The effects of a drug can be evaluated based on its effectiveness (efficacy) strength (potency)
. Its meaning differs from field to field. However, in terms of pharmacology, the efficacy of a drug is known as the tendency of a drug to produce a maximum therapeutic response. Such is the importance of the drug efficacy that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) initiated a program known as the Drug Efficacy Study Implementation to ensure the efficacy and safety of the drugs.
Pharmaceuticals have mainly consisted of fast acting and simple chemical compounds, which are dispensed either orally or through injectables. Several researches have been made to increase the efficacy of the drugs in the pharmacological world. However, it is important to note that greater efficacy is nowhere related to the preference in the usage of drugs. This is because several factors such as potential toxicity, side effects and duration of effects also play an important role in choosing the drug.
The drug efficacy is often determined during the process of drug formulation when different types of drugs as well as the active drug are combined together to build an effective result.
The main objective of the drug delivery systems is to transmit the medications to the proposed body parts with the help of a medium, which has the control over the therapys administration by either a means of chemical or physiological trigger. To do this effectively, several researchers are now taking the help of sophisticated technologies such as the micro and nanotechnology.
Only time will on how these technologies are going to enhance the drug efficacy than the already in practice polymers which are also efficiently used to enhance the drug targeting specificity.