Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences
Department of Pharmacology & Clinical Pharmacology, University of Auckland
Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences
Department of Pharmacology & Clinical Pharmacology, University of Auckland

MEDSCI 722 - Clinical pharmacology

Welcome to the MEDSCI 722 website.

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 stage 3 pharmacology MEDSCI courses. 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 for dose individualization.

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:

  • Understand how pharmacology can be applied throughout the human life span
  • Appreciate how clinical pharmacology enhances the process of drug development and treatment of patients
  • Evaluate clinical trials and scientific literature about medicines
  • Critically evaluate a medicine datasheet
  • Present and discuss an aspect of a medicine datasheet
  • Create individual reports of a coursework assignment

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

Teaching sessions are held at the Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences at the Grafton Campus. If you are enrolled in this paper and are experiencing difficulties with this website, please contact the course coordinator: