SPRITAM- World's 1st 3-D printed tablet

                                                  SPRITAM- World's 1st 3-D printed tablet

            The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved for the first time a pill or a tablet manufactured from 3-D printing technology. SPRITAM is the trademark registered tablet which is going to be marketed by 'Aprecia Pharmaceuticals Company' with active pharmaceutical ingredient being 'Levetiracetam'. Levetiracetam is an anti-convulsant drug used as an adjunctive therapy for the treatment of partial onset seizures, myoclonic seizures and primary generalized tonic-clonic seizures in adults and children with epilepsy.
            Don Wetherhold, CEO of Aprecia Pharmaceuticals, claims that by combining 3-D printing drug technology with highly prescribed epilepsy treatment, Spritam would fulfill the need for patients which struggles with their current medication experience. A porous formulation of the drug levetiracetam was developed by 3-D printing technology using its proprietary drug platform ZipDose technology that disintegrates rapidly with just a sip of water even at a high dose of 1g. Printing the powdered drug allows layers of active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) to be packed more tightly in a tablet to produce precise doses while the excess powder is blown off. 3-D printing works by creating an object layer by layer. In the case of medicines, printers are adapted to produce API rather than polymers which are more commonly used. Thus, 3-D printing of the drug offers a great potential in developing "personalized medicine" in medical institutions since the amount of drug can be varied accordingly to suit the patient's specific needs. Thus, medical practitioners would know how much amount of the drug in the pill is to be intended for a particular patient considering his/her various physico-chemical, genetic, environmental, occupational parameters.
           According to company sources, Spritam (levetiracetam) is expected to be available in the first quarter of 2016. In clinical trials, the most common adverse effects in people taking Spritam included sleepiness, weakness, dizziness, and infection. In children, tiredness, aggressive behavior, nasal congestion, decreased appetite, and irritability have also been observed.

                                                                                                                                -DARWIN

MARCH-APRIL-MAY 2015 US-FDA APPROVED DRUGS

                             MARCH-APRIL-MAY 2015 US-FDA APPROVED DRUGS

                                          MARCH 2015 US-FDA APPROVED DRUGS

1. TRADE (BRAND) NAME- Cresemba
ACTIVE PHARMACEUTICAL INGREDIENT- Isavuconazonium sulfate
COMPANY NAME- Astellas
USE- Isavuconazonium sulfate is a prodrug of 'isavuconazole' which is a triazole anti-fungal drug. It inhibits lanosterol 14-alpha demethylase-an enzyme which is responsible for the conversion of lanosterol to ergosterol- the building block for fungal cell walls. It is approved for the treatment of invasive aspergillosis (a fungal infection which mostly affects lungs and usually occurs with patients with tuberculosis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disorders-COPD) and invasive mucormycosis (a fungal infection mainly affecting the lungs, sinuses and brain).

                                                   ISAVUCONAZONIUM SULFATE

2. TRADE (BRAND) NAME- Cholbam
ACTIVE PHARMACEUTICAL INGREDIENT- Cholic acid
COMPANY NAME- Asklepion Pharmaceuticals
USE- Cholic acid is one of the major bile acids which is produced in the liver of human body from cholesterol. It decreases the effectiveness or downregulation of cholesterol-7-alpha hydrolase - a rate limiting step of bile acid synthesis. Cholbam capsules are approved for the treatment of bile acid synthesis disorders as well as peroxisomal disorders.

                                                               CHOLIC ACID   
                      
3. TRADE (BRAND) NAME- Opdivo
ACTIVE PHARMACEUTICAL INGREDIENT- Nivolumab
COMPANY NAME- Bristol-Myers Squibb
USE- Nivolumab is a humanized whole IgG 4 anti- PD 1 (programmed cell death receptor) monoclonal antibody which acts as an immunomodulator by blocking ligand activation of PD-1 receptor on activated T-cells. It is approved for the use of metastatic melanoma, squamous non-small cell ling cancer and Hodgkin's lymphoma.

4. TRADE (BRAND) NAME- Unituxin
ACTIVE PHARMACEUTICAL INGREDIENT- Dinutuximab
COMPANY NAME- United Therapeutics
USE- Dinutuximab is a chimeric (human/mouse) monoclonal antibody developed for the pediatrics with high-risk neuroblastoma.



                                            APRIL 2015 US-FDA APPROVED DRUGS

1. TRADE (BRAND) NAME- Kybella
ACTIVE PHARMACEUTICAL INGREDIENT- Deoxycholic acid
COMPANY NAME- Kythera Biopharma
USE- Deoxycholic acid is one of the secondary bile acid which is the metabolic by-products of intestinal bacterial. It is used in the emulsification of fats for the absorption of intestine. It is used for destroying the moderate to high amount of fat below the chin in the submental triangle.

                                                       DEOXYCHOLIC ACID


2. TRADE (BRAND) NAME- Corlanor
ACTIVE PHARMACEUTICAL INGREDIENT- Ivabradine
COMPANY NAME- Amgen
USE- Ivabradine is a cardiotonic agent, anti-anginal agent whose mechanism differs the usual anti-anginal drugs like beta blockers, calcium channel blockers. It blocks the "funny" ion current which is highly active in the sinoatrial node. "Funny" ion current is a mixed sodium-potassium inward current activated by hyperpolarization. Thus, by blocking this ion current it slows the heart rate and reduces cardiac pace-maker activity. It is approved for the treatment of chronic heart failure.

IVABRADINE

                                                MAY 2015 US-FDA APPROVED DRUGS

1. TRADE (BRAND) NAME- Viberzi

ACTIVE PHARMACEUTICAL INGREDIENT- Eluxadoline
COMPANY NAME- Actavis
USE- Eluxadoline is a mu- and kappa- opioid receptor agonist and delta- receptor antagonist. It is a novel orally-acting drug acts locally on enteric nervous system and thus decreasing the adverse effects on central nervous system. It is approved for the treatment of irritable bovel syndrome (IBS) with diarrhea and abdominal pain.

                                                                 ELUXADOLINE

2. TRADE (BRAND) NAME- Xifaxan
ACTIVE PHARMACEUTICAL INGREDIENT- Rifaximin
COMPANY NAME- Salix Pharmaceuticals
USE- Rifaximin is a semi-synthetic antibiotic based on rifamycin. It is also approved for the treatment of IBS and thus relieving bloating and flatulence associated with it. Rifaximin binds to the beta subunit of bacterial RNA-polymerase and thus blocking translocation step, inhibiting transcription.

                                                                       RIFAXIMIN

3. TRADE (BRAND) NAME- Stiolto Respimat
ACTIVE PHARMACEUTICAL INGREDIENT- Tiotropium bromide and Olodaterol
COMPANY NAME- Boehringer Ingelheim
USE- Tiotropium bromide is a long acting anticholinergic (muscarinic receptor antagonist) bronchodilator used for the maintainance of COPD which includes chronic bronchitis and emphysema.
Olodaterol is a long acting beta-adrenoreceptor agonist used for the maintainance of COPD including chronic bronchitis and emphysema.

                                                              TIOTROPIUM BROMIDE

                                                                      OLODATEROL

NIPER-JEE STUDY PREPARATION TIPS

                                       NIPER-JEE PREPARATION STUDY TIPS
            National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER) is the first national level institute in pharmaceutical sciences with an objective of becoming a centre of excellence for advanced studies and research in the same field. The Government of India has declared it as an 'Institute of National Importance' and is an autonomous body set up under the Department of Pharmaceuticals, Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers, Government of India. It offers PG and Ph.D courses under various disciplines such as Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry, Pharmaceutics, Pharmacology, Pharmaceutical Analysis, Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Toxicology, Clinical Research, Traditional Medicines, Natural Products, Pharmacy Practice, Pharmacoinformatics and MBA (Pharmacy). PG courses include M.S (Pharm), M.Pharm courses in the above areas as well as M.Tech in Pharmaceutical Technology in fields such as Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Process chemistry and Formulations Technology. NIPERs are located currently at 7 places in India such as
1. Chandigarh or Mohali (S.A.S Nagar)- 1st NIPER to be established in late 1990s,
2. Ahmedabad (Gujarat)
3. Hajipur (Bihar)
4. Kolkata (West Bengal)
5. Rae Bareli (Uttar Pradesh)
6. Guwahati (Assam)
7. Hyderabad (Telangana)
 For more further information you can refer www.niper.gov.in and to respective websites of these 7 NIPER schools.
             NIPER-JEE is a 200 question paper and a paper-pen exam wherein you have to darken the circles on the answer sheet or ORS (Objective Response Sheet) for the correct option/ answer with a duration of 2 hours. Like GPAT, 25% deduction in marks in case of wrong answer is also applicable in NIPER-JEE. Only GPAT/GATE qualified candidates are eligible for appearing in NIPER-JEE exam. There is no as such a well-defined syllabus for NIPER-JEE. So the questions which can be asked are slightly unpredictable. But the general trend of the examination is more or less set and with the below tips you might be able to crack NIPER-JEE with flying colors.

STUDY TIPS-
1. Take your watch along with you at the examination hall. Since you have to solve 200 questions from 2 hours, try to plan your work of solving questions. If you calculate, you have just 36 seconds to solve 1 question. So try to set smaller targets such as solving 25 questions in each 15 minutes of 2 hours. If you strictly follow it, then there is a much greater chance of solving the paper in time. At the end of 15 minutes, if you observe that you are unable to solve the target of 25 questions, leave the remaining questions and move on to next question which is a multiple of 25. Later on if you have time left with you then you can have a look on the questions which were left before. Going through all the 200 questions is very much important since you never know, easy questions may be at the back-end of the question paper like from say 170 / 180 to 200.
PERSONAL EXPERIENCE- In my NIPER-JEE 2014 question paper, questions from 180 to 200 were very easy and due to my planning I was able to have a glance of all 200 questions and was thus able to attempt 140-150 questions.

2. Make your GPAT preparation strong enough. This acts as the base for your NIPER-JEE preparation. If you are very thorough with the core pharma subjects, then your preparation for NIPER-JEE is half done. Make your basics about pharmacy knowledge very clear from subjects like Physical Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Engineering, Pharmaceutics, Pharmacognosy, Pharmaceutical Analysis, Pharmacology etc.

3. A lot of questions are asked on subjects like Biochemistry, Microbiology, Biotechnology, Genetic Engineering, Molecular Biology. Almost 40-50 questions comes from these areas. So don't neglect these subjects although they are neglected during GPAT preparation.
If you are preparing for your ICT-BPT entrance exam too along with NIPER-JEE, then your preparation for NIPER-JEE becomes a whole lot easier because up to 60% questions in ICT-BPT entrance exam comes from those above subjects (Refer ICT-BPT entrance exam syllabus to get an idea).

4. 5-10 questions have been regularly asked on Novel Drug Delivery Systems (NDDS), name of polymers used in formulation, their basic structure etc.

5. About 8-10 questions are asked on basics of organic chemistry, name reactions and stereochemistry.

6. Approximately 5-10 questions are compulsorily asked based on
a.General Knowledge,
b. Current affairs of the country,
c. Business and Trade Acts & Rules ,
d.Patents and trade treaties like GATT, WTO etc.,
e.statistics,
f. recent US-FDA approved drugs,
g.pharma company's brand products,
h. major pharma / biopharma company take-overs in recent years,
i. Noble Prize winners (at least Indian Noble Prize winners and the year in which they were won and also the Noble Prize winners of the current years should be known.
For e.g., if you are giving NIPER-JEE 2015, then Noble Prize winners of 2015 in the sub-fields should be known.

PERSONAL EXPERIENCE- In my NIPER-JEE 2014 paper, a question was asked on the "subject" on which the Noble Prize was conferred to the winners in the field of Physiology-2014.

f. Questions like "Who is the President of BCCI?", "Foundation year of government organizations like SBI, RBI, AGMARK etc", "Venue and years of International Sports Tournaments like ICC Cricket World Cup, FIFA Football World Cup, Olympic Games etc" and other questions on general Indian politics can be asked.

7. Start reading newspapers in order to gain a significant insight on general knowledge and current affairs of the country. Try to note it down in a notebook so that you don't forget it.

8. Most questions are directly asked and are easy as compared to GPAT. But since time is a limiting factor during in NIPER-JEE, speed and accuracy is very much required to complete the paper. Second glance on the questions may not be possible. Also, since NIPER-JEE is not an online-based exam, changing of answer of the question is not possible once the option circle has been darkened. So be very sure of your answer to the question attempted.

                                               ALL THE BEST AND DO WELL !!!!

                                                                                         - DARWIN
                                                                          M.Tech (Bioprocess Technology),
                                                             Institute of Chemical Technology (ICT), Mumbai
                                           (GPAT AIR- 619; NIPER-JEE AIR- 25 & ICT-BPT-CET AIR-5)
   
              

JANUARY- FEBRUARY 2015 US-FDA APPROVED DRUGS

                                JANUARY- FEBRUARY 2015 US-FDA APPROVED DRUGS

A. JANUARY 2015 US-FDA APPROVED DRUGS

1. TRADE (BRAND) NAME- Prestalia
ACTIVE PHARMACEUTICAL INGREDIENT- Perindopril arginine and amlodipine besylate
COMPANY- Sympelmed Pharmaceuticals
USE- This combination drug formulation is used for the treatment of hypertension. Perindopril is a long acting ACE-inhibitor while amlodipine is long acting dihydropyridine calcium channel blocker.

                                                                     PERINDOPRIL

                                                         

                                                                   
                                                                      AMLODIPINE

2. TRADE (BRAND) NAME- Savaysa
ACTIVE PHARMACEUTICAL INGREDIENT- Edoxaban
COMPANY- Daiichi Sankyo
USE- Edoxaban is an anti-coagulant and is an inhibitor of factor Xa. It prevents the risk of stroke and embolism due to atrial fibrillation, and for the treatment of pulmonary embolism and deep vein thrombosis.

                                                                    EDOXABAN

3. TRADE (BRAND) NAME- Cosentyx
ACTIVE PHARMACEUTICAL INGREDIENT-  Secukinumab
COMPANY- Novartis
USE- It is a human antibody indicated for the treatment for plaque psoriasis (one of the 5 types of psoriasis and also most common type). Plaque psoriasis manifests in the form of red and white scaly patches on the top layer of skin and is characterized usually by intense itching.

4. TRADE (BRAND) NAME- Natpara
ACTIVE PHARMACEUTICAL INGREDIENT-  Parathyroid hormone
COMPANY- NPS Pharmaceuticals
USE- This hormone is used for controlling hypocalcemia in patients with hypoparathyroidism by increasing the calcium ion concentration in blood by acting on parathyroid hormone receptor 1 & 2.

5. TRADE (BRAND) NAME- Evotaz
ACTIVE PHARMACEUTICAL INGREDIENT- Atazanavir and Cobicistat
COMPANY- Bristol-Myers Squibb
USE- Atazanavir is an antiretroviral drug of the protease inhibitor class which is used for the treatment of HIV-1 infection
Cobicistat is a potent CYP450 enzyme class (CYP3A4 sub-type) inhibitor thus increasing the bio availability of other HIV-1 medications including atazanavir.

                                                                         ATAZANAVIR

                                                                         COBICISTAT
                                                               
 6. TRADE (BRAND) NAME- Prezcobix
ACTIVE PHARMACEUTICAL INGREDIENT- Darunavir and Cobicistat
COMPANY- Janssen
USE- Darunavir belongs to protease inhibitor class of drugs used for treatment of HIV-1 infection. The role of Cobicistat is mentioned above.

                                                          DARUNAVIR

7. TRADE (BRAND) NAME- Duopa enteral suspension
ACTIVE PHARMACEUTICAL INGREDIENT- Carbidopa and Levodopa
COMPANY- Abbvie
USE- Levodopa or L-DOPA increases the concentration of dopamine in the brain of the patients suffering from Parkinson's disease (PD).
Carbidopa is an aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase inhibitor which prevents the peripheral metabolism of L-DOPA and thus increases the levels of L-DOPA crossing the blood brain barrier (BBB) for central nervous system (CNS) effect.
This enteral suspension is basically indicated for the treatment of motor fluctuations associated with advanced PD.

                                                                LEVODOPA

                                                               CARBIDOPA

8. TRADE (BRAND) NAME- Rytary extended release capsules
ACTIVE PHARMACEUTICAL INGREDIENT- Carbidopa and Levodopa
COMPANY- Impax Labs
USE- Treatment of PD.

9. TRADE (BRAND) NAME- Bexsero
ACTIVE PHARMACEUTICAL INGREDIENT- Meningococcal Group B vaccine
COMPANY- Novartis
USE- It is used for the treatment of invasive meningococcal disease caused by serogroup B of bacterium Neisseria meningitidis.


B. FEBRUARY 2015 US-FDA APPROVED DRUGS

1. TRADE (BRAND) NAME- Ibrance
ACTIVE PHARMACEUTICAL INGREDIENT- Palbociclib
COMPANY- Pfizer
USE- Palbociclib is a selective inhibitor cyclin- dependent kinases CDK4 and CDK6. Cyclin-dependent kinases are a group of enzymes belonging to protease family. They are involved in cell regulation activities like mRNA processing, transcription etc. Mutation of CDK4 and over-expression of CDK6 are related with the cause of cancer.
This drug in combination with letrozole (non-steroidal aromatase inhibitor for the treatment of hormonally responsive breast cancer) is used in treatment of patients with estrogen receptor (ER) positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) negative breast cancer.

                                           
                                                            PALBOCICLIB

2. TRADE (BRAND) NAME- Lenvima
ACTIVE PHARMACEUTICAL INGREDIENT- Lenvatinib
COMPANY- Eisai
USE- Lenvatinib is a multi-kinase growth inhibitor especially inhibiting vascular endothelial growth factor receptor kinases 2 & 3 (VEGFR Kinases 2 & 3).
It is used fro the treatment of thyroid cancer.

LENVATINIB

                                                                                             -DARWIN

                          

MISCELLANEOUS TOPICS TO STUDY IN GPAT...

                                        MISCELLANEOUS TOPICS TO STUDY IN GPAT...
      Hello friends, I hope you would have liked the GPAT guidance and tips series so far. But this series is coming to an end with this last post. In May, we will start a new guidance series on NIPER-JEE, ICT-BPT-CET and MAH-PH-CET on the same lines of GPAT guidance. Till then you can view other posts which we would be publishing till May and of course thereafter too.
      So lets begin with the guidance on 'miscellaneous topics'. Now one would say that lets focus on the main topics of pharmacy and omit the other allied topics since, first of all, its difficult to remember concepts of all 4 years and, secondly, time is a limiting factor during GPAT preparation.
But please please don't ever ignore these miscellaneous topics since collectively at least  on an average 5-6 questions can be asked on such allied topics like PHARMACEUTICAL MANAGEMENT, FORENSIC PHARMACY, CLINICAL PHARMACY , MICROBIOLOGY and all of which are relatively easy to attempt and are quite handy for increasing your GPAT score.

1. PHARMACEUTICAL MANAGEMENT- Focus more on the product life cycle such as growing phase, stationary phase , decline phase etc., and their significance and also on the economics part such as formula for retail pricing of drug product, various authorities like NPPA (National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority), DPCO (Drug Price Control Order) etc.

My personal experience- In my slot, a question was asked on the product life cycle.

2. FORENSIC PHARMACY- At least 2-3 questions can be asked irrespective of slot in which you are in for GPAT exam. So be thorough with
a. Schedules (A to Z) of D&C Act-1940 and Rules 1945
b. Patents and IPR- Full topic- especially concept of process patent, product patent, India's patenting regime, trademark, copyright, patenting authority and the life of patent.
c. Other Acts like Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Act 1985 (NDPS), Insecticides Act 1968, Factories Act 1948, Excise Duties Act 1955, Drugs and Magic Remedies Act 1954 etc. should be mainly focused on.

My personal experience- 4-5 questions were asked from this subject in my slot. 2-3 were asked from Patents, 1 from Insecticides Act,, 1 from Excise Duties Act.

3. CLINICAL PHARMACY- From this subject, questions are more centered on clinical trials- history and the phases involved in the trials. The description, duration, significance as well as the subjects involved in each phase should be thorough.

My personal experience- 2 questions were asked -1 about the clinical trials phases and 1 was a very unique question from history of clinical trials history which I still remember-
It said that Nazis used to administer new drugs directly to Jews in their concentration camps which was an inhuman practice. So to abolish this, which conference/ convention was called for??
( I had no idea what the answer was and just left it without thinking !!!)

4. MICROBIOLOGY- Hardly any questions can be asked from core microbiology, but you should be thorough with the growth curve kinetics of micro-organism, sterilization principles, D- value, Z- value and their significance.
Questions from microbiology are more oftenly asked in NIPER-JEE and ICT-BPT-CET rather than GPAT.

RECOMMENDED BOOKS-

1. PHARMACEUTICAL MANAGEMENT-
Philip Kotler, K.L. Keller, A. Koshy, M. Jha, 'Marketing Management', 14th Edition, Pearson India Publishers, 2012.

2. FORENSIC PHARMACY-
Kuchekar, Kadtare and Itkar, 'Textbook of Forensic Pharmacy', 9th Edition, Nirali Prakashan, 2012.

3. CLINICAL PHARMACY-
A. Dr. H.P. Tipnis and Dr. A. Bajaj, 'Clinical Pharmacy', 1st Edition, Career Publications, 2003.

B. Roger Walker and Cate Whittlesea, 'Clinical Pharmacy and Therapeutics', 4th Edition, Elsevier Publishers, Churchill Livingstone Imprint, 2007.

4. MICROBIOLOGY-
M.J. Pelczar Jr., E.C.S. Chan,  N.R. Krieg, 'Microbiology', 5th Edition, McGraw Hill Education (India) Pvt. Ltd., 2001.
  You can refer 'Lachman' and 'Remington' for sterilization principles too.

         Now you would have got a certain idea about how the above miscellaneous topics are equally important. So please don't try to neglect those.
Also you would have gained at least some idea about what GPAT exam exactly is, which subjects / topics to more focus and also which books to study.
ALL THE VERY BEST FOR EXAMS !!
This was all about the GPAT guidance series. Hope you would have liked this part too. Any suggestions, questions, feedback is always welcome to our team.
Thank You


                                                                                                 -DARWIN
                                                                                   M. Tech (Bioprocess Technology)
                                                                      Institute of Chemical Technology, Matunga, Mumbai
                                                         (GPAT AIR- 619 ; NIPER-JEE AIR -25; ICT-BPT-CET AIR-5 )

PHARMACOGNOSY- The 'NATURAL' Pharmacy

                                     PHARMACOGNOSY- The 'NATURAL' Pharmacy
            To begin with, Pharmacognosy is the most neglected and irritating subject to the most of the pharmacy students since they struggle in remembering the biological/official names of the plant/animal drugs. This is the most common reason they give to everyone when you ask about this subject.
            But let me share some interesting and true facts about this subject. Pharmacognosy is one of the most versatile subject which you will find in the B.Pharmacy syllabus. I say so because it is here your knowledge of
1. Pharmaceutical Analysis
2. Pharmaceutical Chemistry
3. Some part of Pharmaceutics and Pharmacology and
of course your pharmacognosy knowledge is tested. You can easily co-relate what you learnt in the above subjects in pharmacognosy.
Let me explain you with an example- Consider that you are trying to find a new drug that will help cure a new or an existing disease which itself has no cure to this date. Many chemists have failed in doing the same. Then the only option remains with you is to discover the drug from natural sources.
So, you will require the knowledge of 'Pharmaceutical Analysis' to detect, separate or isolate and purify the particular drug. Then you should have a sound knowledge of 'Chemistry' so as to know the structure of that particular constituent and also its Structure Activity Relationships' (SAR). Now when you know the drug constituent, the mechanism of action of that drug as well as the appropriate dosage form in which you can administer to the patient should be known which comes under 'Pharmaceutics' and 'Pharmacology'.
             This was the first true fact about pharmacognosy. The second-most important fact being that it is not always possible to synthesize a new drug in the laboratory every time. In fact, some drugs are chemically synthesized when the structure of the naturally obtained drug is known and on the basis of that structure, scientists are able to synthesize by chemical means. E.g.- Taxol- Anti-cancer drug
             The third important fact being many of the allopathic or artificially synthesized drug have many adverse reactions, side effects etc on the other hand the case with the naturally obtained drugs is not so.
              India is very much fortunate to have a rich natural diversity such that almost all kinds of plants, animals, minerals etc are found here from which medicinal substance can be derived. Ayurveda is one of the oldest medical science in the world is a gift to the world from India itself.
              Now coming towards GPAT point of view, unfortunately, pharmacognosy is one of those subject which has to be mugged and many things like botanical name, microscopy, macroscopy, uses, structure, biochemical pathways like shikimic acid pathway, alkaloid synthesis pathway has to remembered and for all these you need PRACTICE and that too lot many times so that you perfectly remember at the day of exam.
TIPS- 1.  In MICROSCOPY and MACROSCOPY studies try to focus more on those natural drugs which have unique features- For e.g.- Casperian stripes in case of Lobelia, acetic acid smell in case of karaya gum- why? etc
2. Be very much thorough with bio-genetic/ biosynthetic pathways, botanical names, structures.
3. Try to remember SPECIAL AND UNIQUE THINGS like the cultivation and collection of drugs like opium (the various traditional instruments used), tolu balsam, peru balsam etc, life cycle of ergot fungus, colchicum etc.

RECOMMENDED BOOKS FOR PHARMACOGNOSY-

1. Biren Shah, A.K. Seth, "Textbook of Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistry", 2nd Edition, Elsevier Publishers (India) Pvt Ltd., , 2013.

2. W.C. Evans, "Trease and Evans Pharmacognosy", 16th Edition, Saunders Publishers, 2009.

NOTE- I have not mentioned chapter-wise books to refer for pharmacognosy because these two books are the 'BEST' for almost all the topics mentioned in the GPAT syllabus and I would say if you perfect these two books then there is no need to worry for pharmacognosy not only in GPAT but also in NIPER-JEE and other competitive exams.

This was all about 'PHARMACOGNOSY' part.. In the next part we would cover all miscellaneous topics included in GPAT syllabus like Forensic Pharmacy, Management, Microbiology (Although, microbiology is included in miscellaneous and not much important from GPAT point of view, its IMPORTANT for NIPER-JEE preparation.)
       Hope you would have liked this part, too.. Any kind of feedback and suggestions are welcome by our team !!!
                                                                                        -Darwin
                                                               [GPAT-2014- All India Rank (AIR)- 619)
                                                                      NIPER-JEE-2014 AIR-25 and

                                                                         ICT-BPT-CET-2014 AIR-7 ]
                                                   Ist year M, Tech (Bioprocess Technology-BPT)-2014-16,
                                                       Institute of Chemical Technology, Matunga, Mumbai.

PHARMACOLOGY- The Only Connecting Link Between Pharmacists and Doctors...

            PHARMACOLOGY- The Only Connecting Link Between Pharmacists and Doctors...
       The pharmacology section in the GPAT syllabus deals with the 'Anatomy, Physiology and Pathophysiology' (APP) part which most of us have studied in the first two years of Bachelor's course in Pharmacy and of course the pharmacology part which we studied in the last two years of our B. Pharmacy.
        Many students will try to focus only on the pharmacology part and will try to neglect the APP part as the common sense itself says that pharmacology is much more important than learning APP part. But please don't nurture this misconception as it will prove costly during GPAT exam. It is very much important to focus on both the parts equally since you don't know which questions may appear in your GPAT paper slot.
(My personal experience- In my paper, almost 4-5 questions were asked from APP and just 2-3 questions from pharmacology.)
        In APP part it is very much important to focus on pathophysiology of disease/disorders and general anatomy part (especially of bones, joints, spinal cord, heart, brain etc- try to focus more on important organs of our body).
In pathophysiology of disease you should be clear about the mechanism of cause of disease/disorders, life cycle (if any) of parasite e.g. malaria, causative microbe and the affected organ.
        In pharmacology part ,try to focus more on the mechanism of action of drug in treating a particular disease/disorder, pharmacological actions of drug, major side-effects or adverse drug reactions reported, contraindications of drug in certain circumstances or in the presence of certain drug or an already-present disease in the patient.
Side-effects, adverse drug reactions and contraindications of major drugs should be thorough enough since the are one of the favorite questions asked in GPAT. (E.g. Steven-Johnson syndrome is a side effect of antibiotics and sulfa drugs OR "X" class of drugs should not be administered during the therapy of "Y" class of drugs etc.)
TIP- It is better to start (and of course) complete the study preparation for 'PHARMACEUTICAL MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY' and 'PHARMACOLOGY' simultaneously at one go since they are pretty much inter-related. You learn the chemistry, structure activity relationship in pharmaceutical medicinal chemistry while you continue learning the pharmacological aspects of the drug like mechanism of action, side-effects etc in pharmacology. The book "Foye's Pinciples of Medicinal Chemistry"- 7th Edition has included a lot of pharmacology part too. But still for some part you need to refer the pharmacology books also.

RECOMMENDED BOOKS-
ANATOMY, PHYSIOLOGY AND PATHOPHYSIOLOGY-
1. Gerard J. Tortora and Bryan Derrickson, "Principles of Anatomy and Physiology", 13th Edition, Wiley publishers, Volumes-1 & 2,  2012.

2. Anne Waugh and Allison Grant, "Ross and Wilson- ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY in Health and Illness", 11th Edition, Elsevier Publishers, 2010.

PHARMACOLOGY-
3. H.P. Rang, M.M. Dale, J.M. Ritter, R.J. Flower, G. Henderson, "Rang and Dale's Pharmacology", 7th Edition, Elsevier Health Sciences Publishers, 2011. (ONLINE e-BOOK AVAILABLE FOR FREE)

4. B.G. Katzung, S.B. Masters, A.J. Trevor, "Basic and Clinical Pharmacology", 12th Edition, TMGH Publishers, 2012.

5. Thomas L. Lemke, David A. Williams, Victoria F. Roche, S. William Zito, "Foye's Principles of Medicinal Chemistry", 7th Edition, Lippincott Williams and Wilkins Publishers, 2013.

ANATOMY, PHYSIOLOGY AND PATHOPHYSIOLOGY-
Basic Principles of Cell Injury and Adaptations- 1,2

Basic Mechanisms involved in the process of inflammation and repair- 1,2

Immunopathophysiology- 1,2

Pathophysiology of Common Diseases (PLEASE SEE THE DISEASES IN THE SYLLABUS AND START YOUR PREPARATION)- 1,2,3,4,5 (Some diseases are mentioned in one book while the others are mentioned in other, So search accordingly)

Important Disorders of Organs, Systems and their Management-
(PLEASE SEE THE DISEASES IN THE SYLLABUS AND START YOUR PREPARATION)

a. Cardio-vascular disorders- 1,2

b. CNS Disorders- 1,2,3,4

c. Respiratory disease- 1

d. Gastrointestinal Disorders- 1,2

e. Endocrine Disorders- 1,2

f. Infectious Diseases- 1,2

g. Joint and Connective tissue disorders- 1,2

h. Neoplastic Diseases- 1,2,3,4

PHARMACOLOGY PART-

Fundamentals of general pharmacology- 3,4

Pharmacology of Peripheral Nervous System- 3,4,5

Pharmacology of Central Nervous System- 3,4,5

Pharmacology of Cardiovascular System- 3,4,5

Drugs Acting on the Hemopoietic System- 3,4,5

Drugs acting on urinary system- 3,4

Autacoids- 3,4

Drugs Acting on the Respiratory System- 3,4

Drugs acting on the Gastrointestinal Tract- 3,4

Pharmacology of Endocrine System- 3,4

Chemotherapy- 3,4,5

Principles of Toxicology- 3,4

Basic Concepts of Pharmacotherapy- 3,4

         This was all about 'PHARMACOLOGY' part.. In the next part we would cover all of  'PHARMACOGNOSY' on the next part...!!
       Hope you would have liked this part, too.. Any kind of feedback and suggestions are welcome by our team !!!
                                                                                        -Darwin
                                                               [GPAT-2014- All India Rank (AIR)- 619)
                                                                      NIPER-JEE-2014 AIR-25 and

                                                                         ICT-BPT-CET-2014 AIR-7 ]
                                                   Ist year M, Tech (Bioprocess Technology-BPT)-2014-16,
                                                       Institute of Chemical Technology, Matunga, Mumbai.

       
        

DECEMBER- 2014 US-FDA APPROVED DRUGS

                                      DECEMBER- 2014 US-FDA APPROVED DRUGS
1. TRADE (BRAND) NAME- Opdivo
ACTIVE PHARMACEUTICAL INGREDIENT- Nivolumab
COMPANY- Bristol-Myers Squibb
USE- Nivolumab is a humanized IgG4 monoclonal antibody which acts as an immunomodulator by inhibiting the programmed cell death (PD-1) receptor. The blocking of PD-1 receptor is essentila for the treatment of cancer.
Opdivo is thus marketed for the treatment of unresectable or metastatic melanoma.

2. TRADE (BRAND) NAME- Soolantra Cream 1%
ACTIVE PHARMACEUTICAL INGREDIENT- Ivermectin
COMPANY- Galderma Labs
USE- Ivermectin is a broad-spectrum anti-parasitic drug and hence used for the treatment of a range of various parasitic diseases.
Rosacea is basically a chronic inflammatory disorder characterized by erythema (redness) of the facial skin and sometimes with pimples.
Soolantra Cream is approved for the treatment of inflammatory lesions of rosacea.

IUPAC name:- 22,23-dihydroavermectin B_1a + 22,23-dihydroavermectin B_1b
 
3. TRADE (BRAND) NAME- Signifor LAR
ACTIVE PHARMACEUTICAL INGREDIENT- Pasireotide
COMPANY- Novartis
USE- Pasireotide was an orphan drug used for the treatment of Cushing's Syndrome.
Acromegaly and Cushing's Syndrome have a common link that they are mainly caused due to adenoma (tumour of pituitary gland).
Pasiroetide is a somatostatin analogue and can thus can alleviate adenoma in both cases.

IUPAC name:- [(3S,6S,9S,12R,15S,18S,20R)-9-(4-aminobutyl)-3-benzyl-12-(1H-indol-3-ylmethyl)-2,5,8,11,14,17-hexaoxo-15-phenyl-6-[(4-phenylmethoxyphenyl)methyl]-1,4,7,10,13,16-hexazabicyclo[16.3.0]henicosan-20-yl] N-(2-aminoethyl)carbamate

4. TRADE (BRAND) NAME- Dyloject Injection
ACTIVE PHARMACEUTICAL INGREDIENT- Diclofenac Sodium
COMPANY- Hospira
USE- Diclofenac sodium is one of the most commonly used NSAIDs (Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug). It is an anti-inflammatory as well as analgesic drug.
This injection is thus used for the management of mild, moderate or severe pain.

5. TRADE (BRAND) NAME- Rapivab Injection
ACTIVE PHARMACEUTICAL INGREDIENT- Peramivir
COMPANY- Biocryst
USE- Peramivir is one of the latest entrants into the anti-viral drug category and was deeloped during the H1N1 epidemic that broke few years back.
It acts as an neuraminidase inhibitor and prevents the emergence of new viruses from the infected cells.
Rapivab Injection is used for the treatment of acute uncomplicated influenza in adults.

IUPAC name:-(1S,2S,3S,4R)-3-[(1S)-1-acetamido-2-ethyl-butyl]-4- (diaminomethylideneamino)-2-hydroxy-cyclopentane- 1-carboxylic acid

6. TRADE (BRAND) NAME- Saxenda Injection
ACTIVE PHARMACEUTICAL INGREDIENT- Liraglutide (r-DNA origin)
COMPANY- Novo Nordisk
USE- Liraglutide Injection is used for the treatment of type-2 diabetes by reducing the meal-related hyperglycemia and thus providing a better control on blood glucose level. It acts as glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) agonist and is well suited for chronic weight management.

7. TRADE (BRAND) NAME- Xtoro Suspension (0.3%)
ACTIVE PHARMACEUTICAL INGREDIENT- Finafloxacin
COMPANY- Alcon
USE- Finafloxacin is one of the new drug introduced in the fluoroquinine class of antibiotics. This otic suspension is approved for use of otitis externa. Otitis externa is an inflammatory disorder of the outer ear and ear canal.

8. TRADE (BRAND) NAME- Zerbaxa
ACTIVE PHARMACEUTICAL INGREDIENT- Ceftolozane and Tazobactam
COMPANY- Cubist Pharmaceuticals
USE- Ceftolozane is a an antibiotic belonging to cephalosporin class. It is effective against Gram negative bacteria which has developed resistance to all other antibiotics. It is therefore combined with tazobactam -a beta-lactamase inhibitor- since all the resistant micro-organisms will show resistance unless and until this enzyme is inhibited.
This combination is effective in treatment of complicated intra-abdominal and urinary tract infections.

Ceftolozane-

IUPAC NAME- (6R,7R)-3-([3-Amino-4-(2-aminoethylcarbamoylamino)-2-methylpyrazol-1-ium-1-yl]methyl)-7-([(2Z)-2-(5-amino-1,2,4-thiadiazol-3-yl)-2-(2-carboxypropan-2-yloxyimino)acetyl]amino)-8-oxo-5-thia-1-azabicyclo[4.2.0]oct-2-ene-2-carboxylate.

Tazobactam-

IUPAC NAME- (2S,3S,5R)-3-Methyl-7-oxo-3-(1H-1,2,3-triazol-1-ylmethyl)-4-thia-1-azabicyclo[3.2.0]heptane-2-carboxylic acid 4,4-dioxide

9. TRADE (BRAND) NAME- Blincyto
ACTIVE PHARMACEUTICAL INGREDIENT- Blinatumomab
COMPANY- Amgen
USE- Blinatumomab is an anti-cancer drug which comes under the new class of monoclonal antibodies- Bi-specific T-cell engagers. As the name suggests, the drug molecule has 2 binding cites- a CD-3 site for T-cells and a CD-19 site for the target B-cells. It directs the patients T-cells to bind with malignant B-cells; thus by linking these cells, it activates the T-cell for its cytotoxic activity.
Blincyto is approved for the treatment of Philadelphia chromosome-negative relapsed/ refractory -cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

10. TRADE (BRAND) NAME- Viekira Pak tablets
ACTIVE PHARMACEUTICAL INGREDIENT- Ombitasvir, Paritaprevir, Ritonavir, Dasabuvir
COMPANY- Abbvie
USE- Ombitasvir is a NS5A inhibitor with pangenotypic antiviral activity (NS5A is a phosphoprotein that plays a role in Hepatitis C virus (HCV) replication.).
Paritaprevir is a NS3/4A serine protease inhibitor (NS3 is a nonstructural viral protein- a cleavage product of HCV and NS4 is a HCV protein).
Dasabuvir is a non-nucleotide NS5B inhibitor (NS5B- A HCV protein).
Ritonavir is a CYP3A4 inhibitor which increases the pharmacological actions of Paritaprevir.
Viekira Pak is thus used for the treatment of genotypic 1 chronic HCV,
 Ombitasvir:-

Paritaprevir:-

 Ritonavir:-

 Dasabuvir:-

11. TRADE (BRAND) NAME- Lynparza
ACTIVE PHARMACEUTICAL INGREDIENT- Olaparib
COMPANY- AstraZenca
USE- Olaparib is a poly ADP ribose polymerase (PARP) inhibitor. It is a anti-cancer agent used in patients with hereditary BRCA1 & 2 mutations.
Lynparza is thus usd for the treatment of previously treated BRCA mutated advanced ovarian cancer.

 Olaparib:-

 IUPAC name:- 4-[(3-[(4-cyclopropylcarbonyl)piperazin-4-yl]carbonyl) -4-fluorophenyl]methyl(2H)phthalazin-1-one

AN ANTIBIOTIC AFTER 25 LONG YEARS- A COMEBACK FINALLY !!!

                    AN ANTIBIOTIC AFTER 25 LONG YEARS- A COMEBACK FINALLY !!!
        January 2015 gave rise to a new antibiotic discovered after a long wait of 25 years (the last antibiotic was discovered in 1987). This discovery can be considered as a 'NEW YEAR GIFT TO MANKIND' because the uniqueness of antibiotic 'TEIXOBACTIN' lies in the fact that it is active against Gram positive bacteria which has acquired resistance over other antibiotics.
        There was a fear in the minds of people that antibiotic will no longer be beneficial in coming years due to the spread of resistance over antibiotics in the recent years e.g. Multi-Drug resistant- Tuberculosis (MDR-TB). Thus the discovery comes as a ray of hope in treating resistant bacterial as well as other microbial species.
         Teixobactin was isolated from the previously uncultured soil bacteria by iChip (isolation chip) technology. It is a cell wall biosynthesis inhibitor by binding to the lipid precursors (especially lipid II) of peptidoglycan. The blocking of lipid precursors results in the inhibition of peptidoglycan which in turn results in the cell lysis of the concerned bacteria.
         Teixobactin is effective in vitro against most of the Gram positive bacterial species like Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus anthrasis, Clostridium difficile, enterococci and in in vivo it is effective against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Streptococcus pneumoniae. The in vivo activity was, however, tested on mice and still clinical trials are yet to be carried on human beings.
TEIXOBACTIN IS NOT PROVED TO BE EFFECTIVE AGAINST GRAM- NEGATIVE BACTERIA.
         One of the co-discover has stated that Teixobactin will hit the market only in next 5-6 years. However, pharmaceutical companies are reluctant to invest in the manufacture, development and marketing of new antibiotics due to the fear that due to use prolonged use, it may acquire resistance.
Teixobactin is discovered in Northeastern University,Boston with Prof. Kim Lewis being the lead research scientist.
          Since, micro-organisms are getting stronger and stronger by the day due to the resistance, we need to strictly follow the proper instructions by our family doctor, pharmacist or any healthcare expert regarding the proper course and administration of antibiotics. 
Self-medication should be avoided, the whole course of antibiotic should be completed even we feel better by the 2nd of 3rd day of medication regime (considering it as a 5-day regime). If any past "antibiotic-resistant" experience has occurred then that should be reported to the doctor beforehand.
        Lets hope for a better future with more effective antibiotics being discovered in the coming future to save the mankind from dare consequences of antibiotic-resistance of microbes..!!!

                                                   
                                                     STRUCTURE OF TEIXOBACTIN

                                                                                                                              -DARWIN







                                                                                                               

   

PHARMACEUTICAL ANALYSIS- Safe-guarding the pharmaceuticals !!!!

                 PHARMACEUTICAL ANALYSIS- Safe-guarding the pharmaceuticals !!!!
        True to its name , "Pharmaceutical Analysis" is the subject which deals with maintaining the identity and purity (quality) of the drug. It describes various techniques which are literally involved for detecting any impurity in pharmaceuticals / active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and quantification of the API content or impurity content in the concerned product. Thus, it safeguards the pharmaceuticals from any toxic impurity or residual solvents which might be present that can harm the product, in turn harming the consumer (patient). Patient safety comes first in healthcare industry.
Also let me clear myself about the term "impurity". Impurity not necessarily means it is always harmful to the product or patients, but it is just 'undesirable' in our concerned product.
        From GPAT point of view, this subject is very , very important. You should be crystal clear about the basics of chemistry as well as physics (which we learnt in our junior college- 11th and 12th standard) to move forward in learning this subject because almost over 2/3 rd part of this subject deals with principles, equipment's, working of the same and applications which requires lot of physics.
        You should be mainly clear about the principles involved and specific instruments (e.g. source, detectors etc.) used in each analytical technique. Also in case of IR (Infrared Spectroscopy), NMR (Nuclear magnetic Spectroscopy) you need to remember the absorbance value and chemical shift value of each functional groups (most favourite questions in GPAT). In MS (Mass Spectrometry), you should be clear about the fragmentation patterns and the characteristic m/z value of certain functional groups like alcohols, carboxylic acids, ketones etc.
In case of titrations like non-aqueous, complexometric, redox etc the indicators used, nature of analytes suitable for them should be remembered.
In case of chromatographic techniques like HPLC (High Pressure Liquid Chromatography), GC (Gas Chromatography), TLC (Thin Layer Chromatography) etc., stationary and mobile phases used as well as the modifications and advancements in the original techniques to suit the needs of certain nature of analytes should be known to you.

RECOMMENDED BOOKS FOR READING-

1. Gary D. Christian, "Analytical Chemistry", 6th Edition, Wiley India (Delhi) Publishers, 2010.

2. J. Mendham, R.C. Denney, J.D. Barnes, M. Thomas, B. Sivasankar, "Vogel's Textbook of Quantitaive Chemical Analysis", 6th Edition, Pearson India Publishers, 2009.

3. A.H. Beckett and J.B. Stanlake, "Practical Pharmceutical Chemistry", 4th Edition, CBS Publisher and Distributors, Volumes- 1 & 2, 1988.

4. David B. Troy, Paul Beringer, "Remington ; The Science and Practice of Pharmacy", Lippincott Williams and Wilkins, 2006

5. D.L. Pavia, G.M. Lampman, G.S. Kriz, J.A. Vyvyan, "Spectroscopy", 4th Edition, Cengage Learning India Pvt. Ltd., 2012.

6. Leon Lachman and Herbert A. Lieberman, " The Theory and Practice of Industrial Pharmacy", Special Indian Edition, CBS Publishers and Distributors Pvt Ltd., 2009.

PHARMACEUTICAL ANALYSIS

Different techniques of pharmaceutical analysis, Preliminaries and definitions- 1

Fundamentals of volumetric analysis- 1

Acid Base Titrations- 2

Oxidation Reduction Titrations:- 2

Precipitation Titrations- 1,2,3

Gravimetric Analysis- 1

Non-aqueous titrations- 2

Complexometric titrations- 2

Miscellaneous Methods of Analysis- 1,2,3

Extraction procedures including separation of drugs from excipients; Potentiometry- 2,3

Conductometry- 2,3

Coulometry- 2,3

Polarography- 2,3

Amperometry- 2,3

Chromatography- 1,4

The Theoretical Aspects, Basic Instrumentation, Elements of Interpretation of Spectra, and Applications (quantitative and qualitative) of the Following Analytical Techniques-

Ultraviolet and visible spectrophotometry- 2,3

Fluorimetry- 2

Infrared spectroscopy- 5

Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectroscopy [proton technique only]- 5 (Although they have mentioned proton technique only, a question 13-C NMR too was asked in GPAT-2014- MY PERSONAL EXPERIENCE !!)

Mass Spectrometry (EI & CI only)- 5

Flame Photometry, Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy- 2

X-ray Diffraction Analysis- Not given complete details in any book, try to search it on internet or other analytical chemistry book. (DON'T GO IN DETAIL)

Radioimmunoassay- 1,4

Quality assurance- 4,6

       This was all about 'PHARMACEUTICAL ANALYSIS' part.. In the next part we would cover all of  'PHARMACOLOGY' on the next part...!!
       Hope you would have liked this part, too.. Any kind of feedback and suggestions are welcome by our team !!!
                                                                                        -Darwin
                                                               [GPAT-2014- All India Rank (AIR)- 619)
                                                                      NIPER-JEE-2014 AIR-25 and

                                                                         ICT-BPT-CET-2014 AIR-7 ]
                                                   Ist year M, Tech (Bioprocess Technology-BPT)-2014-16,
                                                       Institute of Chemical Technology, Matunga, Mumbai.

           

PHARMACEUTICAL MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY- Dealing with the structure- Part- II

         PHARMACEUTICAL MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY- Dealing with the structure- Part- II
      In the previous post we covered some basic funda's regarding chemistry. Now with the basics done its time to move ahead and master the subject of interest- "Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry". This subject basically will deal with the SAR- Structure Activity Relationship, MOA- Mechanism of Action and chemical synthesis of pharmaceutical agents or simply 'drugs'.
      In SAR, we should try to focus on the functional groups in a particular moiety which are responsible for the action of the drug/ binding with the receptors. It can also include the 'prodrug' approach as well. E.g. Which functional group is susceptible for the making prodrug.
      In MOA, it is sometimes essential to know the sequence of reactions which actually take place with the drug (especially prodrug) in the body on administration. MOA is more of concern in 'pharmacology' which we would cover in the upcoming posts. Rather, I would personally suggest to study pharmacology and medicinal chemistry at the same time. It will serve 2 purposes-
1. Time-saving activity.
2. After knowing structure, SAR and chemical synthesis of particular class of drugs in chemistry (for e.g. anti-viral agents), you can look its MOA, ADR (Adverse Drug Reactions), S/E (Side-effects) and other aspects in pharmacology. Thus, you will immediately link the chemistry and pharmacological actions of the drug instantly and trust me, it really helps a lot.. Its like hitting 2 bird with a single stone !!
       In this post we will also try to cover 'Biochemistry'. Most of the questions regarding with biochemistry is more centered around the biochemical pathways. Glycolysis, TCA cycle are favourite ones. Questions may or may not be asked on enzyme kinetics, enzyme immobilization, nucleic acids- DNA, RNA etc.,  genetic mutations etc. These topics are more of a concern in NIPER-JEE preparation. We would also cover guidance and tips about NIPER-JEE too once GPAT series ends.

Recommended books for reading-

PHARMACEUTICAL MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY
1. Thomas L. Lemke, David A. Williams, Victoria F. Roche, S. William Zito, "Foye's Principles of Medicinal Chemistry", 7th Edition, Lippincott Williams and Wilkins Publishers, 2013.

2. John M. Beale Jr., John H. Block, "Wilson and Gisvold's Textbook of Organic Medicinal and Pharmaceutical Chemistry", 12th Edition, South Asian Edition, Lippincott Williams and Wilkins Publishers, 2010.

The above books were for referring SAR, MOA, uses etc. stuff of drugs. Now for synthesis of drugs we would recommend to refer-

3. Daniel Lednicer, "The Organic Chemistry of Drug Synthesis",  Wiley, Volumes- 1 to 7.

4. Douglas S. Johnson and Jie Jack Li, "The Art of Drug Synthesis".Wiley Interscience, 2007.

PHARMACEUTICAL MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY
Basic Principles- 1

Drug metabolism and Concept of Prodrugs; Principles of Drug Design (Theoretical Aspects)- 1

Synthetic Procedures, Mode of Action, Uses, Structure Activity Relationships including Physicochemical Properties of the Following Classes of Drugs:

a. Drugs acting at synaptic and neuro-effector junction sites: Cholinergics, anti-cholinergics and cholinesterase inhibitors, Adrenergic drugs, Antispasmodic and anti-ulcer drugs, Local Anesthetics, Neuromuscular blocking agents- 1,2

b, Autacoids- 1,2

c. Steroidal Drugs- 2

d. Drugs acting on the central nervous system- 1,2

e. Diuretics; Cardiovascular drugs- 1,2

f. Thyroid and Anti thyroid drugs; Insulin and oral hypoglycemic agents- 1

g. Chemotherapeutic Agents used in bacterial, fungal, viral, protozoal, parasitic and other infections, Antibiotics: ß-Lactam, macrolides, tetracyclines, aminoglycosides, polypeptide
antibiotics, fluoroquinolones- 1,2

h. Anti-metabolites (including sulfonamides); Anti-neoplastic agents; Anti-viral agents (including anti–HIV);
Immunosuppressives and immunostimulants; Diagnostic agents; Pharmaceutical Aids- 1,2


BIOCHEMISTRY-
1. David L. Nelson and Michael M. Fox, "Lehninger Principles of Biochemistry", 6th Edition, Macmillan Publishers, 2013,

2. Robert K. Murray, Peter J. Kenelly, David A. Bender, Kethleen M. Bothan, P. Anthony Weil, Victor W. Rodwell, "Harpers Illustrated Biochemistry", 29th Edition, Tata Mc-Graw Hill Publishers, 2012.

BIOCHEMISTRY-
Biochemistry in pharmaceutical sciences- 1,2

Enzymes- 1,2

Co-enzymes- 1,2

Carbohydrate Metabolism- 1,2

The Citric Acid Cycle- 1,2

Lipids Metabolism- 1,2

Essential fatty acids & eicosanoids-  Refer Foye and Wilson of Medicinal Chemistry.

Biological Oxidation- 1,2

Metabolism of ammonia and nitrogen containing monomers- 1,2

Purine biosynthesis- 1,2

Pyrimidine biosynthesis and formation of deoxyribounucleotides.
Biosynthesis of Nucleic Acids- 1,2

Mutation- 2

Genetic Code and Protein Synthesis- 1,2

Enzyme Immobilization- 1,2.

            This was all about 'MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY' and 'BIOCHEMISTRY'. In the next part we would cover all of 'PHARMACEUTICAL ANALYSIS'.
             Hope you would have liked this part, too.. Any kind of feedback and suggestions are welcome by our team !!!
                                                                                           -Darwin
                                                                  [GPAT-2014- All India Rank (AIR)- 619)
                                                                        NIPER-JEE-2014 AIR-25 and

                                                                          ICT-BPT-CET-2014 AIR-7 ]
                                                      Ist year M, Tech (Bioprocess Technology-BPT)-2014-16,
                                                            Institute of Chemical Technology, Matunga, Mumbai.