Pharmacology is the study of how substances interact with living organisms to produce a change in function.

If substances have medicinal properties, they are considered pharmaceuticals.

The field encompasses drug composition and properties, interactions, toxicology, therapy, and medical applications and antipathogenic capabilities. Development of medication is a vital concern to medicine, but also has strong economical and political implications.

To protect the consumer and prevent abuse, many governments regulate the manufacture, sale, and administration of medication.

In the United States, the main body that regulates pharmaceuticals is the Food and Drug Administration.

For more information about the topic Pharmacology, read the full article at Wikipedia.org, or see the following related articles:

Drug discovery — In medicine, biotechnology and pharmacology, drug discovery is the process by which drugs are discovered and/or designed. In the past most drugs have ...  > read more

Clinical trial — The most commonly performed clinical trials evaluate new drugs, medical devices, biologics, or other interventions to patients in strictly ...  > read more

Biopharmaceutical — Biopharmaceuticals are medical drugs produced using biotechnology. They are proteins (including antibodies), nucleic acids (DNA, RNA or antisense ...  > read more

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Editor's Note: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.

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