Pharmaceutics And Industrial Pharmacy Department Curriculum

Pharmaceutical and pharmaceutical technology (PCT) is a department in pharmacy. It focuses on drug development and design. It utilizes physics theory to formulate acceptable drugs suitable for all ages. It combines all knowledge in the other departments to form a department that focuses on drugs. Those who want to work in the pharmaceutical industry must be very good at PCT.

A medicine is a finished pharmaceutical product that contains one or more drugs (active pharmaceutical ingredient, API) and maybe excipients. The weight of the API must be in accordance with research from pharmacology and therapeutic department. However, the choice and weight of the recipient is determined in this department.

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This department is the only department I can confidently say almost all it's topics are in line with pharmacy. There is no topic that sounded useless because it was practical. Each topic is related to drug production, transport, storage and use. And most topics were repeating themselves making the department a little bit easy.

PCT Curriculum

From year one in the first semester, it was an introduction to the department. Then we were introduced to dosage form and their characteristics. Dosage forms include solid, liquid, gases, effervescence, emulsion, etc. Emulsion stability can be influenced by certain factors such as heat, etc. Those factors will be dealt with in detail. Let me not forget about powders dosage form and its properties and use. Disperse system and its application in pharmacy. Then the tablet was dealt with in more detail because that is the most common dosage form. Capsule form and types. Liquid dosage and how it is prepared. The reason for each dosage form was discussed as well as their disadvantages. There was a brief introduction to dosage form calculation. Lastly, the dosage form that requires flavouring and colour and how to do it without affecting the pharmacology of the API. Laboratory work is on weighing accurately and calculation of dosage form.

We enjoyed everything in the first semester. Not anymore. In the second semester, we delve deeper into liquid dosage form. Different types of liquid were discussed as well as their characteristics. They include emulsion, suspension, syrups, solubilize system, etc. These include their constituents, method of preparation and their logical properties. Here is the course content for this: fundamental properties of disperse (colloidal) systems; solubilize system; michele and micellization; emulsion formulation and evaluation; suspension; rheological properties, preparation and evaluation; semi-solid system: types, properties, preparation and performance evaluation. Laboratory work involves how to prepare liquid dosage form.

First semester in year three was on a different ball game entirely. If I say there is one course in PCT that looks abstract it is rheology. Here it was the rheology of different dosage forms and how it impacts on measurement during production. These properties can also be used to predict the characterize of dosage form during production. There were some mathematics formulas but none was used to carry out any major calculation. Rheology characters include absorption and adsorption (sorption) of materials. One can predict rheological properties of a material from knowing what it contains. Example, water forms a U shape inside a transparent tube but Mercury forms an n shape in the same tube. What are the implications of surface tension on the shape of liquid in a glass tube? Another aspect of rheology is how materials mix to form solutions and exceed their saturation level. Then we look at viscosity of liquid. We can also use rheology to predict the solubility of materials. Less I forget about the surface characteristics of some liquid that impact its behavior known as surfactant.

Dispensing may fall into the second semester of that year three. It is very simple and straightforward. It focuses on how doctors write prescriptions and how to interpret them. This is a follow-up on one of the topics in pharmacy administration and clinical pharmacy (PCA) topics. It also talks about how to label a drug on different conditions. This is where we were introduced to official formularies and how to use them to formulate medicines. That is preparation and compounding of extemporaneous drugs for hospital pharmacy. Laboratory work is in how to prepare simple drugs with appropriate labels. Here we use a red pen for some information while blue or black for another set of information for clarification purposes.

Year four and first semester begins with solid dosage form. Solid dosage form was an introduction to the formulation of different solid dosage forms, modifications of activity of medicament by physical and chemical method. That is it is possible to modify the release of drugs. To achieve the above, the dosage form can be modified using particle size reduction and distribution. Then there are different methods of determining particle size and the characteristics of each size. There is a topic in powder and how it can flow in a machine of different properties. The surface area, bulk properties (particle parking, bulk density, porosity) of powder are all what affect the flow. Tablet machines, coating and standardization procedures are all tableting procedures. The use of excipients called additives and their advantage for each dosage form is discussed. You will also encounter the capsule and the material used in making the capsule. The advantage of capsule dosage over the others. Types of capsules (microencapsulation and encapsulated products) and how to make them. This course may be in year three in second semester. However, don't be surprised if it falls into year four in second semester.

Second semester of year four focused on the principle that guides the formulation of solid dosage form and the properties of powders that makes them suitable for a particular dosage form. Particles size analysis and how to modify particle size of powders. The particle size characteristics are also of importance. How to carry out particle size analysis in a given sample of powder. Device suitable formulation process for any solid dosage form whose physicochemical properties are known. Procedure for development of good quality tablets. Lastly, how to carry out evaluation of batch tablets. Laboratory work involved tableting, granulation, etc.

Tableting machine

Another course in year four, second semester was for the drug production process. Ever wondered how a drug started and ended at the different dosage forms? Here is the answer. Titled 'Pharmaceutical development and processing,' it focuses on how the drug is manufactured to meet international standards using a standard industry with approved setting. The standard must meet requirements that makes the product free of infectious microbes, withstand environmental factors, able to travel through different means of transport without impacting on its stability and still be able to achieve its therapeutic effect at the end. That is quality control. This course also exposes students to materials used in industry at different stages and laws governing industrial pharmacy. Then the different machines used in industry and how to operate them like the steam generator, tableting machine, mixers, dryers, filling and capping machine, etc. At the end of the lecture, you should be able to know the principle of formulation of novel drug delivery systems. Lucky students can be taken on excursions to the pharmaceutical industry.

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Year five first and second semester is all about drug drug modification. It begins with different dosage forms and their limitations and how to improve on them. Then focus will shift to how to improve further on this improved version. Some of the improved versions are sustain release, control release, prolonged release, etc and how they differ in delivery of the API. Target drug delivery system targets somewhere in the body.

Most cosmetic products are emulsion. Now another discussion on emulsion will follow to explain how cosmetic products are made. Excipients of cosmetic products like emulsion include emulsifying agents and others. How to use them to make a quality emulsion will be included. How the different emulsions behave under different conditions. Other cosmetic products include creams, lipstick, toothpaste, lotions, etc and how to produce them with good quality.

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