Pharmaceutical biology

What does the subject cover?

Pharmaceutical biology deals with medicinal drugs (Arzneidrogen), the constituents of medicinal plants, herbal medicinal products, microbiological principles, and increasingly with biotechnologically produced active substances such as monoclonal antibodies and vaccines. Also included are botany, immunology, and the testing of herbal drugs for identity and purity in accordance with the monographs of the pharmacopoeia. A second strand is human biology — cell biology, genetics, and physiology — as preparation for pharmacology. Microscopy and thin-layer chromatography characterise the practical courses, in which drugs are identified and checked for adulteration. Working with herbal medicinal products remains part of everyday practice in community pharmacies, for example in self-medication.

Where does the subject sit in the examination?

In the First Section of the Pharmacy State Examination the subject group “Principles of Pharmaceutical Biology and Human Biology” forms a separate written paper of 100 questions with two and a half hours' working time. In the Second Section the subject is examined orally, lasting 20 to 40 minutes per candidate. The explicit mention of human biology came with the reform of the Pharmacists' Licensing Regulations, which came into force on 1 October 2001 and raised the medical and pharmacological share of the curriculum from around 12 to approximately 20 per cent. The subject thus links foundations and application.

What applies to students from EU countries?

Annex V no. 5.6.1 of Directive 2005/36/EC identifies biology and botany as compulsory components of every pharmacy programme in the EU. Universities in Hungary, Bulgaria, or Croatia set their own emphases — for example in pharmacognosy or in regional medicinal plant knowledge. For the subsequent licence to practise this is irrelevant, provided the degree is listed in Annex V no. 5.6.2. It becomes relevant only on a mid-programme transfer, when individual practical courses may need to be evidenced. The decision rests with the state examination office under § 22 of the Pharmacists' Licensing Regulations, and there is no entitlement to full recognition.

Common misconceptions

Pharmaceutical biology is more than botany. The share of biotechnologically produced medicines has been growing for years, and the subject covers this group of active substances as well. Conversely, it does not replace a medical education: pharmacists do not make diagnoses.