| drug, tocolytic | A medication that can inhibit labour, slow down or halt the contractions of the uterus. Tocolytic agents are widely used today to treat premature labour and permit pregnancy to procede and so permit the foetus to gain in size and maturity before being born. (12 Dec 1998) |
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| drug tolerance | Progressive diminution of the susceptibility of a human or animal to the effects of a drug, resulting from its continued administration. It should be differentiated from drug resistance wherein a human, animal, disease, or tissue fails to respond to the intended effectiveness of a chemical or drug. (12 Dec 1998) |
| drug toxicity | The systemic effects of a drug that are related to the overall level of the medication in the bloodstream. Drug toxicity may occur with overdosage of a medication, accumulation of the drug in the body over time or the inability of the patients body to eliminate the drug. (27 Sep 1997) |
| drug utilization | The utilization of drugs as reported in individual hospital studies, FDA studies, marketing, or consumption, etc. This includes drug stockpiling, and patient drug profiles. (12 Dec 1998) |
| drug utilization review | Formal programs for assessing drug prescription against some standard. Drug utilization review may consider clinical appropriateness, cost effectiveness, and, in some cases, outcomes. Review is usually retrospective, but some analysis may be done before drugs are dispensed (as in computer systems which advise physicians when prescriptions are entered). Drug utilization review is mandated for medicaid programs beginning in 1993. (12 Dec 1998) |
| drug withdrawal | A clinical syndrome of psychological, and, sometimes physical factors that result from the sustained use of a particular drug when the drug is abruptly withdrawn. Symptoms are variable but may include anxiety, nervousness, irritability, sweating, nausea, vomiting, rapid heart rate, rapid breathing and seizures. (27 Sep 1997) |
| dyskinesia, drug-induced | Abnormal movements induced as an adverse reaction of drug therapy. One particular movement disorder is the "on-off" effect. Tardive dyskinesia differs from akathisia, drug-induced in the repetitive nature of the movements rather than being associated with anxiety, restlessness, and agitation found in akathisia. (12 Dec 1998) |
| instillation, drug | The administration of therapeutic agents drop by drop, as eye drops, ear drops, or nose drops. It is also administered into a body space or cavity through a catheter. It differs from irrigation in that the irrigate is removed within minutes, but the instillate is left in place. (12 Dec 1998) |
| investigational new drug | Status given an experimental drug after the FDA approves an application for testing it in people. (09 Oct 1997) |
| investigational new drug application | An application that must be submitted to a regulatory agency (the FDA in the united states) before a drug can be studied in humans. This application includes results of previous experiments; how, where, and by whom the new studies will be conducted; the chemical structure of the compound; how it is thought to work in the body; any toxic effects found in animal studies; and how the compound is manufactured. (12 Dec 1998) |
| orphan drug | A pharmaceutical that has been abandoned or neglected during its development because it is seen as having only a limited potential for profit. Often a drug which only has a limited target population or which treats a rare disease, thus limiting its financial potential. (09 Oct 1997) |
| orphan drug act | Law giving incentives to companies developing a drug for a rare disease. The act gives the developer of the first drug of any one type a 7-year exclusive right to market the new drug. (14 Nov 1997) |
| orphan drug production | Production of drugs or biologicals which are unlikely to be manufactured by private industry unless special incentives are provided by others. (12 Dec 1998) |
| targeted drug delivery | Delivering a drug to a specific site in the body where it has the greatest effect, instead of allowing it to diffuse to various sites, where it may cause damage or trigger side effects. (14 Nov 1997) |
| united states food and drug administration | An agency of the public health service concerned with the overall planning, promoting, and administering of programs pertaining to maintaining standards of quality of foods, drugs, therapeutic devices, etc. (12 Dec 1998) |