SFAK20001U Advanced Pharmaceutics

Volume 2024/2025
Education

MSc Programme in Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences - compulsory

MSc Programme in Medicinal Chemistry - elective

MSc Programme in Pharmaceutical Sciences (english programme) - restricted elective 

 

 

 

 

Content

The course gives an overview on fundamental principles in advanced pharmaceutics. Advanced pharmaceutics topics, which will be addressed in the course, encompass (i) release mechanisms, (ii) pharmaceutical nanotechnology, (iii) biopharmacy, and (iv) manufacturing and quality control of advanced dosage forms. The first theme covers release mechanisms. This includes immediate release, controlled release, and targeted and triggered release of drugs. Pharmaceutical nanotechnology (theme ii) is addressing drug-polymer conjugates, delivery of biopharmaceuticals (peptides, proteins and nucleic acids), advanced drug delivery systems and delivery of vaccines. The third theme of the course (biopharmacy) will focus on evaluation of oral dosage forms, alternative administration routes for delivery of peptides and proteins, and aspects related to the drug development process in general (decision trees in drug development, PKPD modelling, regulatory requirements, the Biopharmaceutics Risk Assessment Road Map, personalized drug delivery, precision medicine and patient centric therapy). The course will also discuss manufacturing and quality control (theme iv). This includes manufacturing and analytical aspects of advanced dosage forms, continuous manufacturing, and quality control aspects of advanced dosage forms.

The overall aim of the course is to prepare the students to be able to select an advanced dosage form for a given drug, based on knowledge about the physicochemical properties of the drug, the advanced dosage form and the administration route. In addition, the student should be able to select methods for manufacturing, evaluation and quality control of advanced dosage forms.

Learning Outcome

At the end of this course, students are expected to be able to:

Knowledge

  • Explain, define and summarize current advanced pharmaceutics principles
  • Know and have an overview of current advanced pharmaceutics

 

Skills

  • Able to critically identify, discuss and generalize the knowledge gained in advanced pharmaceutics
  • Master the scientific methodologies in the field of advanced pharmaceutics
  • Retrieve, assess and debate information on advanced dosage forms
  • Communicate complex theoretical knowledge and experimental data

 

Competences

  • Take responsibility and develop lifelong learning skills on advanced dosage forms
  • Fundamentally understand the drug development process and the factors that have to be considered
Literature

Aulton´s Pharmaceutics (AP)

Pharmaceutics, Drug Delivery and Targeting (PDDT)

Selected review articles and original scientific papers

The lectures are based on text books, selected review articles and original scientific papers. The main teaching forms will be lectures, 20 min videos and self-reflection, preparation for lectures, class room teaching, supervised group work and student presentations. The group work will be based on individual cases of a selected topic of advanced pharmaceutics. Students will be divided into groups of 4-6 students, and each group will be given an assignment. The groups meet with the responsible lecturer twice during the group work period to discuss the group work and to prepare the groups for their presentations. In addition, the students will be taught in “How to prepare a scientific presentation (oral + poster)” via class room teaching. The group work will be presented by the students ad either oral or poster presentations, presented at two conference-style full-day workshops at the end of the block (referred to as “Conference Day 1 and 2”).

Lectures (16 single lectures)
Classroom teaching (1 lecture)
Supervised groupwork on individual cases
Student presentations
  • Category
  • Hours
  • Lectures
  • 32
  • Class Instruction
  • 2
  • E-Learning
  • 56
  • Project work
  • 100
  • Seminar
  • 16
  • Total
  • 206
Oral
Individual
Collective
Continuous feedback during the course of the semester
Peer feedback (Students give each other feedback)
Credit
7,5 ECTS
Type of assessment
Continuous assessment
Type of assessment details
The assessment consists of two parts. Both parts need to be passed in order to pass the course:

1) Multiple choice test at the end of the course. Students have passed assessment part 1) when at least 80% of the questions are answered correctly.

2) Student assessment within the group work: Each student will be assessed according to the following criteria: A) Each student in a group has contributed equally to the group work. B) The group work has been submitted and presented at Conference Day 1 or 2. C) Each student has fully attended Conference Day 1 and 2. Each student has actively participated (either in presentation or as opponent) on Conference Day 1 or 2. Students have passed assessment part 2) only if ALL assessments criteria have been fulfilled.


How to improve an unacceptable course certificate:

Before the end of the re-exam period, failed students have an option to improve an unacceptable course certificate. Failed students need to write a comprehensive report on a subject determined by the course responsible, followed by an oral exam on the entire course content.
Aid
All aids allowed
Marking scale
passed/not passed
Censorship form
No external censorship
Criteria for exam assesment

To achieve a course certificate the students must be able to:

Knowledge

  • Explain, define and summarize current advanced pharmaceutics principles
  • Know and have an overview of current advanced pharmaceutics

 

Skills

  • Able to critically identify, discuss and generalize knowledge gained in advanced pharmaceutics
  • Master the scientific methodologies in the field of advanced pharmaceutics
  • Retrieve, assess and debate information on advanced dosage forms
  • Communicate complex theoretical knowledge and experimental data

 

Competences

  • Take responsibility and develop lifelong learning skills on advanced dosage forms
  • Fundamentally understand the drug development process and the factors that have to be considered