What term best represents the processes of absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion of medications?

The processes of absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion of medications are collectively referred to as pharmacokinetics. This term encompasses how the body affects a drug after administration, detailing the journey of the medication through the body from the point of entry to its elimination.

Absorption deals with how the drug enters the bloodstream, distribution refers to how the drug is dispersed throughout the body tissues, metabolism pertains to how the drug is chemically altered, often in the liver, and excretion involves how the drug is removed from the body, typically through the kidneys. Understanding pharmacokinetics is critical for determining dosing schedules, routes of administration, and overall effectiveness of a medication.

Pharmacodynamics, in contrast, refers to how drugs exert their effects on the body, while pharmacogenomics explores how genetic variations influence individual responses to medications. Pharmacy practice encompasses the broader field of pharmacy that includes the preparation and dispensing of medications as well as patient care. These distinctions highlight why pharmacokinetics is the precise term for the processes mentioned in the question.