6 points, SCA Band 2, 0.125 EFTSL
Undergraduate - Unit
Refer to the specific census and withdrawal dates for the semester(s) in which this unit is offered.
Faculty
Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences
Chief examiner(s)
Coordinator(s)
Dr Suzanne Caliph
(Parkville)
Snezana Agatonovic-Krustin
(Malaysia)
Unit guides
Prerequisites
PAC2232 Drug delivery and disposition
Synopsis
The overall aim of this unit is to build upon the key concepts of oral and intravenous pharmacokinetics and introduce new 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, this unit will provide an understanding of theoretical concepts and formulation principles of semi-solids, aerosols, sprays and foams, and modified release products.
This will involve the study of:
- effect of drug metabolism and drug transporters on pharmacokinetics
- pharmacokinetics in preganancy, paediatrics and geriatrics
- hepatic and renal clearance and plasma protein building
- impact of hepatic/ renal diseases, haemodialysis/peritoneal dialysis on drug therapy
- drug-drug interactions
- pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic relationship
- pharmacokinetic dose individualisation
- therapeutic drug monitoring
- formulation principles of semi-solids and aerosol systems
- modified release dosage form design
Outcomes
At the end of this unit students will be able to:
- Describe common routes of drug metabolism and drug transport and predict changes in pharmacokinetics associated with inter-individual variability;
- 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;
- Discuss hepatic clearance of drugs in terms of intrinsic clearance, protein binding and hepatic blood flow and how this changes for high and low extraction ration drugs;
- Discuss renal clearance of drugs in terms of renal blood flow, plasma protein binding and transporters;
- Evaluate and predict how pharmacokinetics may alter in various disease states and patient groups (pregnancy, obesity, geriatrics, paediatrics);
- Generate a drug regimen based on therapeutic drug monitoring principles;
- Discuss particular examples where drug-drug interactions impact on pharmacokinetics and patient therapy;
- Explain and exemplify formulation principles of aerosol systems, semi-solids and modified release drug delivery systems.
Assessment
Final exam (2 hour): 60%; In-semester assessments 40%
Workload requirements
Contact hours for on-campus students:
- Thirty six 1-hour lectures
- Two 3-hour workshops
- One 1 hour whole class tutorial
- One 3 hour debate
See also Unit timetable information