Man is a product of evolution, the journey 'from amoeba to Man' hasn't been a simple or a sudden change .In the same way… Pharmacy had evolved in so many different aspects, you no longer need to search the jungle for specific herbs then grind it in a mortar pestle and consume it irrespective of its bitter taste, now all you have to do is pop in a pill. There are hundreds of drugs that are launched in the market every year, previously the ratio wasn't the same…although the active ingredient was known, the incorporation of that drug into a formulation was very difficult. And now it is practically possible to formulate any drug (even the most incompatible one)…all you have to do is search for the suitable excipients in research books or in the pharmacopeia which is like a dictionary with all chemical and physical data of the various excipients and with little (I mean most) physiochemical knowledge of your API you can formulate a drug using various permutations and combinations and boom! Your product is ready, but how did life become so easy? It is a result of years and years of research and constant failure, to EVOLVE from your latter stage.

Evolution not only plays a part in formulation but also in various other aspects like pharmaceutical analysis for example, the evolution from using a simple litmus paper to check the acidity or basicity to using a pH meter to quantify the precise value.

The introduction of biotechnology has given a major boost to the pharma industry providing vast opportunities where one's imagination is the only limit.

The changes in cosmetics have made it possible to use something as simple as eyeliner. In the 1800s you couldn't just swing by the corner drugstore to get a pencil of kohl. Instead, you would have had to make your own. The most common preparation was lamp black, made by burning a candle and putting a dish close to the flame. The black soot left behind was used with a little bit of oil to darken the lashes or brows.

So to conclude all in all as man has evolved so has pharmacy making life easy for you and me. Not far away is the day when you will be able to grow vaccines in your backyard or maybe there will be one super pill for many different diseases in a way kill, not two but many birds with one stone and just like candy bars, medicines will be dispensed at automatic kiosks and virtual pharmacist will be available at the tip of your fingers.

Mural Quadros

T. Y. B. Pharm

Tags: MET Institute of Pharmacy