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11 views

Drugs

Uploaded by

Enaya Golecha
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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CIE IGCSE Biology Your notes

15.1 Drugs in Medicine


Contents
15.1.1 Drugs in Medicine

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15.1.1 Drugs in Medicine


Your notes
What is a Drug?
A drug is any substance taken into the body that modifies or affects chemical reactions in the body
Some drugs are medicinal drugs that are used to treat the symptoms or causes of a disease - for
example, antibiotics
The liver is the primary site for drug metabolism

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Antibiotics
Antibiotics are chemical substances made by certain fungi or bacteria that affect the working of Your notes
bacterial cells, either by disrupting their structure or function or by preventing them from
reproducing.
Antibiotics are effective against bacteria but not against viruses.
Antibiotics target processes and structures that are specific to bacterial (prokaryotic) cells; as such
they do not generally harm animal cells.

How antibiotics work

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Antibiotic Resistance & Use: Extended


Since the first antibiotic was discovered in 1928, many more have been discovered and developed and Your notes
antibiotics were and are widely overused
Commonly prescribed antibiotics are becoming less effective due to a number of reasons:
overuse and being prescribed when not really necessary
patients failing to complete the fully prescribed course by a doctor
large scale use of antibiotics in farming to prevent disease when livestock are kept in close
quarters, even when animals are not actually sick
This has led to the effectiveness of antibiotics being reduced, and the incidence of antibiotic
resistance increasing
These bacteria are commonly known as superbugs and the most common is MRSA
Ways individuals can help prevent the incidence of antibiotic resistance increasing include:
only taking antibiotics when absolutely essential
when prescribed a course of antibiotics, ensure that the entire course is completed even if you
feel better after a few days

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Your notes

Antibiotic resistance

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