Historical background and development of profession of pharmacy

History of profession of pharmacy in relation with education.

1)Pharmacy is a science imparting the knowledge to identify, procure, formulate, standardize the drug and provide the necessary environment to maintain the therapeutic activity and regulate drug distribution.

2)In the ancient days people from tribes uses the exercise their own experience in the hour of need and repeated practice of such happening resulted into compilation of all such knowledge in to the apothecary.

3)There was a common belief that the person in this profession was associated with spiritual powers and drug along with its natural effect and some magical involvement incurring the disease.

4)After that era it followed by priestly activities due to the belief that they are near to god due to their spiritual powers.

5)Archeologist discovered “papyrous ebers” a 16th century document named after the person who compiled it.

6)It contains certain drugs of vegetable origine.g. fennel, acasia, casterpin, sodium carbonate, sulphur etc.

7)After this individuals due to their constant involvement in the profession contributed development in the science, which in turn flourished pharmacy profession.

I)Hippocrates (466 to 377 BC) :

  • Systemize the knowledge available and linked with ethics.
  • His concepts were then accepted worldwide and still utilized by health professional.

II)Dioscorites (040 to 080 AD) :

  • He was Greek physician – linked botany to the field and wrote “materia medica” which included various drugs of vegetable origin like opium, hyoscyamus and naturally occurring drugs with its identification, cultivation, collection and storage

III) Galen (131 to 200 AD) :

-He was physician and made available various formulae and methods of preparation – his work is still known as Galenical Pharmacy.

-Unit 1240 AD, pharmacy remained linked with medicine but due to continue exploration of newer drugs it became difficult to handle it simultaneously. So German Emperor Fredrick II felt that, pharmacy should be separated from medicine.

III) Paraselsus (Father of Taxocology):

-Further involvement of botany as a base for pharmacy was a change to chemistry by ‘Paraselsus’ in Swiss physicians.

-He first time mentioned it is a chemical moiety responsible for treatment of disease.

-Initially he was an European scientist who was exporting drugs throughout the world which when then shifted to USA.

Pharmacy as a career:

-Pharmacy focusses to educate the students regarding the correct use of medicines and managing terms of dosage and guiding the patients.

-Upon completion of pharmacy one can go for following professions/jobs;

Drug therapist

Hospital drug coordinator

Drug inspector

Making prescriptions for patients

Pharmacist

Research officer

Pathalogical lab

Indian Pharmacopoeia:

-The first edition of IP was published in 1955 which included the list of drug alongwith standards to secure their usefulness, test for identity and purity.

-It is prepared by the committee and was published by Government of India under the name - “The Indian Pharmacopoeial List” 1946 under the Chairmanship of COL. Sir R.N. Chopra along with nine members. The list comprises ;

1.Substances included in the British Pharmacopoeia, 48 monographs for crude drugs, chemicals and their preparations.

2.Substances not included in the British Pharmacopoeia;

a) Drugs of plant origin

b) Drugs of animal origin

c) Biological products

d) Insecticides

e) Colouring agents

f) Synthesis

g) Miscellaneous

h) Drugs for veterinary use

A)IP 1955

i)First edition of the IP was published in 1955 and is written in the English

ii)It was published by “Indian Pharmacopoeia committee constituted by Government of India on 23rd November 1948 whose tenure was five years

iii)Later the duration of the pharmacopoeial Committee was extended by one year and Dr. B.N. Ghosh was Chairman of the Committee and IP was published

iv)It includes official titles of monograph in Latin and covers 986 monograph which including crude drugs, chemical biological and several formulae derived from them.

v)Since many drugs were introduced in the market, it was felt necessary to provide standards for these drugs and hence, 1st supplement was added to IP which is published in 1960.

B)IP – Second Edition (1966)

i)After the death of Dr. B.N. Ghosh, Dr. B. Mukharji was appointed as a Chairman of 2nd Pharmacopoeial Committee in 1958, who expedited the revision process and completed the compilation work. 2nd Edition of IP was published in 1966.

ii)It contains 890 monograph and appendices

iii)240 monographs from IP 1955 and its supplement of 1960 were deleted from 2nd Edition of IP. New 93 monograph neither official in in IP 1955 nor in supplement 1966 were added to 2nd IP

iv)The title of monograph was written in English not in Latin including name of drug, category & dose in metric system and their preparation. For tablets and injections ‘Usual Strength’ has been given.

v)It also consist of;

a)Vegetable - drugs like Jatamansi, Rasna & Vidang

b)Antibiotics – Bacitracin, Neomycin

c)Chemicals – Amylobarbitone, Bemegride, Tolbutamine, Tolazoline, HCL & other

vi)Non-aqueous tritimetry, column chromatography, compleximetry have been included under new analytical technique.

-Supplement for 2nd IP – 1975

  • To provide standards for new introduced drug in the market this supplement is added to 2nd IP.
  • It consists of 126 New Monograph, many appendices giving the detailed analytical procedures along with monograph on capsules and eye oinments, their sterility test has been incorporated for 1st time.
  • New analytical techniques like TLC, GLC & IR Spectrophotometry were also adopted in this supplement.
  • Only one monograph chlorella vaccine formulized has been deleted

C)IP 3RD EDITION (1985) :

1)Third edition of IP was reconstituted under the Chairmanship of Dr. Nitya Nand, Director of Central drug Research Institute, Lukhnow in 1985 with 3rd Indian Pharmacopoeial Committee and sub Committee.

2)It consists of 261 new monograph which are not included in 2nd edition

3)450 monographs in 2nd IP have been deleted from this edition

Salient Features of IP (III) are as follows;

  • IUPASE system of nomenclature of organic chemical drugs has been used.
  • Analytical techniques like electrophoresis, flurometry, flame, photometry have been given the recognition for first time.
  • Instrumental techniques like IR, UV Spectroscopy, gas liquid chromatography, atomic absoption, spectrophotometry have been used.
  • Limit test for microbial contamination has been mentioned for new frequently used pharmaceutical aids and some oral liquid preparations.
  • Appendices for pharmaceutical containers, water for pharmaceutical use and analysis of biological essays have been annexed.

To provide the official standards for several new drugs introduced in medical professionm two addendum were added to 3rd IP.

[a] addendum (i) –

- published in 1989

- 46 new monographs are added to it and 126 monograph of 3rd edition

[b] Addendum (ii) –

- published in 1991 and is effective from 1st January 1992

- it consists of 62 new drugs and amendments to 110 monograph of 3rd edition.

- appendix on high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and determination of water by azotropic distillation have been added.

D)IP Fourth Edition [1996]

1)IP 1996 has been made effective from 1st December 1996 which supersedes the 1985 edition and its addenda.

2)It consist of 1149 monographs not including in 3rd edition while 110 monograph have been deleted, monographs of creams, eye drops, nasal preparations, oral liquids, jelly strength, suppositories.

3)Important along the new appendices added to the 4th edition are the biological indicators, jelly strength, osmolarity, particular matter.

4)Method of preparation and in process control for biological products, IR and uv absorbtion test have been added to many drug substances.

5)Test for bacterial endotoxins as a substitute test for pyrogens ,extensive use of HPLC for analysis of drug substance and few of the silent features of 4th edition of IP1996.

IP 1996 Addendums—

  1. Addendum 2000.
  • Includes 42 monographs.
  • Changes in the monograph of carbamazine.
  • Bacterial endotoxin test for pyrogens has been replaced by gel clot method.
  • This has come into existence from 31st December, 2000.
  1. Addendum 2002.
  • Includes 19 monographs .
  • organic volatile impurities which used to produce in the manufacture of active pharmaceutical substance, expients of medicinal products.
  • The appendix for HPLC has been also replaced by revised version covering ion chromatography. A new appendices on residual solvents has been added to moniter the content of

British Pharmacopoeia

i)The 1st British pharmacopoeia was released was released in 1864 including Edinberg, Scotland and Doublin had their pharmocopias were merged in first BP.

ii)Since 1948 revision of BP was after every 5 years.

iii)After 1973 BP was published in 1980 and 1988 with includimg extracts, galanicals and other drugs.

iv)Latest edition of BP was published in 1993 consists of main volume and four addendum -1994, 1995, 1996, 1997.

v)The major change includes the replacement of all the edited texts of the monograph of europian pharmacopeia by entries in the form of cross reference to monograph published in 3rd edition of EP.

vi)BP has provided authorized standards for quality of substances, preparations,and articles used in pharmacy.

vii)There are 2 volumes-

Volume 1 –

  • Deals with medicinal and pharmaceutical substances.
  • It also includes IR reference spectra needed for identification of drugs.

Volume 2 –

  • Contains sections on formulated preparations, blood products, immunological roducts, ratio pharmaceutical preparations and surgical material.
  • 15th edition- contains 2040monograph of substance used in pharmacy

viii)15th Edition

– Contains 2040 monograph of substance used in pharmacy

-800 monograph of 2nd edition of European Pharmacopoeia

-The side heading, definition & production have been introduced

-This is specially used for biological products

United States Pharmacopoeia - USP

i)The 1st USP was published on 15th December 1820 in both Latin & English

ii)In all 217 drugs were listed which were worthy of recognition and were described in total 272 pages

iii)It is decided to revise pharmacopoeias after every 10 years,by 1870 pharmacopoeia was in hands of the pharmacist. Later in 1940 it is decided to receive pharmacopoeia after every 5 years.

iv)USP vi published in 1880-90 decade included 1st time test and assay to set the standards of strength and purity for drugs.

v)Two individuals compendia published at the end of 1974 were combined to one and included 200 more monograph to give USP XX emphasis was also given to GMP and bioavailability as apart to focus health cure of nation .

vi)Introduction of test for content uniformity, microbial limits, resolution rate, revision regarding containers,were also published in single volume

vii)USP XXI-NF XVI and XXIII-NF XVIII were next publication added to USP.

viii)USP volume also contains general requirements for dosage forms, individual monograph for excipients, including solvents, acidifying agents, diluents, stabilizer and surfectants.

Extra pharmacopoeia

  1. Martindales extra pharmacopoeia-
  • 1st edition was published in july 1883.
  • Aim was to provide practicing pharmacist and physicians with evaluated information on drugs.
  • 31st edition published in 1996 contains 283 new monographs and 173 were deleted
  • Also includes descriptions of disease, which are treated by drugs.
  • It is divided in 3 parts.

Part 1) – 4485 monographs

Part 2) – series of 784 short monograph of new drugs, toxic substances and drugs not used chemically but still of interest.

Part 3)—contains proprietary preparations from a range of countries as well as official preparation from current edition of other pharmacopoeia.

  1. European Pharmacopoeia
  • EP’s first volume was published in 1969 and then in 1971, supplement was published in 1973, third volume was published in 1975 and supplement of 1999 has been recently launched with added 105 new European standards and revised monograph.
  1. International Pharmacopoeia
  • First edition was published in 1951 with the co-operation of United Nations. It has arranged the preparation as per pharmaceutical forms and is of importance to pharmacists. Pharmacological classification is given the convenience of medical practitioners contains valuable information about action used, doses of drugs and adverse reaction of the drugs.

PPG