If you’ve ever wondered what is a drug, drug product, or medicine, then this article is for you.
Most of the time people use these words as if they are all the same thing. But this is not true.
The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) gives the meaning for drug as:
- A substance recognized by an official pharmacopoeia or formulary.
- A substance intended for use in the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease.
- A substance (other than food) intended to affect the structure or any function of the body.
- A substance intended for use as a component of a medicine but not a device or a component, part or accessory of a device.
- Biological products are included within this definition and are generally covered by the same laws and regulations, but differences exist regarding their manufacturing processes (chemical process versus biological process.)
The United States Food and Drug Administration gives the meaning for drug product as: The finished dosage form that contains a drug substance, generally, but not necessarily in association with other active or inactive ingredients.
Now, I want to give you the meaning for drug, drug product, and medicine so that you can truly understand how they are related to understanding the safety of your medication.
Easy-To-Understand Words
- Let’s put drug and drug product in easy-to-understand words
Drug
- A drug is created by man (manmade, synthetic, laboratory made) and given to another individual (human being) to cause an effect to the function of the person’s body. (Note: this effect can be bad or deadly for the person’s body).
Drug Product
- This is the final form of the drug that goes into the person’s body. (Note: this can be a pill, tablet, capsule, or liquid) The drug product can be taken by mouth (swallowed, chewed, or dissolved). The drug product can also be injected with a needle or syringe into the body.
Always remember that a drug is something that enters into the body and is not familiar to the body.
A drug product is called a medicine when the drug is being used to treat (try to cure or heal), mitigate (meaning make symptoms less severe, less painful, including if only for a certain amount of time), or cure (completely remove or heal) a disease, disorder, illness, or sickness.
Most doctors will tell patients that the drug or drug product taken as a medicine will cure the problem and that is not true.
Be sure to ask your doctor, pharmacist, or trusted family member more about the safety and risk of taking drug medicines. Ask questions about what can happen if you continue, start, or stop taking your drug, drug product, and medicine.
Words you need to know and review before you speak with your doctor are: drug, drug product, medicine, treat, mitigate, and cure. Ask them how your body function will change? What will the medicine do for the problem it is being used for?
Leave a comment if you had an experience where you needed help understanding your drug medication.