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PA10281: Biopharmaceutics

Follow this link for further information on academic years Academic Year: 2014/5
Further information on owning departmentsOwning Department/School: Department of Pharmacy & Pharmacology
Further information on credits Credits: 9
Further information on unit levels Level: Certificate (FHEQ level 4)
Further information on teaching periods Period: Academic Year
Further information on unit assessment Assessment Summary: EX 100%
Further information on unit assessment Assessment Detail:
  • Examination (EX 100%)
Further information on supplementary assessment Supplementary Assessment: Like-for-like reassessment (where allowed by programme regulations)
Further information on requisites Requisites:
Further information on descriptions Description: Aims:
To introduce students to the physico-chemical characteristics of drugs and allied entities. To explain how these are relevant to their in vivo actions, their analytical quantification in medicines and biological fluids and in the design of medicinal products. To provide a practical training in measurement of physico-chemical characteristics.

Learning Outcomes:
At the end of the unit the student should be able to:
* correctly derive formulation masses and concentrations;
* demonstrate an understanding of the differences and similarities in real and ideal behaviour of drugs and when the two can be approximated;
* demonstrate a understanding of the solution properties of drugs and the impact of pH and other vehicle variants on their values;
* demonstrate an understanding of the processes of passive drug transport and the role of solution thermodynamics in pharmaceutical science;
* demonstrate an understanding of basic kinetic theory and how it applies to pharmaceutical science.

Skills:
Study skills, problem solving (T/F)
Planning and organisation, handling information (T/F)
Scientific and practical skills (T/F)
Information and communication technology (T/F).

Content:
Ideal and real behaviour of drugs in the gaseous, liquid and solid state. Gas-liquid equilibria. Drug polarity and functional group effects. Crystal structure and polymorphism. Solvents and solute-solvent interactions. Concepts of activity, pH and its determination, pKw. Acid-base equilibria, pH/drug dissociation profiles, buffers. Routes of drug administration, drug absorption and distribution, an introduction to drug metabolism and excretion, pharmacokinetics and drug interactions. Buffer calculations. Drug solubility in aqueous solution, influence of pH, ionic strength and ion pairing. Partitioning, effects of molecular structure and pH. Diffusion and permeation. Introduction to solution thermodynamics and basic kinetics.
Further information on programme availabilityProgramme availability:

PA10281 is Compulsory on the following programmes:

Department of Pharmacy & Pharmacology
  • USPA-AFB02 : BSc(Hons) Pharmacology (Year 1)
  • USPA-AKB02 : BSc(Hons) Pharmacology with Year long work placement (Year 1)
  • USPA-AKM02 : MPharmacol(Hons) Pharmacology with Year long work placement (Year 1)

PA10281 is a Designated Essential Unit on the following programmes:

Department of Pharmacy & Pharmacology
Notes:
* This unit catalogue is applicable for the 2014/15 academic year only. Students continuing their studies into 2015/16 and beyond should not assume that this unit will be available in future years in the format displayed here for 2014/15.
* Programmes and units are subject to change at any time, in accordance with normal University procedures.
* Availability of units will be subject to constraints such as staff availability, minimum and maximum group sizes, and timetabling factors as well as a student's ability to meet any pre-requisite rules.