Israel Pharmacist Licensing Exam key terms

The fraction of an administered dose that reaches systemic circulation unchanged, expressed as a percentage relative to intravenous dosing; determined by extent of absorption and first-pass metabolism.

Metabolism of an orally absorbed drug by intestinal wall and liver before it reaches systemic circulation, reducing oral bioavailability; drugs with high first-pass extraction require larger oral doses.

A calculated apparent volume relating the amount of drug in the body to its plasma concentration; a large value indicates extensive tissue distribution rather than plasma binding.

The volume of plasma from which drug is completely removed per unit time by all eliminating organs combined; determines the maintenance dose rate needed to sustain a target concentration.

The time required for plasma concentration to fall by half during first-order elimination; governs time to steady state and dosing interval selection, independent of dose size.

The condition in which drug input equals elimination, so plasma concentrations fluctuate around a constant mean; reached after roughly four to five half-lives of regular dosing.

An initial larger dose given to reach therapeutic concentration rapidly, calculated from volume of distribution and target concentration; maintenance dosing then sustains the level.

Measurement of drug concentrations in blood at defined times to individualize dosing for drugs with narrow therapeutic index, poor concentration–response correlation, or high interpatient variability.

The lowest plasma concentration in a dosing interval, sampled just before the next dose; used for drugs such as vancomycin and aminoglycosides to assess accumulation and toxicity risk.

A property of drugs whose toxic and therapeutic concentrations lie close together, so small dosing or pharmacokinetic changes cause harm; examples include digoxin, lithium, warfarin, and phenytoin.

Dose individualization for vancomycin using the 24-hour area under the concentration–time curve, targeting 400–600 mg·h/L for serious MRSA infection to balance efficacy against nephrotoxicity.

The integral of plasma concentration over time, reflecting total systemic drug exposure; used to compare formulations, assess bioequivalence, and guide exposure-targeted dosing.

The demonstration that two pharmaceutically equivalent products release the same active moiety at a similar rate and extent, judged by confidence intervals around AUC and Cmax ratios.

The condition in which two products contain identical amounts of the same active ingredient in the same dosage form, meeting identical or comparable compendial standards, without implying therapeutic equivalence.

A product containing the same active substance as an originator medicine, marketed after patent or data exclusivity expiry and approved on evidence of quality and bioequivalence rather than new clinical trials.

An inactive chemical derivative that is converted in the body, enzymatically or chemically, to release the active drug; used to improve absorption, stability, or targeting.

The systematic link between molecular features - functional groups, stereochemistry, lipophilicity - and biological effect, guiding rational modification of a lead compound to improve potency or reduce toxicity.

The minimal set of spatial and electronic features a molecule must present to bind a target and produce activity; used in ligand design and in explaining cross-reactivity within a drug class.

The property of a molecule that is non-superimposable on its mirror image, giving enantiomers that may differ markedly in receptor affinity, metabolism, and toxicity.

A 1:1 mixture of two enantiomers; its overall effect reflects both isomers, which may act differently, so switching between racemic and single-enantiomer products can alter dose–response.

Any inactive component of a dosage form - diluent, binder, disintegrant, lubricant, preservative, or colorant - included for manufacturing, stability, or patient acceptability reasons.

A formulation designed to release drug without deliberate delay or prolongation, usually dissolving rapidly in the gastrointestinal tract to allow prompt absorption.

A formulation engineered to alter the timing or rate of drug release, such as extended, delayed, or pulsatile release, often allowing less frequent dosing and steadier concentrations.

Rapid unintended release of the full drug content from a modified-release product, typically after splitting, crushing, or co-administration with alcohol, risking toxicity.

A drug carrying heightened risk of significant patient harm when used in error; examples include insulin, anticoagulants, concentrated electrolytes, and chemotherapy, which require independent double checks.

Products with similar names or packaging that are easily confused, a recognized source of medication errors; mitigation includes tall-man lettering, separated storage, and read-back verification.

A labeling convention that capitalizes distinguishing parts of similar drug names, such as hydrOXYzine versus hydrALAZINE, to reduce selection errors at prescribing and dispensing.

A verification process in which a second qualified person separately confirms a calculation, product, or dose without seeing the first check, used for high-risk preparations and administration.

A set of practices performed in a controlled environment to keep sterile products free of microorganisms, including hand hygiene, garbing, disinfection, and first-air exposure of critical sites.

A workbench that directs filtered air in a unidirectional stream to protect the sterile field; a horizontal-flow clean bench protects product but not the operator, unlike a biological safety cabinet.

An enclosed work station using directional airflow and HEPA filtration to protect both the operator and the sterile product, required for preparing hazardous drugs such as cytotoxic chemotherapy.

The maximum period a compounded preparation may be stored before use, set from stability data and risk level under a specified container and storage condition.

A written or electronic order from an authorized prescriber containing patient details, drug name, strength, dosage form, directions, and prescriber signature; a legal document retained by the pharmacy.

Repeating a verbal or telephone order back to the prescriber, and having it confirmed, to prevent mishearing of drug names, doses, or directions.

Documentation kept by the pharmacy for each dispensed prescription, including drug, quantity, date, prescriber, and patient identifiers, supporting traceability and regulatory inspection.

The science of detecting, assessing, and preventing adverse effects of medicines after marketing, relying on spontaneous reporting, signal evaluation, and regulatory action such as label changes.

A harmful and unintended response to a medicine at doses normally used for prophylaxis, diagnosis, or treatment, classified by mechanism as predictable (type A) or idiosyncratic (type B).

A ratio comparing the dose producing toxicity with the dose producing the desired effect; a low value signals that small changes in exposure may cause harm.

The ethical and legal duty to keep patient health information private, disclosing it only with consent or where law permits, such as reporting notifiable disease or preventing serious harm.

A patient's voluntary agreement to a treatment or procedure after receiving and understanding information about its purpose, benefits, risks, and alternatives, documented before proceeding.

The continuous temperature-controlled storage and transport sequence from manufacture to administration that preserves vaccine potency; breaches require assessment of usability, not automatic discard.

Two broad vaccine types: adjuvanted or inactivated products containing non-living antigens, and live attenuated products that replicate; the latter are generally avoided in significant immunosuppression.

A biologic approved after reference-product exclusivity expiry on evidence of high similarity in structure, function, and clinical performance, with comparability shown by analytical and clinical studies.

An engineered immunoglobulin of single specificity that binds one target epitope, used therapeutically in oncology, autoimmunity, and infectious disease; naming typically ends in -mab.

The study of medicines derived from natural sources, covering plant, fungal, and marine secondary metabolites, their isolation, standardization, and structure elucidation.

A change in drug exposure or effect caused by a botanical product, often through enzyme or transporter induction or inhibition; St John's wort is a classic inducer of CYP3A4 and P-glycoprotein.