96002 Concepts in Pharmaceutical Sciences

This subject covers the fundamental principles in pharmaceutical science and is an essential prerequisite of applied therapeutics and clinical practice. The first half of the subject provides an overview of drug discovery and development. The sources of medicinal products from plants and other galenicals, drug action at target macromolecules (including receptors, enzymes and nucleic acids) and approaches in the evaluation of drug response and drug stability are covered. The significance of functional groups to pharmacological activity, disposition and delivery are also discussed. The second half focuses on approaches used in drug discovery and development. Topics include rational drug design and functional biology. Analytical methods used in the analysis of parent molecules, metabolites and degradation products are also studied.