PHSC 1413 - Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry (3)

This course is designed for the student pharmacist to develop an understanding of the physical, chemical and pharmaceutical properties of medicinal products used in the delivery of pharmaceutical care. Course content includes general principles of thermodynamics; physical and chemical properties of molecules; particle size, shape and surface area; kinetic, equilibrium and interfacial phenomena; principles of drug dissolution, release and diffusion; rheologic properties of liquids, solutions and colloidal systems; polymers and biomaterials; and drug delivery systems. The course will also introduce fundamental aspects of medicinal chemistry used in the rational design of drug molecules; molecular changes in drug molecules that affect affinity and activity at drug receptors and influence the absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion and stability of drugs; and the properties of drug molecules which are important in their formulation into drug products. Laboratory exercises for this course will be incorporated into the Integrated Biomedical Sciences laboratory course. Methods of instruction include lectures, group discussion, small group work, problem-based sessions, group discussions and independent study.