96003 Pharmaceutics
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Subject handbook information prior to 2025 is available in the Archives.
Credit points: 6 cp
Result type: Grade and marks
Requisite(s): 96004c Professional Services 1 AND 96002c Concepts in Pharmaceutical Sciences AND 96001c Introduction to Pharmacy AND 96015c Clinical Practice 1
The lower case 'c' after the subject code indicates that the subject is a corequisite. See definitions for details.
These requisites may not apply to students in certain courses.
There are course requisites for this subject. See access conditions.
Description
This subject establishes the principle concepts of pharmaceutics required for drug formulation, therapeutics and practice. The relationship between physiochemical properties of pharmaceutical ingredients, dosage form design, drug administration routes, drug disposition and therapeutic response is established. Topics covered include: pharmaceutical formulation, biopharmaceutical and pharmacokinetic considerations in dosage form design, the physiochemical basis governing drug solubility, solid dosage forms, liquid dosage forms, topical dosage forms and semisolids, pharmaceutical inserts, sterile dosage forms including parenterals, biologics and inhalation pharmaceuticals. Innovative approaches to drug delivery are addressed, such as the use of pharmaceutical nanotechnologies. Current Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) and Good Compounding Practice, packaging and labelling and the influence of manufacturing on product quality are also covered. Other topics covered include microbiological contamination and sterilisation procedures.
Subject learning objectives (SLOs)
| 0015. | Work successfully as a member of a collaborative group |
|---|---|
| 0039. | Evaluate and apply strategies for medication errors |
| 0041. | Employ quality assurance processes that minimise the potential for dispensing errors |
| 0042. | Detail the pharmacist's role in maximising patient safety and minimising medication error |
| 0112. | Design, prepare and dispense common extemporaneous preparations with appropriate formulation properties and strengths |
| 0120. | Describe how a drug's physicochemical properties relate to formulation and drug delivery |
| 0124. | Understand and describe the importance of managing microbial contamination of pharmaceutical products |
| 0125. | Describe and prepare parenteral and non-parenteral drug dosage forms, including those of emerging therapeutics |
| 0126. | Rationalise the need for different dosage forms including delivery devices |
| 0127. | Describe the processes used in pharmaceutical technology and models used in the assessment of dosage forms |
| 0128. | Describe factors governing drug stability and GMP (good manufacturing practice) |
| 0129. | Label pharmaceutical dosage forms to comply with legislation and best practice |
| 0131. | Conduct required pharmaceutical calculations |
| 0132. | Describe the various routes of drug administration, and factors governing the dosage form choice and route of administration |
Course intended learning outcomes (CILOs)
The learning outcomes for this subject are as follows:
- Reflect on knowledge, skills and attributes required for the evaluation and integration of emerging evidence into practice, promoting the growth of personal and professional learning and the education of others (01.02)
- Analyse and synthesise knowledge of health science concepts and theory, and apply skills of scientific research and clinical reasoning to support decision-making in pharmacy practice. (01.03)
- Demonstrate safe and competent operational, interpersonal and clinical skills for the benefit and care of patients and the wider community. (02.01)
- Engage in team undertakings adopting a range of roles in diverse teams, building cohesion and maximising team contributions. (02.04)
Contribution to the development of graduate attributes
This subject contributes to the development of the following graduate attributes:
Lifelong learning
Graduates of the Master of Pharmacy are lifelong learners, committed to and capable of embracing change, reflection and inquiry in their quest for personal development and excellence in professional practice.
Professional capacity
Graduates of the Master of Pharmacy are client-focussed, ethical practitioners with the understanding and proficiency to be leaders in their profession, capable of effectively researching and communicating solutions in a global context.
Teaching and learning strategies
In this subject, students learn through face to face and laboratory sessions, interactive tutorial classes, individual and collaborative quizzes.
Strategy 1: Student preparation for learning: Students read articles and use online resources and online lectures to prepare for their participation in activities including collaborative discussion and group quizzes.
Strategy 2: Q & A sessions: Online lectures are a key learning resource in this subject. Q & A interactive sessions build upon the online lectures by providing an opportunity to discuss the online content in the context of a real-life scenario where a pharmacist is asked to compound specific products for an individual or for the purposes of clinical research. Attending the Q &A sessions are crucial to a full understanding of the subject content. Some sessions will involve collaborative quizzes. There will be 2 hours of Q & A session each week.
Strategy 3: Collaborative and interactive learning in workshops and Q & A sessions: These sessions provide students with an opportunity to discuss and clarify concepts from the online lectures, thus providing the students with the opportunity for deeper understanding. Students will engage in group discussion and oral presentation on a specific scenario where they need to formulate a compounded product for an individual and undertake exercises designed to assist in understanding the formulations. Feedback will respond to students’ collaborative problem-solving strategies and oral presentations.
Strategy 4: Early and consistent feedback: Structured formative feedback is provided individually and following the collaborative quizzes, tutorial discussions and throughout the Q & A sessions. The collaborative learning approach utilised in the class will enable ongoing feedback to be provided as areas of learning need is identified.
Strategy 5: Compounding laboratory: Students will be compounding different types of commonly compounded pharmacy formulations in the laboratory. The lab sessions will allow the students to practically engage in preparing the formulations and understand the role of each ingredient in forming different type of formulations and label pharmaceutical dosage forms to comply with legislation.
Content (topics)
Pharmaceutics is the interface between pharmaceutical chemistry and therapeutics. It deals with how medicinal substances are delivered to patients. In this subject the content of 96002 Concepts in Pharmaceutical Sciences will be applied to the understanding and preparation of drug dosage forms. In turn, knowledge of Pharmaceutics is essential in therapeutics and practice when patients require counselling on dosage forms and administration.
Pharmaceutics is also fundamental to the knowledge of pharmaceutical development and industrial manufacturing processes. This is relevant to research and development, and for the future integration of innovative drug delivery systems. This subject includes the preparation of the most frequently required extemporaneous products to international standards, focussing on quality control and accuracy in dispensing.
Teamwork will be encouraged as well as the development of communication skills.
Topics include:
- relationship between drug properties and route of administration
- different pharmaceutical excipients and their roles in drug delivery and formulation
- dose calculations
- process used to prepare dosage forms and tests to assess the suitability of the final products
- good manufacturing practice
Assessment
Assessment task 1: Group Presenation
| Intent: | This assessment task contributes to the development of the following course intended learning outcomes:
|
|---|---|
| Objective(s): | This task is aligned with the following subject learning objectives: 0015, 0041, 0112, 0120, 0125, 0126, 0127 and 0131 This task is aligned with the following course learning outcomes: 01.03 and 02.04 |
| Type: | Presentation |
| Groupwork: | Group, individually assessed |
| Weight: | 20% |
| Length: | 10 minutes |
| Criteria: | The total grade for the group tasks will be moderated by a SPARK evaluation. Presentations will be marked based on the mastery of content, organization, evidence of group collaboration and the suitability of the product for the given scenario. Please refer to Canvas for marking criteria rubric for this assessment. |
Assessment task 2: Review Quizzes
| Intent: | This assessment task contributes to the development of the following course intended learning outcome:
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|---|---|
| Objective(s): | This task is aligned with the following subject learning objectives: 0041, 0112, 0120, 0125, 0126, 0127, 0128, 0131 and 0132 This task is aligned with the following course learning outcomes: 01.03 |
| Type: | Quiz/test |
| Groupwork: | Individual |
| Weight: | 20% |
| Length: | 10-15 minutes |
| Criteria: | You will be assessed on:
|
Assessment task 3: Pharmaceutical Compounding Laboratory (must-pass)
| Intent: | This assessment task contributes to the development of the following course intended learning outcomes:
|
|---|---|
| Objective(s): | This task is aligned with the following subject learning objectives: 0039, 0041, 0042, 0112, 0120, 0125, 0129 and 0131 This task is aligned with the following course learning outcomes: 01.02, 01.03 and 02.01 |
| Type: | Laboratory/practical |
| Groupwork: | Individual |
| Weight: | 30% |
| Criteria: | You will be assessed on:
Please refer to the laboratory handbook for marking criteria rubric for this assessment task |
Assessment task 4: Applied Pharmaceutics Scenario (must-pass)
| Intent: | This assessment task contributes to the development of the following course intended learning outcomes:
|
|---|---|
| Objective(s): | This task is aligned with the following subject learning objectives: 0041, 0120, 0124, 0125, 0126, 0127, 0128, 0131 and 0132 This task is aligned with the following course learning outcomes: 01.03 and 02.01 |
| Type: | Examination |
| Groupwork: | Individual |
| Weight: | 30% |
| Length: | 15 minutes |
| Criteria: | You will be assessed on:
|
Minimum requirements
To pass this subject students must achieve a minimum grade of 50%, and attend a minimum of 85% of compulsory classes.
Note: there are two must-pass assessments in this subject. Please check assessment descriptions for details.
Required texts
Coursework Assessments Procedures
Graduate School of Health Policy, Guidelines and Procedures (login required)
Recommended texts
The recommended textbook is Ansel’s Pharmaceutical Dosage Forms and Drug Delivery Systems, 10th Ed. Allen & Ansel. Published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.