Drug class refers to the categorization of drugs based on different criteria.
The State Drug Administration divides drugs into prescription drugs and over-the-counter drugs. Prescription drugs can only be purchased with a prescription issued by a qualified doctor, while over-the-counter drugs can be purchased at one’s own discretion.
Drugs are categorized into retail promotional drugs and clinical promotional drugs according to their target markets; proprietary Chinese medicines, western medicines, blood products and test reagents according to their raw materials; and granules, tablets, capsules and aerosols according to their dosage forms.
According to function and use, they are divided into antibiotic drugs, psychotropic drugs, antineoplastic drugs, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular drugs, antirheumatic drugs, gynecological drugs, tonic drugs, receptor agonistlocking drugs and so on.