Drug, antimicrobial
Drug, antimicrobial: A drug used to treat a microbial infection.
The term “antimicrobial” is a general one that refers to a group of drugs that includes antibiotics, antifungals, antiprotozoals, and antivirals.
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- Drug, antithyroid
Drug, antithyroid: A drug directed against the thyroid gland. The antithyroid drugs include carbimazole, methimazole, and propylthiouracil (PTU). These drugs are used to treat hyperthyroidism (overactivity of the thyroid gland) in order to reduce the excessive thyroid activity before surgery and to treat and maintain patients not having surgery. Carbimazole, its active metabolite methimazole, and […]
- Drug, antiviral
Drug, antiviral: A medication or another agent that kills viruses or inhibits their capability to reproduce.
- Drug, generic
Drug, generic: The term “generic” has several meanings as regards drugs: The chemical name of a drug. A term referring to the chemical makeup of a drug rather than to the advertised brand name under which the drug is sold. A term referring to any drug marketed under its chemical name without advertising. “Diazepam” is […]
- Drug, over-the-counter (OTC)
Drug, over-the-counter (OTC): A drug for which a prescription is not needed.
- Drug, sulfa
Drug, sulfa: One of the sulfonamides, the sulfa-related antibiotics which are used to treat bacterial and some fungal infections. The first sulfa drug was prontosil. It was discovered by the German physician and chemist Gerhard Domagk in 1935. The sulfa family of drugs includes sulfadiazine, sulfamethizole (brand name: Thiosulfil Forte), sulfamethoxazole (Gantanol), sulfasalazine (Azulfidine), sulfisoxazole […]