Top 200 Drugs - 1 - 25

As a pharmacy technician, you will be expected to know all of the top 200 drugs.  In order to make learning these brand name drugs and their generic equivalents easier, I have broken them down into segments of 25 at a time.

The following video slideshow outlines the first 25:

Federal Food, Drug, & Cosmetic Act of 1938

In 1938, the United States government became involved in drug regulation to make sure that drugs were both safe and effective. Even after the establishment of the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906, thousands of patient drug-related deaths occurred each year.

The act was instituted after one particularly grisly incident where 100 patients in the United States died from a chemical additive used to dissolve the drug sulfanilamide.

The main objectives of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act of 1938 was to establish testing and safety standards and to ensure that drugs were neither adulterated nor misbranded.

• Adulterated Drug - Any drugs that contains decomposed substances.
• Misbranded Drug - Any drug whose label is false, misleading, or proper warnings and directions are excluded.

The act has twenty chapters and includes prohibited actions & penalties for food, drugs and devices, cosmetics, bottled water,  tobacco products, homeopathic preparations,dietary suppliments, imports/exports,and it establishes the general authority of the FDA.

In addition, the act allows the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to oversee the marketing/advertising of all FDA regulated products.

The Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act of 1938 replaced the weaker Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906 and it strengthened and cemented the role of the FDA.

"Respect" Pharmacy Tech Video

The video above offers a realistic view with a funny spin of a day in the life of a pharmacy technician. The video was produced by the National Pharmacy Technician Association (NPTA).

 According to their mission statement, the NPTA's goal is to advance and promote the roles and careers of pharmacy technicians.  If you are not already familiar with this agency, you should get to know them and become a member.

Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906

The Pure Food and Drug  Act of 1906  is the law that first established

the role of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This legislation was
passed by Congress to set standards for drug purity and strength.

Even though the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906 is generally regarded
as the establishing law of the FDA, it would be 32 more years until the agency
first became the powerhouse they are today.