Drug Classes

Guide to Medication Categories

Medication classifications involve categorizing drugs based on shared characteristics like chemical structure, mechanism of action, physiological impact, or therapeutic purpose. The aim of this categorization is to facilitate comprehension for both healthcare professionals and patients regarding the effects, risks, and interactions of various drugs.
Important things to know about medication classes are:
  1. Not all medications neatly fit into a single category

    Some drugs possess multiple uses or mechanisms of action, leading them to be classified in more than one class. For instance, metformin serves as both an antidiabetic medication and exhibits anti-obesity and anti-aging effects.

  2. Medication classification is dynamic

    Ongoing drug development and approvals often necessitate the creation of new categories or revisions to existing ones. For example, biologics represent a relatively recent class of medications derived from living organisms or their byproducts.

  3. Medication classification is not standardized globally

    Various countries or organizations may employ distinct systems or criteria for categorizing drugs. For instance, the World Health Organization (WHO) employs the Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) classification system, which groups drugs based on the organ or system they affect, as well as their therapeutic and chemical properties. In contrast, the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) utilizes the USP Drug Classification (USP DC) system, which categorizes drugs according to their primary indication or purpose of use.

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