Pharmacology, 15 credits

The course aims at providing knowledge of drugs and their effect on the organism. The course intends to provide knowledge to students who not are medics but that can be expected to obtain a large use of this knowledge within other healthcare within the pharmaceutical industry or research.

On completion of the course, the student at a basic level should, be able to account for:
- Principles for the impact of drugs in the organism (absorption, distribution, metabolism and secretion) and to be familiar with basic pharmacokinetic concepts.
- Principles for the effects of drugs at the molecular/cellular level, as well as at the organ level and the integrative level.
- The most important therapeutic effects and side effects and the main modes of action for agents in different pharmaceutical groups.
- Abuse of drugs.
- Mechanisms behind the development of tolerance and dependence.
- Drugs and other substances that are particularly often abused.
- Mechanisms for drug interactions.
- Mechanisms (genetic, age related, disease related etc) for individual variations in drugs' effects and pharmacokinetics.

The course is divided in three parts.

The teaching is given in the form of blocks within various fields of therapy with lectures, group exercises with problem-solving and laboratory sessions.

In part 1 and 2 include compulsory laboratory sessions and group work. Opportunity is given to remaining lab exercise and remaining group exercise.

Part 1: Oral test. Opportunity is given to re-examination on several occasions. Part 2: Oral test. Opportunity is given to re-examination on several occasions. Part 3: Written examination. An opportunity for a make-up examination is provided on repeated occasions. For admission to part 3 is required that part 1 and 2 are passed, including the compulsory laboratory sessions and the group work.

Parts 1 and 2 have the grading scale Fail/Pass. Part 3 has the scale Fail/Pass/Pass with distinction. The results of part 3 determine the grade for the entire course.

The examination will be provided during a period of two years after a close-down of the course. Examination may take place under a previous reading list during a period of one year after the date of the renewal of the reading list.

Course evaluation will be carried out in accordance with the guidelines established by the Board of Higher Education.

Language of instruction: Swedish.