Final answer:
Drug synergy is the combination of more than 1 drug to produce a result greater than each individual drug. It is often used in treatments for infections and cancer to enhance effectiveness. Examples include the synergistic interaction of antibacterial drugs and combination chemotherapy in cancer treatment.
Step-by-step explanation:
The combination of more than 1 drug together to produce a result greater than each individual drug is known as drug synergy. This phenomenon occurs when the combined effect of two or more drugs is greater than the sum of their individual effects. In biology and medicine, drug synergy is often used to enhance the effectiveness of treatments, particularly in the case of infections and cancer.
For example, in the treatment of some infections, two antibacterial drugs may be administered together to provide a synergistic interaction. Individually, these drugs may only inhibit bacterial growth, but when combined, they become bactericidal, effectively killing bacteria.
In cancer treatment, multiple drugs are often administered simultaneously in what is known as combination chemotherapy. This approach targets cancer cells at different stages of their replicative cycle, making it more difficult for the cells to develop resistance to multiple drugs.