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PHR1021 · Monash University

How medicines work 1: Physical chemistry

Credit points
6
Level
1
Workload
—
Faculty
Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences

What it covers

This unit provides an introduction to how drugs become medicines and explores factors that influence the absorption of drugs following oral administration. You will study the physicochemical properties of molecules that determine dissolution, solubility, stability and permeability in order to explain how these factors affect oral drug absorption. In addition, the barrier properties of the small intestine, and how they contribute to, or limit, the oral absorption of drugs will be discussed as well as the formulation properties of commonly-administered oral formulations (tablets and capsules).

Assessment

TaskTypeWeight
Final ExaminationExamination40%
Pharmaceutics MCQ testQuiz / Test10%
Chemistry Workshop testExamination20%
Chemistry MCQ testQuiz / Test10%
Progress questionsQuiz / Test5%
Drug Absorption Oral presentationPresentation5%
Calculations testhurdleQuiz / Test10%

Hurdle tasks must be passed regardless of your overall mark.

When and where

Teaching periodCampusMode
First semesterMalaysiaOn-campus
ParkvilleOn-campus