Questions on Pharmaceutical products & drug action

1. Discuss the three different ways in which drugs can be administered by injection. State three other ways in which drugs can be administered.

2. The therapeutic window gives information on the amount of a drug that can be safely administered to give the desired effect without causing adverse harm. It is effectively the safety range of the drug and is related to the therapeutic index.

Therapeutic index = LD₅₀ / ED₅₀

Explain what is meant by Effective Dose 50 and Lethal Dose 50 and discuss the problems associated with determining the LD₅₀.

3. Discuss the term ‘side effects’ in relation to the two drugs aspirin and morphine.

4. Explain why morphine is usually administered as a salt (morphine sulfate or morphine hydrochloride) rather than in its pure form.

5. The image below shows a child victim of thalidomide.

Discuss why the ‘thalidomide story’ was more of a scandal than simply a tragedy.

Download the Pharmaceutical products & drug action questions to give to your students.