units

PAC3241

Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences

18 September 2017 20 April 2024
Monash University

Undergraduate - Unit

This unit entry is for students who completed this unit in 2015 only. For students planning to study the unit, please refer to the unit indexes in the the current edition of the Handbook. If you have any queries contact the managing faculty for your course or area of study.

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6 points, SCA Band 2, 0.125 EFTSL

Refer to the specific census and withdrawal dates for the semester(s) in which this unit is offered.

LevelUndergraduate
FacultyFaculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences
OfferedMalaysia First semester 2015 (Day)
Parkville First semester 2015 (Day)
Coordinator(s)Suzanne Caliph (Parkville); Dr Saravanan Muniyandy (Malaysia)

Synopsis

The overall aim of this unit is to introduce 3rd year pharmacy students to the key concepts associated with clinical pharmacokinetics, drug metabolism and disposition, and therapeutic drug monitoring and how these may impact on patient therapeutic dosage regimens in various disease states, conditions and with concomitant medication. Additionally, students will build upon their knowledge on surface properties and formulation of heterogenous systems, including dispersions, semi-solids, aerosols and modified release products.

This will involve the study of:

  • effect of metabolism, drug transporters and disease on pharmacokinetics
  • drug interactions
  • management of poisons
  • therapeutic drug monitoring
  • solid in liquid dispersions
  • aerosols and foams
  • semi-solids, suppositories and pessaries
  • modified release formulations

Outcomes

At the end of this unit students will be able to:

  1. Describe steady state plasma concentration and factors affecting steady state plasma concentration; calculate steady state concentrations after a particular dose and dosing interval;
  2. Describe common routes of drug metabolism and drug transport and predict changes in pharmacokinetics associated with inter-individual variability;
  3. Explain how drug transporters present in the small intestine, liver, kidney and blood-brain barrier may impact on disposition of drugs and potential drug-drug interactions;
  4. Evaluate and predict how pharmacokinetics may alter in various disease states and patient groups (pregnancy, obesity, geriatrics, paediatrics);
  5. Generate a drug regimen based on therapeutic drug monitoring principles;
  6. Discuss particular examples where drug-drug interactions impact on pharmacokinetics and patient therapy;
  7. Explain and exemplify formulation principles of solid in liquid dispersions, aerosol systems, semisolids and modified release drug delivery systems.

Assessment

Final exam (2.5 hour): 60%; In-semester assessments 40%

Workload requirements

Contact hours for on-campus students:

  • Thirty three 1-hour lectures
  • Four 3-hour workshops
  • One 3 hours online practical

See also Unit timetable information

Chief examiner(s)

Suzanne Caliph

Prerequisites

PAC2232 Drug delivery and disposition

Additional information on this unit is available from the faculty at:

http://www.monash.edu/pharm/current/