section_path: Definition
section_name: Definition
paragraph_text: Definition
  
  Medication is a medicine or a chemical compound used to treat or cure illness. According to Encyclopædia Britannica, medication is "a substance used in treating a disease or relieving pain ".
  
  As defined by the National Cancer Institute, dosage forms of medication can include tablets, capsules, liquids, creams, and patches. Medications can be given in different ways, such as by mouth, by infusion into a vein, or by drops put into the ear or eye. A medication that does not contain an active ingredient and is used in research studies is called a placebo.
  
  In Europe, the term is "medicinal product", and it is defined by EU law as:
  
  In the US, a "drug" is: