General Principles of Pharmacology

At the end of the course, students should be able to: 1. know the various routes of drug administration and how they influence onset of drug action; 2. know the factors that affect drug absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion; 3. understand the role of receptors as targets for drug action; 4. understand the fundamental differences between agonists and antagonists; and 5. know the common system parameters in pharmacokinetics and their measurements.

Introduction: history of Pharmacology and relationship of Pharmacology to other pharmaceutical and clinical subjects, pharmacology textbooks and journals, definition and sources of drugs, routes of drug administration, drug absorption, distribution, elimination and factors affecting them, enzyme induction and enzyme inhibition, mechanisms of drug action – receptor and non-receptor theory, drug dosage and dose response curves, and measurement of some pharmacological parameters. 400 Level Courses Courses to be taught at this level should include courses in Physiology, seminar presentation and a final year research project.