16198 - Technology, Socio-Economics and Pharmaceutical Legislation II (GR.A)

Course contents

Bioavailability and bioequivalence.
Pharmaceutical dosage forms and pharmaceutical systems. Factors influencing drug absorption and drug availability. Pharmacokinetics. Plasma concentration –time curves. Absolute bioavailability. Relative bioavailability. Bioequivalence. Dose size and frequency of administration.

Physico-chemical processes that control drug release and drug absorption.
Fick's First and Second Lows. Passive diffusion through a membrane. Partition coefficient. Dissolution. Solubility. Thermodynamic parameters. Enhanced solubility. Micellisation. Salification. Complexation.

Conventional drug delivery systems.Formulative and preparative aspects correlable with the administration route and the release characteristics. Powders, Granules, Tablets, Capsules, Solutions, Suspensions, Emulsions, Ointments, Hydrogels, Lipogels, Pastes.

Controlled drug delivery systems.Physico-chemical properties of the excipients correlable with the release characteristics.
Diffusion controlled devices. Monolithic devices. Reservoir devices. Solvent controlled devices. Osmotically controlled devices. Swelling controlled devices. Chemically controlled devices.

Drug targeting.
Passive targeting. Active targeting. Preparation of drug containing microparticulates. Liposomes. Microspheres. Microcapsules. Cells.In vivobarriers to microparticulate distribution. Macromolecular systems. Selected examples of drug delivery with microparticulate and macromolecular systems.

Readings/Bibliography

1) SWARBRICK, BOYLAN,Encyclopedia of Pharmaceutical Technology, Dekker, 1999-2005.

Teaching methods

lessons and lab exercises

Assessment methods

oral exam

Teaching tools

power point

Office hours

See the website of Isabella Orienti