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The of drugs organizes medications based on their mechanism of action (how they work at a molecular level) and their physiologic effect (what they do to the body) . This differs from therapeutic classification , which groups drugs by the clinical disease or condition they are intended to treat. Key Classification Principles

Drugs can be categorized using several distinct frameworks depending on the context:

: The Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) classification system, maintained by the World Health Organization (WHO) , is the global standard that combines anatomical, therapeutic, and chemical criteria for research and clinical use. Common Classification Categories

-blockers), enzyme inhibitor (e.g., ACE inhibitors), or ion channel modulator.