Pharmacology

Pharmacology, one of the pharmaceutical professional sciences, can briefly be described as the science of drugs. According to the World Health Organization, drugs are defined as substances intended to be used to modify or examine physiological systems and pathological conditions for the benefit of the recipient; their development, the investigation of their pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic profiles, and all activities related to pharmacoepidemiology and pharmacovigilance fall within the fields of pharmacology.

The fields of pharmacology can briefly be listed as follows:

• In silico, in vitro and in vivo studies conducted during the drug development process

• Clinical research

• Investigation of the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic profiles of drugs

• Investigation of drug interactions

• Drug safety and pharmacovigilance

• Pharmacoepidemiology