blood pressure occurs.

Tuberculosis TB

Most common TB drugs
If you have latent tuberculosis, you may need to take just one type of TB drug. Active tuberculosis, particularly if it's a drug-resistant strain, will require several drugs at once. The most common medications used to treat tuberculosis include:

• Isoniazid
• Rifampin (Rifadin, Rimactane)
• Ethambutol (Myambutol)
• Pyrazinamide

There's some evidence that taking vitamin D during tuberculosis treatment enhances some of the effects of the drugs. More study is needed.