Medicine drug_class - freebase-schema/freebase GitHub Wiki

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A drug class is a group of drugs that have certain things in common and function in the same way. Drugs may be classified by their active ingredient, chemical composition, pharmacological action, or by the way they are used to treat a particular medical condition. Each drug may have one or more drug class.

Things that are Drug Classes

• Group of drugs that perform the same function such as Antibiotics/Antibacterial, Diuretics, Stimulants, Estrogens, Vitamins.
• Group of drugs that have the same active ingredients such as Antihistamines
• Group of drugs that have the same chemical composition such as Beta Blockers
• Group of drugs that have the same pharmacological function such as Analgesics
• Group of drugs that treat a particular medical condition such as Decongestant

Things that are not Drug Classes

• Generic names of medicines such as Paracetamol, Salbutamol, Cefaclor, Guaifenesin.
• Drug brands such as Advil, Prozac, Zithromax.
• Nutrients such as Vitamin C, Riboflavin, Niacin, Biotin.
• Chemical compounds such as Salicylic acid, Ascorbic acid, Beta-carotene, Ascorbyl stearate.
• Drug ingredients such as Aspirin, Caffeine, Lepirudin, Choline hydroxideCholine hydroxide, Nifedipine.
• Drug formulations such as Triclosan 7.5 liquid, Acarbose 100 tablet, Ethyl alcohol 65 cloth, Dimethicone 50 cream.