ALS 438: Clinical Pharmacology II
Course Number: ALS 438
Course Name: Clinical Pharmacology II
Year: Second-year
Semester: Spring
No. Units: .5
Faculty/Instructor(s): Alan Rothfeld
Description
The reason for all corporate pharmaceutical activity is ultimately to put pharmacological agents into clinical practice. Careers in the pharmaceutical industry require a basic understanding of clinical pharmacology. The goal of this course is to provide a framework for the basic understanding of the major drug classes and disease categories. Some of the subjects addressed are: criteria physicians use in selecting various agents for a given disorder, how side effects are assessed and dealt with, and how issues of cost and compliance are handled. The course will provide overviews of disease categories, issues of cost, marketing, and the clinical trial process.
The first semester will consist of an introduction to the basics of academic clinical pharmacology, the most common disease categories and drugs, and how physicians view drug testing and marketing. The second semester will survey the remaining major disease categories and how drugs fit into treatment regimens.
Throughout the course the emphasis will be on a concepts rather than individual drug details. The course attempts to provide a general framework on which to fit future specialized knowledge encountered during a career in the various biomedical fields.
Topics Covered
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Neuropsychiatry I: Depression and Mood Disorders
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Neuropsychiatry II: Common Brain Disorders
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Endocrine disorders I: Diabetes and thyroid diseases
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Endocrine disorders II: Estrogen, osteoporosis
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Inflammation I: Arthritis and headaches
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Inflammation II: Allergy: asthma and allergy
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Inflammation III: Killer sepsis
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Infectious diseases I: Introduction to antibiotics
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Infectious diseases II: The archetype target - pneumonia
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Infectious Diseases III: The Nosocomial Horror Show
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Infectious Diseases IV: The Common Serious Endemic and Epidemic Diseases
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Cancer and its Therapy
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Pain and its management
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Lifestyle drugs
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Examination
Learning Objectives
By the end of the course students will be familiar with:
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Basic pathophysiology of the most common diseases
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Basic properties of the major drug classes
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Considerations in selecting a type of therapy
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Assessment of drug benefits and risks
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Cost as an issue
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Some prominent pharmaceutical successes and failures
Grading
Quizzes: 30%
Papers 45%
Final 15%
Presentation 10%
Required Texts