The Kinds Of Pharmaceuticals May 13 Patrice Bergeron Jersey , 2013 | Author: Armand Zeiders | Posted in Education
After several times of going to a drugstore, you must have noticed that there are so many types of drugs that are available over the counter or with a prescription. It is expected that pharmacists use a special system for classifying the drugs; one which is called the Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical Classification System or ATC. In this system, there are five different classifications used.

At the beginning, the drugs are divided into classifications that are based on the parts of the body that these focus on. An example for this is that Code A drugs are meant for metabolism and the alimentary tract while the drugs that focus on the blood as well as the organs related to it is classified as Code B. On the other hand, Code C drugs are those that make an effect on the cardiovascular system as well as the respiratory and nervous systems and also the sensory organs.

At the second level, a two-digit code is added to the letter to identify the main therapeutic group. The third level adds another letter to indicate the therapeutic subgroup. The fourth level adds yet another level to show another subgroup and finally the fifth level, which is another two-digit code, identifies the chemical substance used in the specific drug. So a doctor or pharmacist could look at this code and know for what this drug is meant to be used.

For example, consider a drug such as salbutamol which is used for the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and asthma. This drug has an ATC code of R03AC02. The R indicates that the drug affects the respiratory system. The 03 indicates use for obstructive airway diseases. The AC indicates that the drug is in a subgroup of beta-2-adrenoreceptor agonists, and finally the 02 indicates the chemical used in the drug.

You may use another example, say Cetuximab, a drug used for the treatment of metastatic cancers. Its ATC code is L01XC06. L means that it is for immunotherapy because the drug is actually an antineoplastic or immunodulating agent. The following two digits refers that it is for chemotherapy. The succeeding letters and numbers pertain to that fact that it is composed of monoclonal antibodies. Apparently, the suffix ‘mab’ means monoclonal antibodies.

Actually, there have been many drugs that are being manufactured with the application of monoclonal antibodies, which could only be developed in a lab setting. Examples of such drugs include Rituximab, which aims to destroy B-cells as it attempts to treat leukemia and lymphomas, which are conditions that make the body produce too much B-cells that may no longer be functioning.

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NEW YORK, April 10 (Xinhua) -- U.S. stocks ended higher Friday, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average closing above 18,000 points for the first time since March 24, boosted by General Electric's restructuring plan and a broad-based stock increase around the world.

The Dow gained 98.92 points, or 0.55 percent, to 18, 057.65. The S&P 500 rose 10.88 points, or 0.52 percent, to 2,102.06. The Nasdaq Composite Index was up 21.41 points, or 0.43 percent, to 4, 995.98.

Before Friday's opening bell, GE said it would create a simpler, more valuable company by reducing the size of its financial businesses through the sale of most GE Capital assets and by focusing on continued investment and growth in its world-class industrial businesses.

The GE board has also authorized a new repurchase program of up to 50 billion U.S. dollars in common stock. GE expects to reduce its share count to 8-8.5 billion by 2018.

"This is a major step in our strategy to focus GE around its competitive advantages," GE Chairman and CEO Jeff Immelt said. "GE today is a premier industrial and technology company with businesses in essential infrastructure industries. These businesses are leaders in technology, the Industrial Internet and advanced manufacturing."

GE shares soared 10.80 percent to 28.51 dollars apiece Friday.

Meanwhile, Apple's wearable smartwatch becomes available for pre-order Friday, ahead of a release date set for April 24. According to media reports, however, most of the watches won't be available until June, and at least one Apple Watch won't be available until July. Shares of the tech giant rose 0.43 percent to 127.10 dollars apiece.

Adding optimistic sentiment to the market, overseas stock markets staged on a records-set session Friday. European shares posted solid gains amid the weaker euro, with British benchmark FTSE 100 Index rising 1.06 percent to close at a record high of 7, 089.77 points, spurred by a good economic prospect in Britain.

In Asia, Chinese Shanghai Composite Index surged 1.94 percent to 4,034.31 points, above the key mark of 4,000 points at closing for the first time since early 2008.

Japan's benchmark Nikkei index breached the psychologically important 20,000-point line for the first time in 15 years in early trade before ending 0.15 percent lower Friday.

On the economic front, U.S. import prices fell 0.3 percent in March following a 0.2-percent upturn in the previous month, said the U.S. Labor Department Friday. The price index for U.S. exports ticked up 0.1 percent, after declining 0.2 percent in February.

For the week, the Dow and the S&P 500 both rose 1.7 percent, respectively, while the Nasdaq was up 2.2 percent.

The CBOE Volatility Index, often referred to as Wall Street's fear gauge, decreased 3.90 percent to end at 12.58 Friday.

In other markets, crude prices rose amid the speculation that the low price would curb the surplus supply as U.S. ri.