[indices] Antibiotics? anti-infectives? What is in a name...[2]

["Douglas Ball" <douglasball@yahoo.co.uk>]

There are no fixed rules and probably many different
systems for classifying medicines. The WHO centre for
statistics methodology propose the ATC system (see
below) but the WHO model formulary doesn't follow it
which is probably a reflection that it all depends on
what suits the objective at hand (but it would be good
if we could have an internationally accepted system). 

I guess that it is generally accepted that that
anti-infectives is a broader term and includes
antibiotics (traditionally naturally occuring and/or
derived products which act against bacterial),
synthetic anti-bacterials, antivirals, antiamebics,
and anti-whatever-else I might have forgotten.

The structure of the ATC for this group of drugs is:

  J ANTIINFECTIVES FOR SYSTEMIC USE
  J01 ANTIBACTERIALS FOR SYSTEMIC USE
  J02 ANTIMYCOTICS FOR SYSTEMIC USE
  J04 ANTIMYCOBACTERIALS
  J05 ANTIVIRALS FOR SYSTEMIC USE
  J06 IMMUNE SERA AND IMMUNOGLOBULINS
  J07 VACCINES 

J01 breaks down into:
  J01 ANTIBACTERIALS FOR SYSTEMIC USE
  J01A TETRACYCLINES
  J01B AMPHENICOLS
  J01C BETA-LACTAM ANTIBACTERIALS, PENICILLINS
  J01D OTHER BETA-LACTAM ANTIBACTERIALS
  J01E SULFONAMIDES AND TRIMETHOPRIM
  J01F MACROLIDES, LINCOSAMIDES AND STREPTOGRAMINS
  J01G AMINOGLYCOSIDE ANTIBACTERIALS
  J01M QUINOLONE ANTIBACTERIALS
  J01R COMBINATIONS OF ANTIBACTERIALS
  J01X OTHER ANTIBACTERIALS 

The ATC Index can be search online for the code for
individual drugs (http://www.whocc.no/).

Regards

Douglas Ball
==========================
Dr. Douglas Ball  BSc(Pharm), MSc, MMedSc(ClinEpid), PhD
Dept. of Pharmacy Practice
Faculty of Pharmacy, Health Sciences Center
University of Kuwait, PO Box 24923 Safat 13110
Kuwait
Tel: (965)531-2300 ext. 6073
Mobile: (965) 7975483
Fax (work): (965)534-2807
E-mail: dball@hsc.edu.kw


		
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