Which organs are primarily involved in drug excretion?

Which organs are primarily involved in drug excretion?

• A. The body's distribution to tissues
• B. The body's inactivation of a drug via enzymatic degradation
• C. The process by which a drug is absorbed
• D. The body's elimination of a drug (primarily in the kidneys and liver, and in the feces)

Answer: (D)

Drug excretion is the process of removing drugs and their metabolites from the body. The kidneys are the primary organs for eliminating drugs via urine, while the liver clears many drugs by metabolizing them and excreting metabolites into bile, which is then eliminated in feces. Some drugs are excreted unchanged in urine or bile, and others are eliminated as metabolites in the feces after biliary secretion. This combination—kidneys, liver, and fecal excretion—best describes how drugs are eliminated. The other processes are not about elimination: distribution refers to movement into tissues, metabolic inactivation refers to drug metabolism, and absorption is how a drug enters the bloodstream.

Drug excretion is the process of removing drugs and their metabolites from the body. The kidneys are the primary organs for eliminating drugs via urine, while the liver clears many drugs by metabolizing them and excreting metabolites into bile, which is then eliminated in feces. Some drugs are excreted unchanged in urine or bile, and others are eliminated as metabolites in the feces after biliary secretion. This combination—kidneys, liver, and fecal excretion—best describes how drugs are eliminated.

The other processes are not about elimination: distribution refers to movement into tissues, metabolic inactivation refers to drug metabolism, and absorption is how a drug enters the bloodstream.