Drug story: Drug vs Medicine vs Product vs Therapy - 06/24

In the industry, it’s common to use terms that might seem correct but are actually out of context. For instance, I used to refer to my client’s products as ‘drugs.’ However, I noticed that many clients and even their websites didn’t use this term. 

It wasn’t until my recent studies in D.Pharm. that I discovered the intriguing differences between these terms

1. Drug or “drug substance” or API is limited to the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API), which is often only a part of a final drug product consumed by the patient. 

Eg. antibiotics, anticancer (eg. Nivolumab), antidiabetic

2. Product or "drug product" is the final form of a drug that is ready for distribution and consumption by patients. A drug product typically includes not only the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) that provides the therapeutic effect but also other components, such as excipients, fillers, binders, and coatings, that help deliver the medication in a safe and effective manner. Drug products come in various forms, including tablets, capsules, liquid suspensions, injectables, creams, and more. 

Eg. Opdivo an intravenous solution (10 mg/mL)

3. Medicine: Medicine is a substance or preparation used in treating disease, while drug is any chemical compound which is intended to bring change in normal physiological functions of body. All medicines are drugs but all drugs are not medicines (eg. Nivolumab is a medicine vs Methamphetamine used as a CNS stimulant for recreational use)

4. Therapy: Or pharmacological therapy or drug therapy is a method where a combination of multiple drugs with each having a different mechanism of action is used in a single dose form to achieve a greater efficacy than one drug alone 

Eg.  OPDIVO® (nivolumab), in combination with YERVOY® (ipilimumab), is indicated for the treatment of adult patients with hepatocellular carcinoma

To summarize, use product instead of drug (and even pharma companies refer to drugs as products on their websites.)

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