Pharmaceutical Scientists are responsible for taking a drug in its chemical form and formulating a medicine that is safe and practical to use as well as developing manufacturing processes to produce medicines of consistent quality on a large scale. Pharmaceutics also involves the development of advanced drug delivery systems for both human and animal patients, improving the stability and activity of drugs and understanding how these drugs behave when using different methods of administration.
Of particular interest to school researchers is improving the stability of medicines used in practice and the development of controlled released drug delivery mechanisms. It is often necessary to repackage or alter the dosage form of a medicine in order to increase medication compliance and improve clinical outcomes for patients. For example, paediatric patients or patients with nasogastric tubes may require a liquid form of a medicine that is only available in tablet form. However, changing the dosage form of the medicine may alter the stability of the active ingredient. One area of pharmaceutical research in the school is to assess the safety and efficacy of medicines after they have had their packaging or dosage form changed.
Another area of pharmaceutics research at the school is in extemporaneous preparation/ compounding (customised medicines), to meet specific patient requirements or where commercial medicines are not available, for example exotic animals.
Pharmaceutics research staff
- Dr Alison Haywood
- Dr Gary Grant
- A/Prof Ross Norris
Pharmaceutics research students
Selected research articles - Stability of medicines in Dose Administration Aids
- Haywood, A., Llewelyn, V., Robertson, S., Mylrea, M., & Glass BD. (2011). Dose administration aids: Pharmacists' role in improving patient care. Australasian Medical Journal, 4(4), 183-189.
- Glass, B.D., Haywood, A., Llewelyn, V., & Mangan, M. (2009). Compliance aids and medicine stability: New evidence of quality assurance. Current Drug Safety, 4(1), 74-78.
- Glass, B.D., Mangan, M., & Haywood, A. (2009). Prochlorperazine tablets repackaged into Dose Administration Aids: Can the patient be assured of quality? Journal of Clinical Pharmacy and Therapeutics, 34(2), 161-169.Bowen, L., Mangan, M., Haywood, A., & Glass, B.D. (2007). Stability of frusemide tablets repackaged in dose administration aids. Journal of Pharmacy Practice and Research, 37(3), 178-181.
Selected research articles - Stability of medicines in practice and extemporaneous preparations
- Haywood, A., Burrell, A., Van Breda, K., George, R., Testa, C., & Norris, R. (2009). Stability of melatonin in an extemporaneously compounded sublingual solution and hard gelatin capsule. International Journal of Pharmaceutical Compounding, 13(2), 170-174.
- Glass, B.D. & Haywood, A. (2006). Stability considerations in liquid dosage forms extemporaneously prepared from commercially available products. Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, 9(3), 398-426.
- Haywood, A., Mangan, M., Grant, G.D., & Glass, B.D. (2005). Extemporaneous isoniazid mixture: stability implications. Journal of Pharmacy Practice and Research, 35(3), 181-82.