Drug class

Lore & Background

Drug classes are organized into hierarchies in several major classification systems. For instance, fibrates are a chemical class of drugs (amphipathic carboxylic acids) that share the same mechanism of action (PPAR agonist), the same mode of action (reducing blood triglyceride levels), and are used to prevent and treat the same disease (atherosclerosis). However, not all PPAR agonists are fibrates, not all triglyceride-lowering agents are PPAR agonists, and not all drugs used to treat atherosclerosis lower triglycerides.

Reader's Guide

The concept of drug class is fundamental to pharmacology and medicine, enabling systematic categorization of medications for research, prescribing, and regulation. The source article describes four primary classification types: chemical structure, mechanism of action (biological target and activity type, such as agonist or inhibitor), mode of action (anatomical or functional change induced), and therapeutic use (pathology treated). Some classes are amalgamated from these principles, such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), which combine a mechanism-of-action element ('anti-inflammatory') with a distinguishing element ('nonsteroidal') to separate them from steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Similarly, disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) blend a vague mechanism-of-action term ('disease-modifying') with a therapeutic-use term ('anti-rheumatic drug'). The article notes that the term NSAID gained currency in the 1950s due to the disastrous reputation of corticosteroids. Drug classification systems like the Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical Classification System (ATC) and Systematized Nomenclature of Medicine (SNOMED) provide comprehensive frameworks, while legal classifications vary by jurisdiction, including the US Controlled Substances Act schedules and pregnancy category systems.

Did You Know?

• Fibrates are a chemical class of drugs (amphipathic carboxylic acids) that share the same mechanism of action (PPAR agonist) and are used to treat atherosclerosis.
• The class of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) is an amalgamated class combining a mechanism-of-action element ('anti-inflammatory') with a distinguishing element ('nonsteroidal').
• The term 'nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs' gained currency in the 1950s because of the disastrous reputation that corticosteroids had acquired.
• Drug classes are typically defined by a prototype drug, the most important and often the first developed drug within the class.