Pharmacology vs Toxicology | 10 Basic Differences

Pharmacology is a science that studies the effect of a drug and the body’s response to it. It is aimed at bringing therapeutic benefits from the drug.

Toxicology is a science that studies the poison characteristics of a substance and its adverse effects on living beings. 

But, in areas like drug research, both pharmacology and toxicology are employed. However, the roles of these two studies are different yet vital.

Pharmacology vs Toxicology Differences

Since both studies are utilized in drug research, there is a chance of confusion, and it would be important to know the differences and similarities. But before we go further, we need to be clear about the terms “toxin and medicine.”

Poison/ toxin: Any substance beyond a certain dose acts as a poison to living beings. This is true for even the water we drink and the oxygen we inhale.

Drug or medicine: Any substance that is intended to treat, cure, diagnose, or prevent a disease or body discomfort is called a drug.

So, from the above terms, it is clear that all substances can act as poisons, but only a few of them can act as medicine.

Sl. No	Character	Pharmacology	Toxicology
1.	Aim	To ascertain the efficacy and compatibility of the drug in the treatment of disease.	The lethal dose 50 (LD50), and lethal concentration 50 (LC50) are determined.
2.	Parameters	The effective dose (ED 50), the volume of distribution, clearance rate, half-life ( t1⁄2), etc.	The lethal dose 50 (LD50), lethal concentration 50 (LC50) are determined.
3.	Subjects for study	Studies are done on both animals and humans. But they are alive	Studies are confined mostly to animals. But for forensic purposes, it is done even on dead bodies.
4.	Substances tested	Medicines, devices, vaccines.	Any substance which can have an effect on living organisms.
5.	Point of studies	It is done after toxicological studies.	It is done prior to pharmacological studies to minimize the chances of adverse effects in humans and animals.
6.	Range of studies	It is done at different levels, such as preclinical and clinical studies.	It is done as acute, subacute, and chronic toxicity studies.
7.	Scale of studies	It is done on a small scale, like in hundreds or thousands of subjects.	It is continued on a wide scale, like on thousands or millions of subjects (clinical trials 3 and 4), to check for adverse effects on the whole population.
8.	Reports	The minimum dose is required to produce a therapeutic effect.	The maximum tolerable dose without toxic effects is determined.
9.	End goal	To restore health and well-being in a safe manner.	To preserve and protect the health of humans and the environment.
10.	Branches	It has two main branches: pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics.	Different branches like medical toxicology, environmental toxicology, forensic toxicology, etc.

Pharmacology vs. Toxicology Similarities in Medicine

There are a few similarities when seen in medical studies, like

Sl. NO	Feature	Pharmacology	Toxicology
1	Animals used	Albino Rats, mice, guinea pigs	The same set of animals is used for toxicology, too.
2	Method of administration	Oral or parenteral administrations	The method of administration is the same as in pharmacology.
3	Mode of study	Screening method	It is also a screening test.
4	Substances state or form	It can be either a solid, liquid, gas, powder, crystalline, or amorphous.	The same form of the substance is used for both studies when a particular medicine is screened.

Frequently asked questions and answers.