Question: Amoxicillin
A) Therapeutic effect of Amoxicillin (90 words)
B) Mechanisms of action of Amoxicillin (90 words)
Question (2) Metronidazole.
A) Therapeutic effect of Metronidazole (90 words)
B) Mechanisms of action Metronidazole (90 words)
Part two question: Comirnaty
A) Therapeutic effect of Comirnaty (90 words)
B) Mechanisms of action of Comirnaty. (90 words)
Question: Vaxzervria
A) Therapeutic effect of Vaxzervria (90 words)
B) Mechanisms of action of Vaxzervria (90 words)
Part 3
Reflection on part two question 150 words only.
Provide 150-word reflection statement on an aspect of safe medication management.
Please refer to the attachment, Drug interaction and safe medication administration
Pharmacology
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliations
Pharmacology
Part One
Question: Amoxicillin
- A) Therapeutic effect of Amoxicillin
Amoxicillin is an antibiotic that is commonly used in primary care settings to treat infections that are caused by a wide variety of gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. The drug is indicated for treating infections of the throat, nose, and ears such as otitis media, pharyngitis, and tonsilitis in both adults and minors (Gashaw et al., 2021). It is also used to treat lower respiratory tract infections, acute bacterial sinusitis, skin and urinary tract infections that are caused by bacteria, and for the eradication of Helicobacter pylori (Akhavan et al., 2021).
- B) Mechanisms of action of Amoxicillin
The mechanism of action of amoxicillin entails the attachment of the drug to penicillin-binding proteins. This binding prevents cross-linking process that leads to the synthesis of the bacterial cell wall. Autolytic enzymes found in the cell wall of bacteria are eventually activated as a result of the process. Cell wall disintegration or lysis occurs leading to the destruction or death of the bacteria. Amoxicillin acts against Enterococcus species, Streptococcus species, Listeria monocytogenes, some Escherichia coli Haemophilus influenza, Actinomyces species, Salmonella species, Clostridium species, Shigella species, and Corynebacteria species (Akhavan et al., 2021).
Question (2) Metronidazole.
- A) Therapeutic effect of Metronidazole
Metronidazole is an antiprotozoal and antibiotic substance that is widely used to treat a number of medical conditions. It is usually administered to patients to treat infections attributed to Clostridia, Rosacea, Bacteroides, and Fusobacteria. Other infections that are treated using metronidazole include gynecologic infections such as trichomoniasis, gastrointestinal infections such as amoebiasis and giardiasis, dental infections, joint and bone infections, oral infections, and diseases of the respiratory tract (Hernández et al., 2019). Metronidazole is also therapeutically effective against septicemia and Crohn’s disease. It is also used as prophylaxis before an operation.
- B) Mechanisms of action Metronidazole
Metronidazole acts against bacteria and protozoa. Its mechanism of action entails taking up of its un-ionized form by anaerobic microbes leading to its reduction and conversion to the active form. The reduced form of metronidazole breaks down the DNA strand in protozoa and bacteria eventually preventing the synthesis of DNA. The lack of DNA synthesis prevents the growth of bacterial or protozoal cells (National Center for Biotechnology Information, 2022). The whole process of the mechanism of action is believed to occur in four phases namely; entry into the organism, reductive activation, DNA strand breakage, and breakdown of cytotoxic products.
Part Two
Question: Comirnaty
- Therapeutic effect of Comirnaty
Comirnaty is an mRNA vaccine, manufactured by Pfizer-BioNTech, that is active against the SARS-CoV-2 infection, specifically coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The therapeutic effects of Comirnaty against COVID-19 have been confirmed in persons aged 5 years and above (European Medicines Agency, 2022). In a study conducted by Fabiani et al. (2021), the researchers confirmed the effectiveness of the vaccine in 84% of the participants. The effectiveness occurs between 14 and 21 days from when the first dose was taken and at least 7 days after taking the second dose.
- Mechanisms of action of Comirnaty
The mechanism of action of Comirnaty involves preparing the body to act against COVID-19 disease. The primary component of the drug that contributes to its effectiveness is mRNA. mRNA triggers the SARS-CoV-2 virus to make spike proteins that it needs to attack body cells (European Medicines Agency, 2022). When a person receives the Comirnaty vaccine, the virus is instructed to make spike proteins leading to its recognition by the body’s immune system as foreign. The immune system produces white blood cells and antibodies against the virus. This prepares the body to attack the SARS-CoV-2 virus when the same person contacts it. The mRNA is disintegrated a few days after vaccination (European Medicines Agency, 2022).
Question: Vaxzervria
- Therapeutic effect of Vaxzervria
Vaxzervria is the new name for the AstraZeneca vaccine. The drug is therapeutically effective against COVID-19 in persons aged 18 years and above. The drug reduces the severity of symptoms in patients already infected with the disease. It also helps a person’s body to develop T cells and antibodies to fight the SARS-CoV-2 virus in case a person becomes infected. A study conducted by the European Medicines Agency (2021) using participants from South Africa, Brazil, and the United Kingdom revealed that Vaxzervria has an efficacy level of about 60% and reduces COVID-19 symptoms in about 59% of patients.
- Mechanisms of action of Vaxzervria
The mechanism of action of Vaxzervria entails defending the body against COVID-19. The vaccine contains an adenovirus modified from the Chimpanzee DNA. The adenovirus carries the SARS-CoV-2 gene responsible for making spike proteins (Wambani & Okoth, 2022). Following vaccination, the gene triggers the SARS-CoV-2 virus to form spike proteins which make it be recognized as foreign by the body’s immune system leading to the release of T cells and antibodies to attack it. The antibodies and T cells stay in the person’s body ready to attack the real virus in case the person is infected with COVID-19 (Wambani & Okoth, 2022).
Part Three: Reflection Statement
Part 2 questions explore two COVID-19 vaccines that are currently used in many countries across the world. The two vaccines, Comirnaty (Pfizer vaccine) and Vaxzervria (AstraZeneca vaccine) are still new in the market and their safety has not been adequately tested. Safe medication management is the responsibility of every nurse, especially when administering COVID-19 vaccines (Mascellino et al., 2021). Standard 4 documented by the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care guides nurses and other healthcare providers on safe medication management. Guided by this standard, nurses should strive to maximize patients’ safety when providing COVID-19 vaccines by prescribing, dispensing, and administering the vaccines correctly. They should also monitor how patients are responding to the given vaccines (Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care, 2017). The medication safety standards also emphasize the importance of informing consumers about the vaccines to enable them to understand their benefits and associated risks.
References
Akhavan, B. J., Khanna, N. R., & Vijhani, P. (2021). Amoxicillin. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK482250/
Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care. (2017). Medication safety. https://www.safetyandquality.gov.au/standards/nsqhs-standards/medication-safety-standard
European Medicines Agency. (2022). Comirnaty. https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/medicines/human/EPAR/comirnaty
Fabiani, M., Ramigni, M., Gobbetto, V., Mateo-Urdiales, A., Pezzotti, P., & Piovesan, C. (2021). Effectiveness of the Comirnaty (BNT162b2, BioNTech/Pfizer) vaccine in preventing SARS-CoV-2 infection among healthcare workers, Treviso province, Veneto region, Italy, 27 December 2020 to 24 March 2021. Euro Surveillance: Bulletin Europeen sur les maladies transmissibles = European Communicable Disease Bulletin, 26(17), 2100420. https://doi.org/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2021.26.17.2100420
Gashaw, T., Sisay, M., Tesfa, T., Baye, Y., & Amare, F. (2021). Amoxicillin utilization pattern at governmental hospitals in Eastern Ethiopia. Infection and Drug Resistance, 14, 193–203. https://doi.org/10.2147/IDR.S288387.
Hernández, C. A, Romero-Quezada, L. C., Ruvalcaba, J. C., & López, C. L. (2019). Therapeutic uses of metronidazole and its side effects: an update. European Review for Medical and Pharmacological Sciences, 23(1):397-401. doi: 10.26355/eurrev_201901_16788. PMID: 30657582.
Mascellino, M. T., Di Timoteo, F., De Angelis, M., & Oliva, A. (2021). Overview of the main Anti-SARS-CoV-2 vaccines: Mechanism of action, efficacy and safety. Infection and Drug Resistance, 14, 3459–3476. https://doi.org/10.2147/IDR.S315727
National Center for Biotechnology Information. (2022). PubChem compound summary for CID 4173, metronidazole. https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/Metronidazole.
The European Medicines Agency. (2021). Vaxzevria (previously COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca). https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/medicines/human/EPAR/vaxzevria-previously-covid-19-vaccine-astrazeneca
Wambani, J., & Okoth, P. (2022). Scope of SARS-CoV-2 variants, mutations, and vaccine technologies. The Egypt Journal of Internal Medicine, 34, 34. https://doi.org/10.1186/s43162-022-00121-z