Course Details in 2024/25 Session

Module Title	LC Science of Medicines 1
School	Institute of Clinical Sciences
Department	Pharmacy
Module Code	01 39102
Module Lead	Dr Kim Roper
Level	Certificate Level
Credits	40
Semester	Full Term
Pre-requisites
Co-requisites
Restrictions	Students are required to achieve a minimum module mark of 50%, and a minimum of 40% in each component of the module (course work and examinations).
Contact Hours	Lecture-70 hours Tutorial-20 hours Practical Classes and workshops-30 hours Guided independent study-280 hours Total: 400 hours
Exclusions
Description	This module will be delivered in Year 1, commencing in semester 1 and spans the whole academic year. The module starts with providing the basic grounding in core principles of chemical structure and bonding, nomenclature, and reactivity of common functional groups. Students will be introduced to key chemical kinetic and thermodynamic principles and apply these to key concepts such as stability of dispersed systems and molecular interactions. Numerical skills in the context of pharmaceutical and chemical calculations will also be covered. Students will gain an appreciation of how drug properties and clinical indication both inform formulation design and route of administration. In year 1, students will learn the basic scientific principles underpinning the formulation and quality assessment of liquid and semi-solid preparation and their use in special populations, including in children. The concept of solubility, lipophilicity and partition coefficients will be taught, relating this back to the structural features of the molecule and the relationship to pre-formulation studies and the concept of bioavailability. The module also includes an introduction to the basics of biopharmaceutics and pharmacokinetics, covering key concepts which will be built on in Years 2 and 3. Students will develop an appreciation of how knowledge gained through this module may be applied to other first year modules, specifically Applied Pharmacy Practice 1 and Health Sciences 1 and content taught in this module will be placed within an appropriate pharmaceutical context, using relevant examples drawn from the other year 1 modules.
Learning Outcomes	By the end of the module students should be able to: Demonstrate competence in pharmaceutical calculations and numeracy. Describe medicinal entities in terms of their chemical structures, functionality and bonding properties using nomenclature appropriate to laboratory settings and where relevant, clinical environments. Discuss the properties of medicinal products in the clinical treatment of disease using basic thermodynamic and chemical kinetic principles appropriately. Explain the reactivity of medicinal compounds through reference to the properties of common chemical functional groups and simple reaction mechanisms. Describe and discuss the properties and formulation requirements for medicinal products administered as liquid and semi-solid dosage forms, with reference to pharmaceutically important examples. Describe the necessity for pre-formulation studies and examine the relationship between physicochemical properties of a drug and potential formulation difficulties. Discuss how the bioavailability of a drug is influenced by its molecular and physicochemical properties, the dosage form, and the route of administration. Relate basic physicochemical properties of drug molecules to their mechanism of action, clinical indication and formulation requirements.
Assessment	39102-01 : Practicals (non-clinical) : Practical (25%) 39102-05 : From Structure to Clinic (non-clinical) : Coursework (15%) 39102-06 : End of Year Exam (non-clinical) : Exam (Centrally timetabled) - Computer based (60%)
Assessment Methods & Exceptions	Assessment: Coursework: Practicals (25%) (non-clinical) Written task (15%): From Structure to Clinic (non-clinical) Examinations: On-campus timed closed book: MCQ/SAQ 3-hours (60%) (non-clinical) Reassessment: Students who fail to achieve a minimum module mark of 50% will be reassessed in every element (examination and coursework) in which they achieved less than 50%. This will take place in the supplementary exam period. Students who fail to meet the internal hurdle will be reassessed for every component affected. This will take place in the supplementary period.
Other
Reading List