Basic Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics: An Integrated Textbook and Computer Simulations

Scientists working in pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics (PK and PD) study how drugs work in the body using math to understand how medications are absorbed, what happens when the medications are there, and how the body gets rid of them. The combined subject of PK / PD is an important component of the education of health professionals and research scientists involved with drugs.

Updated with new chapters and topics, the new edition of Basic Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics; presents the essentials of PK / PD in a clear and progressive manner using a textbook and integrated interactive computer modules. Maintaining its clear and straightforward presentation, the text enables you to understand the time course of drug response and dosing regimen design. Clinical models for concentration and response are described and built from the basic concepts presented in earlier chapters.

Your understanding of the material will be enhanced by guided computer exercises conducted on a companion website. Simulations will allow you to visualize drug behavior, experiment with different dosing regimens, and observe the influence of patient characteristics and model parameters. This makes the book ideal for self–study.

The second edition updates key elements of the existing textbook to reflect the current state of knowledge in rapidly changing and evolving areas. In addition, several chapters are added (for example, on pharmacogenetics) and others expanded to include topics (like in vitro–in vivo correlations and new types of models) that that are becoming increasingly important in the discipline.

Because Basic Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics, 2nd  is an introductory textbook, the material is presented as simply as possible. As a result, you′ll find it easy to gain an accurate, working knowledge of all the core principles, apply them to optimize dosing regimens, and evaluate the clinical pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic literature.

Sara E. Rosenbaum, PhD, is Professor of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Rhode Island, where she teaches courses in pharmacokinetics. Her research interests concentrate on the development and application of pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic models that build our understanding of the drug dose–response relationship.