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Pharmacy & Pharmacology vocabulary · Pharmacokinetics

Elimination

Meaning in pharmacy & pharmacology, with examples

/ɪˌlɪməˈneɪʃən/nounCommon term

In pharmacy & pharmacology, elimination means: The removal of a drug from the body through metabolism and excretion, mainly by the kidneys into urine and by the liver into bile.

In Turkish: eliminasyon, atılım, vücuttan uzaklaştırma

How it is used

Used in phrases such as renal elimination, elimination half-life and elimination rate. Excretion is the step in which the drug or its metabolites actually leave the body. Reduced kidney function slows the elimination of many drugs, so pharmacists check renal function and may suggest a dose change.

Example sentences

  1. Elimination of this drug is almost entirely renal.

  2. Slower elimination in older patients can cause the drug to build up in the body.

Common collocations

  • renal elimination
  • elimination half-life
  • rate of elimination
  • hepatic elimination
  • clearanceThe volume of blood plasma from which a drug is completely removed per unit of time, usually given in millilitres per minute or litres per hour.
  • half-lifeThe time it takes for the amount or concentration of a drug in the blood to fall to half of its starting level.
  • metabolismThe chemical changes that the body, mainly the liver, makes to a drug, usually turning it into substances that are less active and easier to remove.
  • pharmacokineticsThe study of what the body does to a drug: how it is absorbed, distributed, metabolised and eliminated, and how its level in the blood changes over time.

More terms: Pharmacokinetics

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