Historical Background-Merged 9-Pages-Deleted
Historical Background-Merged 9-Pages-Deleted
PHARMACY
• The word “pharmacy” is derived from the Greek word pharmakon, meaning medicine or
drug.
• Pharmacy was considered as an art of compounding and dispensing of medicines and the
provision of drug related information to the public.
HISTORY OF PHARMACY
• The evolution of the profession of pharmacy can be divided into five historical periods;
1. ANCIENT ERA – the beginning of time to AD 1600
2. EMPERIC ERA – 1600-1940
3. INDUSTRIALIZATION ERA – 1940-1970
4. PATIENT CARE ERA – 1970-present
5. BIOTECHNOLOGY AND GENETIC ERA – The new horizon
1. ANCIENT ERA
• Used leaves, mud and cool water to stop bleeding and heal
wounds.
• They used these methods by observing how animals heal
their wounds.
• Documented experiences of healing onto clay tablets which
provided the earliest known written record.
• Hippocrates – The Father of Medicine
• Theophrastus – The Father of Botany – early scientist
• Mithridates – Father of Toxicology – Studied the adverse effects of plants
• “Sushrutha Samhitha” an Ayurvedic monograph of medical substances complied in 6th
century B.C (760 herbs).
• Charaka Muni (Charaka Sanhitha) classified herbs in 50 groups.
2. Dosage Form –They were incorporated into sweetened dosage forms, such as syrups,
mixed with sugar and honey.
3. Pharmacy shop – first appeared in Baghdad in about AD 762.
• 1800 and early 1900’s witnessed the rapid development in pharmacy field.
2. EMPIRIC ERA
• Benjamin Franklin started the first hospital in 1751. It had a pharmacy and the first
hospital pharmacist was Jonathan Roberts.
• The Pharmacopoeia became a regulatory tool for pharmacists.
• 1st USP - 1820
• 1st Pharmacy School – 1821 in Philadelphia (US).
• American Pharmacy Association – 1852 by William Proctor. Regarded as Father of
Pharmacy.
• National Formulary – 1888
• Banaras Hindu University started B. Pharmacy course in the year 1937 (Mahadeva lal
Schroff).
• Punjab University in 1944.
• 1st Indian Pharmacopoeia – 1955
3. INDUSTRIALIZATION ERA
• Rapid mass production of medicines followed.
• Standardisation, biologically prepared products, complex chemical synthesis, increased
use of parenteral medications were all part of this period.
4. THE PATIENT CARE ERA
• The beginning of this era concentrated on research to develop new medicines.
• New drugs were developed. Had a lot of adverse reactions to drugs so drug review and
monitoring resulted.
• Pharmacists began to take a more hands-on role in dispensing medications and patient
education.
5. THE FUTURE OF PHARMACY
• Research in the area of Biotechnology and Gene Therapy is being conducted.
• Medications are being produced through recombinant DNA technology.
• New therapies for cancer, anaemia, and hepatitis are being introduced.
• In ancient India, the sources of drugs were vegetables, animals and mineral origin. There
were no scientific methods of standardization of drugs.
• Some Ayurvedic monographs of medical substances like “Sushrutha Samhita”,”Charak
Samhita” and “Sharangdhar Samhita” were complied in the 6th century BC.
• These compendiums are the Sanskrit text on Ayurveda (Indian traditional medicine).
• Allopathic system in India came with the britishers who became the rulers of india.
• The allopathic system became very popular by the close of 19th century.
• Initially all drugs were imported from Europe but later on some of drugs were
manufactured in the country.
• 1901 - Bengal chemical and pharmaceutical works, Culcatta was established by Acharya
P.C. Ray for the manufacturing of drugs.
• 1903 - a small factory at Parel (Bombay).
• 1907 - Alembic chemical works at Baroda was established by Professor T.K Gujjar.
• Other big units during early part of century were Sarabhai Chemical works, The Bengal
Immunity Laboratory and few Govt. laboratories for the manufacturer of vaccines and
sera.
• During world war-1 (1914-1920), import of drugs was restricted and then again resumed
after he world war.
• During that time there were no restrictions on the quality of imported drugs so that
following consequences were prevailed:
✓ Dumping of inferior quality medicine and adultered drugs.
✓ All useless and deterious drugs were sold by unqualified people.
• As a result, few laws were inducted but were insufficient.
2.Post independence
• In order to reduce the dependency on imports and increase the production of Abs
(specially penicillin and streptomycin) “Hindustan Antibiotic Limited” set up in 1954 at
Pimpri near Pune.
• Indian Drug and Pharmaceutical Limited was set up by Govt. in 1964 to provide a boost
to the production of bulk drugs and formulation in Hyderabad and Rishikesh.
3.Present scenario
• The Indian pharmaceutical industry, today is one of the largest and most advanced among
the developing countries.
• Mumbai, Hyderabad and Ahmedabad are the major pharmaceutical hubs of india.
• Except some anti-cancer drugs and few antibiotics all the products are currently
• Indian pharmaceutical industry fulfills 70% of national needs.
• In 1930, Govt of India formed a committee on 11th August 1930, named “Drug enquiry
committee” under the chairmanship of Late R.N.Chopra.
• The first report of this committee was published in 1931, saying that there was no
recognised profession of pharmacy, and the pharmacy practice work was carried out by
a person called “Compounder”.
• The effect of the report was initiated by Prof.M.L.Schroff to start pharmacy education at
university level in “Banaras Hindu University (BHU)”
• It was in 1937, B.Pharm course was started at BHU, which was industry oriented.
• Father of Pharmacy Education in India- Prof.M.L.Schroff
• Other universities in India which provided pharma education were Andhra University,
Madras University, Bombay University, Punjab University and L.M. College.
3.Indian Pharmacopoeia 1985 - Third edition, followed by its addendum in 1989 and 1991;
4.Indian Pharmacopoeia 1996 - Fourth edition, followed by its addendum 2000, supplement 2000
6.Indian Pharmacopoeia 2010 - Six edition with DVD followed by its addendum 2012;
7.Indian Pharmacopoeia 2014 – Seventh edition with DVD followed by its addendum 2015 and
addendum 2016;