At the beginning of the twenty-first century, the Internet became popular worldwide in the household environment; however, a packet switching network (ARPANET) was already being used in the 1970s to arrange a cannabis sale between students.
There are now legal online pharmacies that offer prescription drugs, which have helped patients by reduced prices, and illegal sites that encourage unfettered access, without any direct physician review or approval, to ordinary prescription drugs and controlled substances.
Online sites selling any drugs have seen an increase; the rise has also followed this in substance abuse ; however, there is still little evidence of the Internet's connection to drug abuse . The Internet was responsible for popularizing the new legal highs, including non-prohibited derivatives of amphetamine, piperazine, and cathinone, and herbal products derived from plants and fungi.
While several countries have limited legislation on the commercialization of so-called legal highs and trendy shops, it is a promising area for drug misuse due to the challenge of regulating trade across the Internet. As an improvement in brain activity is desired, agonizing or antagonizing the effects of the neurotransmitters associated with these brain functions is the easiest way to achieve it. This goal can be accomplished by increasing the neurotransmitter's release, preventing its reuptake or enzymatic degradation, or (in some cases) increasing the amount of the precursor.
However, cells use several strategies to monitor the degree to which the accessible neurotransmitter increases or decreases these changes. In certain situations, the mechanisms mentioned above exert limited impact. In these cases, altering the rate of neurotransmitter synthesis or the degree of the cell membrane may be necessary to change the internal aspects of cell function.
Metabotropic receptors are coupled with g-proteins, which, when stimulated by the receptor, are released. These proteins can create a wide range of changes, and several molecules may serve as g-proteins. G-protein is a generic term that refers to many molecules that help activate (or inactivate) different intracellular functions as molecular switches.
For instance, g-proteins can stimulate or inhibit cAMP production, regulate cell migration, and change the membrane's fluidity.
While g-proteins usually are synthesized inside the cell, they can be synthesized outside the cell in some situations and reach the cell by crossing the membrane. Some of the better-known molecules that are involved in different intracellular functions will be listed in this section. Nowadays, partially because of globalization, the drug industry is subject to profound changes. The first one is developing generic drugs that enable people living in developing countries to receive adequate care.
Generic medications are often substituted for more costly brand-name drugs in affluent countries, powered by healthcare insurance schemes. Second, the Internet has revolutionized the way patients purchase drugs. There is a higher incentive for the customer to seek medications outside the usual supply chain when the prices of medicines are high. There are price differentials between similar goods. Also, many customers believe online pharmacies are more convenient and provide cost savings than conventional pharmacies.
However, suppose a drug is purchased online. In that case, it is never known whether the product has been manufactured following acceptable manufacturing practices, whether it contains the appropriate active ingredient, whether it is free of potentially harmful contaminants, or whether it has been properly stored and shipped.
Thirdly, drug counterfeiting is prevalent because it is a highly lucrative sector due to high demand and low production costs. Finally, the increasing emergence of alternative medicines has led to an increase in herbal products' trade, which remains largely unregulated in terms of their use and production.
This makes maintaining the safety of drugs more critical and challenging. This implies that the pharmaceutical analyst needs different techniques to fulfill his task.
Vasid Qureshi