*The Final WW Date is the final date from which you can withdraw from the unit without academic penalty, however you will still incur a financial liability (see
Withdrawal dates explained for more information).
Studies factors influencing the bioavailability and disposition of drugs, and the application of this information to optimise the therapeutic usefulness of drugs in clinical practice. Particular emphasis is placed on the clinical role of the pharmacist and problem-solving in improving the use of drugs through the practical application of pharmacokinetics, although this information is also applicable to students not completing a pharmacy degree.
Topics include: formulation factors and therapeutic activity; route of administration and bioavailability; developments in drug delivery; estimating drug dosage requirements in clinical practice; therapeutic drug monitoring; drug interactions; an overview of sources of inter-patient variability in pharmacokinetics (eg extremes of age, renal disease, pharmacogenomics); clinical case studies and pharmacokinetics of specific drugs.
Unit objective: (i) to develop a good practical knowledge and understanding of drug absorption with various routes of administration and factors influencing absorption (biopharmaceutics) and (ii) to develop a foundation understanding of the processes of absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion of drugs, and how these influence dosing regime design and individualisation of dosing (pharmacokinetics). The latter is subsequently studied in more detail in CSA414 Clinical Pharmacokinetics 4.
WEIGHT:
12.5%
ASSESSMENT: 1 x 50-min mid-semester exam (15%), 1 x 2-hr exam in November (85%)
Units are offered in attending mode unless otherwise indicated (that is attendance is required at the campus identified). A unit identified as offered by distance, that is there is no requirement for attendance, is identified with a nominal enrolment campus. A unit offered to both attending students and by distance from the same campus is identified as having both modes of study.
Campus - H Hobart, L Launceston, W Burnie. Study Centre - V Sydney, R Rozelle, P Beauty Point. Distance units may also have a campus identifier of I Isolated, N Interstate, O Overseas. Units delivered in Transnational Education (TNE) Programs have a campus identifier of A Hangzhou, F Fuzhou, G Shanghai, K KDU Malaysia, Q Kuwait or Y Hong Kong.
Special approval is required for enrolment into TNE Program units - campuses A, F, G, K, Q and Y click here for more information.
