Nowadays, Georgian pharmaceutical market is characterized by a sharp increase in modern Commodity Nomenclature. During the last decade, Georgian pharmaceutical market experienced a wide expansion and this trend is reflected in medicinal drugs of plant origin. The aim of our research is study of Georgian pharmaceutical market of medicinal drugs of plant origin which can be sold without a prescription or with the help of it. It is obvious that the main directions of market researches of medicinal drugs of plant origin are: to have a deep understanding of the assortment of drugs, determine the needs of consumers’ and raise the awareness of the competitiveness of drugs. According to the Departmental Registry at the Agency of State Regulation of Medical Activities at the Ministry of Labor, Health and Social Protection of Georgia (the Agency) 11150 pharmaceutical products were registered in 2015, among them more then 427 preparations are plant origin (including 180 paramedical preparations); 197 kinds of pharmaceutical products of plant origin are produced in Georgia, and 7 preparations belong to the TSMU Institute of Pharmacochemistry. Georgian pharmaceutical market of the medical preparations of plant origin is presented by 27 countries. Georgia is recognized as a leading producer – with 46,1%; then comes Pakistan- with 11,5%, Germany – 10,77% and India with the least percentage – 9,1%. It is worth mentioning that medicinal drugs of plant origin have different drug forms. same medical preparations are often seen in various drug forms. The proportion of the drug forms are: capsules – 55, tablets – 108, granules – 16, syrups – 58; lyophilized powder – 5, powder – 3, tinctures – 34, drops – 29, creams – 14, extracts – 10, medicinal plants – 48, oil – 3, pastille – 4, suppository – 3, tea – 4. Thus, analysis of different characteristics of competitiveness of drugs enables us to identify their assortments with optimal consumer price indices available for population.

Pharmacology and toxicology can be considered as interdisciplinary biomedical sciences, drawing upon the foundations and approaches of cell biology, systems physiology, biochemistry, molecular biology and genetics. Integrative, multi-disciplinary, and state-of-the-art experimental approaches are used in each of these research areas. Investigations range from the molecular level to the whole animal. The highly specialised pharmacological and toxicological setup should be established to cater to the growing needs of researchers involved in pre-clinical, pharmacological, toxicological and ayurvedic/herbomineral formulation analysis. In-vitro, in-silico and in-vivo screening of drugs, lead molecules, chemicals, formulations, phytopharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals, herbs and minerals against specific target proteins, disease or disorders (pertaining to ANS, CNS, CVS, GIT, metabolic disorders, etc.), and can be performed at par with international standards for evaluating the efficacy and potency of the test substance. Toxicology is a dynamic area of utilizing laboratory animals which is highly essential to ensure the safety, efficacy and potential adverse effects of new chemicals and products as medicines, food additives, pesticides, industrial chemicals, the results being used for risk assessment decisions to protect human and animal health. At the same time the compliance with the 3R principle should be considered and thus an optimal number of animals should be justified during the design of either pharmacological or toxicological experiment, encouraging the scientists to use SAR databases and methods on early stages of the research. The goal of the presentation is to highlight the state-of-the art experimental approaches for pharmacological and toxicological research as well as a review of latest regulations, recommendations and guidelines of WHO, IOM, FDA and OECD.

Arterial Hypertension is one of the most distributed conditions and cause of cardiovascular (CV) events like stroke, myocardial infarction, sudden death, heart failure and peripheral artery disease, as well as end stage renal disease. Hypertension, likewise related diseases is important burden for health care systems of developed and developing countries. This in turn is the bases for elaboration and continues improvement of guidelines and protocols for hypertension management. Modern guidelines are based on best scientific evidences and propose the recommendations relating the goals, treatment thresholds and medications of hypertension. The presentation will highlight some new evidence-based recommendations in management of arterial hypertension published in last four years by different international organizations: 2011 NICE Guideline for the clinical management of primary hypertension in adults; 2013 ESH/ESC Guidelines for the management of arterial hypertension; 2013 AHA/ACC/CDC Science Advisory - An Effective Approach to High Blood Pressure Control; 2013 ASH PAPER Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Management of Hypertension in the Community - A Statement by the American Society of Hypertension and the International Society of Hypertension; 2014 Evidence-Based Guideline for the Management of High Blood Pressure in Adults Report from the Panel Members Appointed to the Eighth Joint National Committee (JNC 8). For effective management of arterial hypertension multidisciplinary team approach is required. Involvement of nurses and pharmacists in the management of hypertension, particularly, in patient education, behavioral and medical counseling, assessment of adherence to treatment, and interaction with physicians in the area of guideline-based therapy offer an important potential method for improvement of antihypertensive treatment compared with strategies involving physicians alone.

Improvement of treatment methods for mouth pathologies is one of the significant objectives of contemporary clinical dentistry. At the same time, viral infection-induced diseases remain the most urgent problem of contemporary medicine and the necessity of optimal combined treatment with antiviral and immunomodulatory preparations is undoubtable. The goal of present study was the establishment of efficacy of a novel herbal remedy Rhodopes developed at I. Kutateladze Institute of Pharmacochemistry for combined therapy of mouth mucosa membrane diseases caused by herpes virus and approved (reg # 0011795) for treatment of Herpes virus-induced disorders. The study was held at the Department of Odontology of TSMU and at Dental Clinic, Training and Research Center UNIDENT. Patients with herpes simplex, recurrent herpes simplex and herpes zoster were involved in the clinical trials to evaluate efficacy of Rhodopes. Condition of immune homeostasis of the patients with herpes infection before and after treatment was studied, and obtained immunological data were offered as criteria for treatment quality and outcome forecast. The study proved the advantage of Rhodopes over traditional drugs “Zovirax” and “Interferon” in case of complex treatment of mouth herpes infections, particularly in remission terms. Moreover, Rhodopes preparations are effective in children, adults and immunocompromised persons. Application to skin and to the mouth mucous membrane causes neither systemic adverse effects, nor local irritative and allergic reactions. For the optimization of treatment process, we have initiated the development of novel Rhodopes formulations: adhesive ointment and polymer films. Adhesive ointment “Ungentum Adhesivum Rhodopesum 5%” was manufactured by I. Kutateladze Institute of Pharmacochemistry, whereas polymer films - in the Research Centre of Medical Polymers and Biomaterials – RSMPB. Both formulations prolongate the release of active substance and create high concentration depot in the damaged area, thus increasing the efficacy of preparation. Pronounced antiviral activity, keratoplastic, immunostimulating and anti-recurrent properties suggest successful application of Rhodopes and its novel formulations in dental practice. Acknowledgement: With deepest gratitude, the author thanks Acad. E.Kemertelidze and Dr. K.Shalashvili for their mentorship and assistance while conducting this research.

Two Caucasian species of comfrey – Symphytum asperum and S. caucasicum widespread in Georgia were chosen as a vegetable raw for the development of novel effective wound healing remedies due to expressed antioxidant, antinflammatory anf antiproliferative activity. Water soluble crude polysaccharides (WSCP) obtained from the roots, stems and leaves from S.asperum contain a highmolecular (> 1000 KDa) fraction - the principal constituent, responsible for the aforesaid effects. The aim of present study was an attempt to choose optimal carriers and excipients for novel ointment on the basis of biopharmaceutical investigations. Eight compositions with various combinations of carriers and excipients (Petroleum jelly, Anhydrous lanoline, Distilled water, Sodium carboxymethylcellulose, Polyethylene glycol -1000, Glycerin, Sodium alginate, Askana Clay, and TWEEN-80) were designed and studied for i) determination of optimal ointment base; ii) establishment of ointment stability; iii) biopharmaceutical study. Stability of ointment was evaluated using centrifugation and thermal assays. All compositions were centrifuged at 6000 rpm for 5 minutes and then stored at 0ºC, +20ºC, and +45ºC –at for 24 hours and centrifuged once more. Compositions 1, 2, 3 and 6 passed the test, whereas in compositions 4, 5, 7 and 8 the stability was slightly affected by centrifugation. The biopharmaceutical study was carried out using the agar diffusion assay. Based on the obtained results the optimal ointment formulation has been justified and formulated: WSCP from S.asperum/ Distilled water/Sodium alginate - 10:88:2. The composition remains stable both right after manufacturing and during storage at different temperatures for 24 hours with following centrifugation. Biopharmaceutical studies established that the maximal release of WSCP from the ointment was achieved when sodium alginate was used for an ointment base. Acknowledgement: The author cordially thank Prof. A.Bakuridze and Dr. V.Barbakadze for their mentorship and assistance while conducting this research, and the Shota Rustaveli National Science Foundation of Georgia for financial support in frame of research grant AR/109/8-403/11