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PA20294: Pharmacokinetics

[Page last updated: 05 August 2021]

Academic Year: 2021/2
Owning Department/School: Department of Pharmacy & Pharmacology
Credits: 3 [equivalent to 6 CATS credits]
Notional Study Hours: 60
Level: Intermediate (FHEQ level 5)
Period:
Semester 2
Assessment Summary: EX 100%, OT 0%
Assessment Detail:
  • Exam (EX 100%)
  • Worshops attendance (OT 0%)
Supplementary Assessment:
Like-for-like reassessment (where allowed by programme regulations)
Requisites: Before taking this module you must take PA10281
Description: Aims:
To learn pharmacokinetics and its relevance in drug development and drug therapy.

Learning Outcomes:
By the end of the unit the student will be able to:
1. Describe the pre-clinical and clinical phases involved in drug development.
2. Explain and contrast the concepts of bioavailability, bioequivalence, generics, and orphan drugs.
3. Explain multiple dose pharmacokinetics and their application to dose regime design. Estimate Cmax, Cmin and Css.
4. Explain rate-limiting processes in pharmacokinetics. Interpret and illustrate flip-flop kinetics and metabolite kinetics.
5. Contrast linear and non-linear pharmacokinetics. Explain the clinical relevance of non-linear pharmacokinetics.
6. Explain distribution kinetics, two compartment models and their clinical relevance.
7. Formulate sources of variability in drug pharmacokinetics: age, disease, food and drug interactions, natural and herbal products.
8. Explain pharmacogenetics and their application to individualized medicine
9. Explain the process of drug therapeutic monitoring and its application in drug therapy.

Skills:
1. Data analysis
2. Problem solving.
3. Analytical thinking
4. Scientific skills
5. Handling information
6. Professional skills
All taught and assessed.

Content:
1. The process of drug development. Pre-clinical and clinical studies. Pharmacovigilance. Generics and bioequivalence. Orphan drugs.
2. Multiple dose pharmacokinetics and design of a dosage regime. IV Bolus and Extravascular. Prediction of Cmax, Cmin and Css.
4. Rate-limiting processes in pharmacokinetics. Flip-flop kinetics. Metabolite kinetics. 5. Non-linear pharmacokinetics. Non-linearity in ADME processes. Michaelis-Menten kinetics. Clinical relevance of non-linear pharmacokinetics.
6. Distribution kinetics. Two compartment models and their clinical relevance.
7. Variability in drug pharmacokinetics: age, disease, food and drug interactions, natural and herbal products.
8. Pharmacogenetics and their application to individualized medicine
9. Drug therapeutic monitoring and its application in drug therapy. Case studies.

Programme availability:

PA20294 is Compulsory on the following programmes:

Department of Pharmacy & Pharmacology
  • USPA-AFB02 : BSc(Hons) Pharmacology (Year 2)
  • USPA-AKB02 : BSc(Hons) Pharmacology with Year long work placement (Year 2)
  • USPA-AKM02 : MPharmacol(Hons) Pharmacology with Year long work placement (Year 2)

Notes:

  • This unit catalogue is applicable for the 2021/22 academic year only. Students continuing their studies into 2022/23 and beyond should not assume that this unit will be available in future years in the format displayed here for 2021/22.
  • Programmes and units are subject to change 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.
  • Find out more about these and other important University terms and conditions here.