什麼是製藥工業

藥物－－用於疾病診斷、治療、預防和有機功能矯正的物質－－的製造者。有關藥用植物和礦物最早的記錄出現於中國、印度、地中海的文明。藥品早先由醫師準備，後來由藥店準備。19世紀發現可以大規模而有效製造具有高度活性的醫療化合物，現代製藥工業因而開始。隨著這些藥品取代早期的藥草，風溼熱、傷寒、肺炎、小兒麻痺、梅毒、結核病等嚴重疾病的出現大為減少。許多藥品萃取自植物物質，奎寧、古柯礆、嗎啡等生物礆是最佳的例證。其他藥品由動物物質製成，如用來生產胰島素的腺萃取物。製藥工業研究大大幫助了醫學發展，而在工業實驗室中已發現並製出許多新藥。漸增的保健支出、政府節制、研究倫理都是製藥工業關心的議題。

pharmaceutical industry

producers of pharmaceuticals, substances used in the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease and the modification of organic functions. The earliest records of medicinal plants and minerals are those of the ancient Chinese, Hindu, and Mediterranean civilizations. Medicines were prepared first by physicians and later by apothecary shops. The modern pharmaceutical industry began in the 19th century with the discovery of highly active medicinal compounds that could be manufactured most efficiently on a large scale. As these drugs replaced the herbal medicines of earlier times, the occurrence and severity of such diseases as rheumatic fever, typhoid fever, pneumonia, poliomyelitis, syphilis, and tuberculosis were greatly reduced. Many drugs are extracted from plant substances; alkaloids such as quinine, cocaine, and morphine are among the best-known examples. Others are made from animal substances, such as the glandular extracts that are used to produce insulin. Pharmaceutical industry research has greatly aided medical progress, and many new drugs have been discovered and produced in industrial laboratories. Increasing health-care costs, government regulation, and research ethics are all issues of concern to the industry.