{{Short description|Initial drug used as a reference}} In pharmacology and pharmaceutics, a '''prototype drug''' is an individual drug that represents a drug class – group of medications having similar chemical structures, mechanism of action and mode of action. Prototypes are the most important, and typically the first developed drugs within the class, and are used as a reference to which all other drugs are compared.<ref name=Brophy>{{cite book|first1=Kathleen Marion |last1=Brophy|first2=Heather |last2=Scarlett-Ferguson|first3=Karen S. |last3=Webber|title=Clinical Drug Therapy for Canadian Practice|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xi8c-EBVkV8C&pg=PA3|date=1 February 2010|publisher=Lippincott Williams & Wilkins|isbn=978-1-60547-517-2|page=3}}</ref><ref name=Bryant>{{cite book|author1=Bronwen Jean Bryant|author2=Kathleen Mary Knights|title=Pharmacology for Health Professionals|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TQV6sLzYsOYC&pg=PA16|year=2011|publisher=Elsevier Australia|isbn=978-0-7295-3929-6|page=16}}</ref>

==Examples== * Morphine is the prototype of opioid analgesics<ref name=Brophy/><ref name="DB00295">{{cite web | title=Morphine | website=DrugBank | date=16 October 2018 | url=https://www.drugbank.ca/drugs/DB00295 | access-date=16 October 2018}}</ref> * Propranolol is the prototype of the beta blockers<ref name=vcu>{{cite web|url=https://www2.courses.vcu.edu/ptxed/pmc537/glossary.htm |title=Pharmacology Glossary}}</ref><ref name="DB00571">{{cite web | title=Propranolol | website=DrugBank | date=16 October 2018 | url=https://www.drugbank.ca/drugs/DB00571 | access-date=16 October 2018}}</ref> * Chlorpromazine is the prototypical phenothiazine antipsychotic<ref name="WatanabeWada1991p272">{{cite book | last1=Watanabe | first1=T. | last2=Wada | first2=H. | title=Histaminergic Neurons | publisher=Taylor & Francis | year=1991 | isbn=978-0-8493-6425-9 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=w9PNjEnvdyIC&pg=PA272 | language=et | access-date=16 October 2018 | page=272}}</ref><ref name="M68002746">{{cite web | title=Chlorpromazine - MeSH | website=NCBI | date=16 October 2018 | url=https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/mesh/68002746 | access-date=16 October 2018}}</ref> * Imipramine is the prototypical tricyclic antidepressant, and itself a derivative of chlorpromazine<ref name="WatanabeWada1991p272"/><ref name="M68007099">{{cite web | title=Imipramine - MeSH | website=NCBI | date=16 October 2018 | url=https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/mesh/68007099 | access-date=16 October 2018}}</ref> * Diazepam is the prototype of the benzodiazepine<ref name=Bryant/><ref name="Tallarida329">{{cite book | last=Tallarida | first=Ronald J. | title=TOP 200 | chapter=Valium (Roche) | publisher=Springer New York | publication-place=New York, NY | year=1982 | isbn=978-1-4899-6748-0 | doi=10.1007/978-1-4899-6746-6_191 | pages=329–331}}</ref> * Diphenhydramine (Benadryl) is the prototype ethanolamine antihistamine<ref name="Foye799">{{cite book | last1=Williams | first1=D.A. | last2=Foye | first2=W.O. | last3=Lemke | first3=T.L. | title=Foye's Principles of Medicinal Chemistry | publisher=Lippincott Williams & Wilkins | year=2002 | isbn=978-0-683-30737-5 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qLJ6Bs1Qml4C&pg=PA799 | access-date=16 October 2018 | page=799}}</ref> * Nifedipine is the prototype dihydropyridine calcium channel blocker<ref name="DB01115">{{cite web | title=Nifedipine | website=DrugBank | date=16 October 2018 | url=https://www.drugbank.ca/drugs/DB01115 | access-date=16 October 2018}}</ref> * Chloroquine is the prototypical antimalarial agent<ref name="M68002738">{{cite web | title=Chloroquine - MeSH | website=NCBI | date=16 October 2018 | url=https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/mesh/68002738 | access-date=16 October 2018}}</ref> * Acyclovir is the prototype antiviral agent that is activated by viral thymidine kinase<ref name="DB00787">{{cite web | title=Acyclovir | website=DrugBank | date=16 October 2018 | url=https://www.drugbank.ca/drugs/DB00787 | access-date=16 October 2018}}</ref> * Aspirin is the prototype NSAID<ref name="M68001241">{{cite web | title=Aspirin - MeSH | website=NCBI | date=16 October 2018 | url=https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/mesh/68001241 | access-date=16 October 2018}}</ref> * Amphetamine is the prototype Stimulant<ref name=Foley2005>{{cite journal |last1=Foley |first1=Kevin F. |title=Mechanism of Action and Therapeutic Uses of Psychostimulants |journal=American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science |date=2005 |volume=18 |issue=2 |pages=107 |pmid=15916243 |url=https://clsjournal.ascls.org/content/ascls/18/2/107.full.pdf |access-date=2025-03-07}}</ref><ref name=Bryant372>{{cite book|author1=Bronwen Jean Bryant|author2=Kathleen Mary Knights|title=Pharmacology for Health Professionals|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TQV6sLzYsOYC&pg=PA372|year=2011|publisher=Elsevier Australia|isbn=978-0-7295-3929-6|page=372}}</ref><ref name=PMC4403511>{{cite journal |last1=Calipari |first1=Erin S. |last2=Jones |first2=Sara R. |title=Dopamine dynamics in the basal ganglia: Implications for Parkinson's disease and psychostimulant abuse |journal=Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews |date=April 2015 |volume=52 |issue=1 |pages=194–204 |doi=10.1016/j.neubiorev.2015.02.005 |pmc=4403511 |pmid=25684746}}</ref> * Omeprazole is the prototype Proton-pump inhibitor<ref name=Bryant594>{{cite book|author1=Bronwen Jean Bryant|author2=Kathleen Mary Knights|title=Pharmacology for Health Professionals|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TQV6sLzYsOYC&pg=PA594|year=2011|publisher=Elsevier Australia|isbn=978-0-7295-3929-6|page=594}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Strand |first1=Daniel S. |last2=Kim |first2=Daejin |last3=Peura |first3=David A. |date=2017-01-15 |title=25 Years of Proton Pump Inhibitors: A Comprehensive Review |journal=Gut and Liver |language=en |volume=11 |issue=1 |pages=27–37 |doi=10.5009/gnl15502 |pmid=27840364 |issn=1976-2283|pmc=5221858 }}</ref>

==References== {{reflist}}

Category:Pharmacodynamics Category:Medicinal chemistry Category:Pharmacological classification systems