Medication/ja: Difference between revisions

Drugs are [[Drug class|Cassified]] in multiple ways. One of the key divisions is by level of [[:en:controlled substance|control]], which distinguishes [[prescription drug|prescription drug]]s (those that a [[pharmacist|pharmacist]] dispenses only on the [[medical prescription|order]] of a [[physician|physician]], [[physician assistant|physician assistant]], or qualified [[nursing|nurse]]) from [[over-the-counter drug|over-the-counter drug]]s (those that consumers can order for themselves). Another key distinction is between traditional [[small molecule|small molecule]] drugs, usually derived from [[chemical synthesis|chemical synthesis]], and [[biopharmaceutical|biopharmaceutical]]s, which include [[recombinant proteins|recombinant proteins]], [[vaccine|vaccine]]s, [[blood product|blood product]]s used [[therapy|therapeutically]] (such as [[IVIG|IVIG]]), [[gene therapy|gene therapy]], [[Monoclonal antibody|monoclonal antibodies]] and [[cell therapy|cell therapy]] (for instance, [[stem cell|stem cell]] therapies). Other ways to classify medicines are by mode of action, [[route of administration|route of administration]], [[biological system|biological system]] affected, or [[therapeutic effect|therapeutic effect]]s. An elaborate and widely used classification system is the [[Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical Classification System|Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical Classification System]]. The [[:en:World Health Organization|World Health Organization]] keeps a list of [[essential medicines|essential medicines]].