Pharmacy MPharm

This module lays the foundations for the study of those aspects of chemistry that are necessary in order to understand the science behind the discovery and use of medicines of chemical synthetic and plant/natural origin. The importance of physicochemical principles and the use of physical and chemical tests and analytical methods (principles, design, development and application) will include an introduction to infra-red, ultra-violet and mass spectrometry and also NMR. In the second half of the module, the chemistry and properties of the principal functional groups will be considered to highlight how physical, chemical and drug properties can be predicted.

All the major organs of the body will be covered together with models of normal and abnormal bodily function. Emphasis will be directed to the concept of homeostasis and the integration of dynamic processes involved in the maintenance of health. Inter-professional education will be introduced with joint study with students from other disciplines.

This module introduces you to the underpinning physical pharmaceutics and the skills appropriate for the formulation and compounding of medicines prepared extemporaneously. You'll be introduced to a range of dosage forms and will have the opportunity to adopt best practice in the preparation of a range of extemporaneous preparations including sourcing formulae, performing calculations and record keeping. The practical sessions will include an interpretation of the prescription for the extemporaneous item, relationship to underpinning pharmaceutical principles and simulations of how advice is given on administration and the use.

This module will provide an introduction to drug action in the body including their molecular and cellular targets, it will also provide an introduction to basic pharmacokinetics. The structure and function of biological macromolecules that interact with drugs, for example enzymes, receptors and membrane transporters will be outlined. DNA replication, transcription and translation will be covered. A basic introduction to innate and adaptive immunity will also be given. Drugs used for treating disorders of the gastrointestinal system, skin, musculoskeletal system as well as for the eye, ear, nose and throat will be considered as these are referred to in dealing with minor ailments in Pharmacy Practice 1 and Formulation and Compounding of Medicines.

This module completes the introduction of the pharmacy law and ethical framework, political context and underpinning knowledge for the safe, accurate and appropriate supply of medicines. Responding to symptoms, introduced in Year 1, will be extended and linked to perceptions of health and illness and health promotion with an equal emphasis on the health of individuals and populations. The needs of patients with acute and chronic disease will be studied along with ethnic, cultural and religious variations in health, illness and diet. The requirements of the population at different times in their lives, with respect to dietary needs, lifestyle advice, prevention and treatment of disease will also be studied. You'll have the opportunity to further develop your communication skills and the skills necessary to form intellectual opinions and arguments, and to communicate these effectively. You'll also have the chance to extend your inter-professional education by placements with other healthcare professions. Pharmaceutical calculations appropriate to service provision will be studied.

The module will provide an in-depth account of drugs that are used to treat disorders of some of complex systems not covered in Medical Pharmacology I. You'll have the opportunity to study, in detail, the principles of pharmacology, which underlie the rational use of therapeutic agents in the management of chronic disease of the cardiovascular, endocrine and respiratory systems as well as common antimicrobial, antiviral and antifungal agents. This module aims to complete your understanding of basic Pharmacokinetics.

This module will provide a thorough understanding of the reactions that are used to construct and metabolise drugs including Phase 1 and 2 metabolic pathways for the elimination of drugs from the body. The synthetic aspects of organic chemistry covered in this module will develop an understanding of design, development and manufacture of pharmaceuticals. More advanced aspects of stereochemistry will be covered, and the relationship between shape, reactivity, biological and pharmacological action explored. The module will include a significant practical component which will focus upon the use of more advanced techniques for the preparation, analysis and isolation of drug molecules.

This module provides an understanding of the main groups of disease causing microorganisms, experience with the manipulation and growth of microorganisms, an understanding of the major microbial infections and the pharmaceutical approaches available for their control, which is in line with the theme for this year in understanding how medicines work. The module begins with a general introduction to the relevant groups of microorganisms i.e. fungi, bacteria, protozoa and viruses. It then moves on to describe the fundamentals of microbial growth and methods available for its control. The ubiquity of microbial life in the environment and as a component of a healthy body is explored and the module then moves on to key aspects of infection and infection control. A detailed account of the infections of the major physiological systems such as skin, URTI, LRTI, etc is also provided along with a discussion of classical and emerging diseases. The module has a strong practical component which complements and consolidates the theoretical aspects of the course by providing you with the opportunity to gain hands on experience with the manipulation and growth of microorganisms.

This module highlights the concepts, philosophy and ethos of using research to provide evidence of best practice. You'll be offered projects related to the research of academic staff and/or of local pharmacy practitioners working in collaboration with staff on a variety of pharmacy related disciplines. You'll have the chance to gain an appreciation of the use of literature searching and how your review of this literature generates and consolidates a hypothesis. You'll also have the opportunity to gain an insight into different research methodologies so you can design research studies, and be provided with methods on how to interpret your data (with a focus on statistical tests). You'll design your research study, obtain your own data and provide your own interpretations to generate a discussion of your results and present your conclusions.

This module provides the core of the third year of the Pharmacy MPharm degree and supports this significant stage in your professional development by providing you with the knowledge and skills to deliver pharmaceutical care and to apply your knowledge to patient care. This module provides the basic components of clinical evaluation of prescriptions and patients by covering long term conditions, enhanced and advanced services in community pharmacy, and acutely sick and clinically complex individual prescriptions in hospital practice. There is a high practical component to equip you for your pre-registration year and beyond. The preparation of individualised medicine (aseptic dispensing) is an important part of this module and both veterinary and alternative therapies are also featured.

This module will extend the student’s understanding of pharmaceutics and biopharmaceutics and relevance to an extended range of dosage forms. Different delivery methods, routes of delivery and formulation type will be individually reviewed including oral and aerosol formulations. Formulation approaches to targeting the different routes of delivery (buccal, colon, rectal, nasal ophthalmic, pulmonary and transdermal) will also be covered. The structure and the nature of the barrier properties of the tissue will be discussed in terms of the advantages afforded by delivery to the site and strategies for maximising absorption. The design, manufacture and performance of modified release drug dosage forms and factors governing release kinetics from reservoir, osmotic and monolithic systems and mathematical calculations will be covered. Aspects of formulation and the importance of pharmaceutical analysis to maintain the quality, safety and efficacy of the product will be consolidated in the practicals and case-study. Pharmaceutical analysis techniques not covered elsewhere in the course (thermal, and rheological analyses) are covered along with release testing, UV analysis, aerosol testing and particle sizing.

This module will focus on a life course approach to health and the use of medicines, particularly as they relate to common long-term conditions. It will promote the application of an integrated knowledge base, and an understanding of the way that people view and use medicines, to inform shared decision-making and problem-solving with individual patients and their caregivers. It will consider the '4 Ps' relevant to any holistic examination of a therapeutic situation – the impact and intersection of people, places, policies and pharmaceuticals. You'll have the opportunity to develop and consolidate your clinical pharmacy and critical evaluation skills through work on diverse case studies and commonly encountered scenarios.

The aim of this module is to provide an in-depth appreciation of all the stages from new drug identification to bringing a drug to the market and beyond, with an emphasis on biotechnology-based products. It is divided into two integrated streams, the first being drug design. Students will gain a critical appreciation of drug design and methods of discovery (chemical synthetic, biotechnological, mineral and plant origin and other natural sources). Drug development will include pre-clinical, clinical and post-marketing surveillance aspects. The incorporation of advanced drug delivery strategies into current practice and future directions will be covered in detail.. Material will illustrate the influence the drug development and delivery bears on the armaments available to healthcare practitioners to treat disease. Students will be expected to integrate and apply their knowledge and skills in the development of their own formulation supported by representatives from the pharmaceutical industry.

An introduction to precision medicine including pharmacogenomics, which will be extended to an in-depth appreciation on how genetic variations are inherited and can be applied to pharmacogenomic analysis, i.e. how genetic variations affect human drug response and how this area will become an essential component to the developing career of a professional pharmacist. The module will also explore the application of biomarkers to stratified or personalised medicine and how these can influence how medicine is prescribed. Both pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic influences of drugs will be covered, such as inter-patient variation in the expression of drug metabolising and activating enzymes; as well as differences in the expression of drug targets such as receptors, genes, enzymes and growth factors. Biometric analysis such as bioinformatics will be explored through the understanding of the development of the Human Genome Project (HGP) and its relevance to ‘omic’ technologies (genomics, proteomics, and transcriptomics). In addition, different model systems that are used to identify and develop biomarkers and drug target identification will be covered. The module will use a series of lectures, workshops and tutorials to encompass these topics and areas of learning. This will involve several expert lectures including external clinical consultants and scientists.