MEDSCI 722 - Clinical pharmacology

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MEDSCI 722 official course description

This course deals with clinical pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics; disease progress and variability in drug response; adverse drug reactions; writing of scientific articles and clinical trial evaluation; clinical trial design and analysis. Drug disposition and action in neonates, children and in pregnancy will also be considered. Emphasis is placed on the use of medicines in humans and application of clinical pharmacology to drug development.

This is an advanced course in pharmacology and it is assumed that students taking the course are familiar with the basic facts of drug disposition, pharmacokinetics and mechanisms of drug action covered in MEDSCI 301, MEDSCI 302 & MEDSCI 303. The paper will cover clinical pharmacology in special populations; toxicology and adverse drug reactions; the effects of disease progression on pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics; the evaluation of clinical trials and individualization of treatment. There will be a particular focus on the use of clinical pharmacology in drug development.

Aims

The aims of this course are to:

Illustrate the application of pharmacological science in humans
Train in critical evaluation of clinical pharmacology resources
Prepare for advanced study and careers in clinical pharmacology

Learning outcomes

A student who has successfully completed this course will be able to:

A firm background in how pharmacology can be applied throughout the human life span
Understand how clinical pharmacology enhances the process of drug development and treatment of patients
Evaluate clinical trials and scientific literature about medicines

Skills

A student who has successfully completed this course will have:

An ability to use principles of pharmacology in the clinical use of medicines
Skills in appreciation of variability and how it can be described and predicted
Have been challenged to write a critical scientific report

Piazza

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