PharmD Curriculum and Medicinal Chemistry Quiz

Pharmacy Education

• The Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) is a graduate professional degree with a clinical focus.
• The PharmD curriculum typically requires 6 academic years, including 5 years (10 semesters) of coursework and 1 year of field training.

Curriculum

• Pharmacists need to study basic health sciences (e.g., anatomy, physiology, pathophysiology).
• They also need knowledge of professional pharmacy practice, including biotechnology, communication, regulations, and computer science.
• Core pharmaceutical sciences include pharmaceutical chemistry (analytical-organic and medicinal chemistry), pharmaceutics and pharmaceutical technology, pharmacognosy, pharmacology, biochemistry, microbiology, and clinical pharmacy.

Pharmaceutical Chemistry

• Analytical chemistry: Focuses on identifying and quantifying chemical components.
• Organic chemistry: Studies the structure, properties, and reactions of organic compounds.
• Medicinal chemistry: Involves drug discovery, design, and chemical synthesis. It helps pharmacists understand the relationship between chemical structure and pharmacological activity (SAR).

Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Technology

• This field deals with turning drug substances into medications safely and effectively for patients.
• It encompasses the science and art of dosage form design.

Pharmacognosy

• The study of drugs derived from natural sources.
• It is also the study of crude drugs.
• Crude drugs refer to dried, unprepared plant, animal, or mineral materials used in medicine.

Pharmacology

• This science focuses on drug properties and effects, and how drugs interact with receptor sites within the living system.
• It involves pharmacodynamics (mechanism of drug action) and pharmacokinetics (absorption, distribution, metabolism, and elimination of drugs, ADME).

Biochemistry

• Biochemistry studies chemical processes in living systems.
• It also examines the biological importance of chemical agents in the diet or the body.

Microbiology

• Microbiology studies microscopic organisms (e.g., bacteria, viruses, fungi, parasites) and their related diseases.

Clinical Pharmacy

• It involves the study of rational drug use.
• Pharmacists in this area are focused on patient care, optimal medication use, and health promotion (including disease prevention).
• It includes therapeutic planning, drug-related problems, and assessment of clinical laboratory data and physical examinations.

Field Training

• Initial Field Training: 100 hours in pharmacies during summer vacations, after level 3 and under faculty supervision.
• Advanced Field Training: 1 year (9 months) after completing 5 years of coursework, which includes drug manufacturing, regulations, and pharmaceutical companies, plus marketing, drug discovery and development, and a graduation project in a chosen field.

Information Resources in Pharmacy

• Primary Literature: Original materials used as a basis for research (e.g., journals, periodicals, theses, conferences, reports, patents).
• Secondary Literature: Analyses, interpretations, summaries, or reorganizations of primary literature (e.g., review articles, books, databases).
• Tertiary Sources: Compiled or digested information (e.g., compendia/pharmacopoeia, reference books, textbooks, drug formularies).

Pharmacopoeias

• National pharmacopoeias (e.g., US, British, European, Egyptian) are authoritative drug information sources.
• These are books containing lists of drugs, their uses, preparations, and dosages.
• They promote uniformity in drug quality, composition, and strength.

International Pharmacopoeia

• Published by the World Health Organization (WHO).
• Provides specifications and test methods for priority medicines.

Reference Books

• Martindale (a drug compendium) includes information on drugs and medicines worldwide, including proprietary names and manufacturer contacts.

Formularies

• Formularies are lists of approved drugs for a specific hospital or government.
• Example: British National Formulary (BNF).

Other Resources

• FDA Orange Book identifies drug products approved by the FDA.