Pharmacy is a branch of medical sciences in Iran, supervised by the Ministry of Health. It focuses on the study of drugs, chemical compounds, their effects on the human body, and their production and prescription. This field combines basic sciences, chemistry, biology, and medicine, playing a vital role in improving public health.
Introduction
Pharmacy has a long history dating back to ancient times when people used medicinal plants to treat diseases. With advancements in science and technology, it evolved into a specialized field and is now recognized as a crucial part of medical sciences. In Iran and many other countries, this field is offered at the professional doctorate level.
Specializations
Pharmacy is an industry closely connected to drug therapy, which is the most common treatment method worldwide. A pharmacist in a pharmacy must oversee all prescriptions, ensuring they are appropriate for the patient’s age, weight, interactions, and condition. They must verify prescriptions with their stamp and signature, and if any issues arise, they should contact the physician or refuse to fill the prescription.
If a treatment regimen fails, the pharmacist must analyze the reasons for its ineffectiveness. Pharmacy includes various specialized fields, allowing for research projects in each area or a combination of them. Some of these specializations include:
Specialized Fields of Pharmacy
Pharmacy encompasses multiple specialized fields, reflecting its multidisciplinary nature and close connection with fundamental sciences such as chemistry, biology, physics, mathematics, and clinical sciences. This field is one of the most expansive sciences for conducting research. Various specialized fields in pharmacy allow for research projects in each area or a combination of them. Some of these specializations include:
1- Pharmaceutics
This specialization, known as “Pharmaceutical Sciences,” focuses on transforming active pharmaceutical ingredients into suitable and consumable drug forms. The goal is to ensure that the maximum amount of the active substance reaches the target organ or tissue after administration. Key areas of expertise in this field include evaluating the quality of pharmaceutical formulations, advanced drug delivery systems, proper storage and packaging conditions, and pharmacokinetic modeling of drugs in the human body. Research in this field plays a crucial role in enhancing the quality of the pharmaceutical industry.
2- Pharmacology
This specialization primarily focuses on researching the effects and side effects of drugs through in vitro and in vivo studies. Students conducting research in this field become familiar with the latest methods for determining effective drug dosages, mechanisms of action, and advanced modeling techniques for predicting drug effects in animals, as well as at the cellular and organ levels.
3- Pharmacognosy
This is one of the most comprehensive fields in pharmaceutical sciences for conducting research projects. In this specialization, researchers focus on discovering and evaluating the therapeutic effects of active compounds derived from medicinal plants. Students gain expertise in identifying medicinal plants, recognizing their pharmacologically active components, extracting and analyzing bioactive compounds from different plant parts, and other related techniques.
4- Medicinal Chemistry
This is one of the most fundamental specializations in pharmaceutical sciences. The primary goal of this field is to understand the chemical structure of pharmaceutical compounds and the active functional groups within them. Through research projects, students develop skills in analyzing chemical reactions, understanding the relationship between molecular structure and biological activity in the human body, and designing, extracting, and identifying bioactive pharmaceutical compounds. Additionally, students gain proficiency in working with advanced laboratory instruments and various drug analysis techniques.
5- Pharmaceutical Biotechnology
Through research projects in this specialization, students acquire essential skills in utilizing cellular and molecular sciences, microbiology, and genetics for the production and mass manufacturing of bioactive pharmaceutical compounds. They also learn how to harness microorganisms such as bacteria and fungi as natural drug production factories and explore their applications in disease prevention and control.
6- Clinical Pharmacy
Students in this specialization can engage in a wide range of clinical research projects, including evaluating the effects of pharmaceutical formulations developed in other fields in clinical settings, monitoring drug efficacy and adverse effects in patients, identifying common and significant drug interactions (such as drug-drug, drug-food, and drug-disease interactions), exploring prevention and management strategies for these interactions, and determining appropriate drug dosage adjustments.
7- Toxicology
Students conducting research in this field become familiar with common in vivo and in vitro testing methods for evaluating the toxic effects of substances at the cellular and organ levels. These assessments are crucial in pharmacological studies before drugs proceed to clinical trials.
Other specialized fields in pharmacy include Pharmaceutical Nanotechnology, Nuclear Pharmacy (Radiopharmacy), Drug Control, and Pharmaceutical Economics and Management. It is worth mentioning that most research projects in pharmacy involve a combination of multiple specialized areas within the field.
Top universities for pharmacy in Iran:
- Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences
- Tehran University of Medical Sciences
- Mashhad University of Medical Sciences
- Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences
- Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences
Final Words
Approximately 30 to 50 percent of unsuccessful treatments are related to medication—its quality, selection, and usage. The way a patient takes medicine, including its interaction with food or other drugs, can weaken its effectiveness. It is the pharmacist’s responsibility to identify these issues and guide the treating physician. Therefore, pharmacy is one of the most crucial fields in the world. If you are interested in studying this field in Iran, feel free to contact us.
