TWU Pharmacology Exam 1 Practice Test

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The 3 most important properties of an ideal drug are

Effectiveness - How effective; Safety - Is benefit greater than risk of taking the drug; Selectivity - Doing what it's exactly supposed to do (Fever med - lower fever)

An ideal drug should deliver the desired therapeutic effect while causing the least harm and acting specifically at the intended target. Effectiveness means it produces the needed benefit at a practical dose. Safety means the benefits outweigh the risks, with tolerable or minimal adverse effects. Selectivity means the drug acts mainly at the intended site or receptor, reducing off-target actions that cause unwanted effects.

Why this trio fits best: if a drug doesn’t work well, it can’t be considered ideal regardless of safety. If it’s unsafe, its benefits won’t justify using it. If it acts broadly without discrimination, even a strong therapeutic effect can come with unacceptable side effects. The other options mix concepts like binding strength, dose requirements, or accessibility, which don’t by themselves define an ideal drug’s fundamental qualities.

Affinity - How well a drug binds; Efficacy - Ability to initiate a response; Safety - Risk assessment

Effectiveness - How well the drug works; Toxicity - Potential harm; Availability - Accessibility

Potency - Strength of dose; Safety - Risk vs benefit; Specificity - Target selectivity