The Short Guide To Understanding Clinical Pharmacology

What is clinical pharmacology?

Have you ever wondered how we were able to make a COVID vaccine or how you are able to buy paracetamol from your local pharmacy?

Clinical pharmacology has the answers.

Clinical pharmacology is a branch of science focusing on the development of new medicines for use in healthcare. In this regard, it is a field of study that overlaps with medicine and pharmacology. With scrutiny on the underlying causes of diseases, numerous drugs are investigated until a single drug is found compatible for a particular disease. Once this drug is thoroughly analysed in a preclinical study, it is introduced to a group of humans as part of process of ‘trial and error’ known as clinical trials. After this drug has been tested for both its safety and efficacy, it eventually reaches the patients where it becomes available for prescription. Essentially clinical pharmacology is the magic of turning research into medicines, from lab to bedside.

What are the principles of clinical pharmacology?

As a science, clinical pharmacology can be broken down into the following modules:

Fundamentals of Science -researching mechanisms, physiology and pathophysiology of disease
Pharmacodynamics -looking at the drug’s effect on the body
Pharmacokinetics -looking at the body’s effect on the drug
Drug Development- how new medicines can be developed further
Drugs in Healthcare- how patients benefit from the drugs used in healthcare
Data and Statistics- drawing conclusions from large data sets accumulated from experimental findings and clinical trials
Clinical Skills- required to deliver clinical trials

Overall, 1000s of different compounds will be discovered until one compound is found to be suitable as a what we call a ‘drug’.

Why is clinical pharmacology important?

Undoubtedly the pandemic has shown us the importance of clinical pharmacology. New medical advances such as the Covid Vaccine, saved us from infection or even death. Did you know that a clinical pharmacologist is one of the 4 most important scientists that save the world everyday? With their expert insight into life-saving medicines, clinical pharmacologist have the role of advising doctors on the best treatment for patients as well as the actions to take when a patient responds to treatment in an unexpected way.

A quarter of a million people are admitted to hospital in the UK each year after adverse reactions to commonly prescribed drugs. This costs the NHS close to a billion pounds a year. — British Pharmacology Society

How is clinical pharmacology used in practice?

We are now venturing a road where we are introducing personalised drug medicines and using the approach of evidence-based medicine; clinical pharmacology in practice has evolved over centuries from herbal remedies to lab modified drugs in humans. A great example of this is the discovery of insulin. As the only medical speciality in the NHS to focus on the use of medications, clinical pharmacology aims to improve the safety, efficacy and economical use of drugs by prioritising patients needs first. The main responsibilities of clinical pharmacologists range from minimising poisoning and adverse drug events to reducing prescribing errors. Bearing this in mind, clinical pharmacology provides cost-effective uses of medicines to support the running of the NHS.

Where do clinical pharmacologists work?

Clinical pharmacologists tend to work in clinical settings including outpatient clinics, acute admissions, or labs and pharmaceutical industry.

Areas to work in include:

Scientific research — the discovery of medicinal compounds to reach selected drug targets
Clinical education — using medical expertise to teach prescribing to students
Drug regulation and policy — example include the MHRA which issues drug licenses and NICE which issues guidelines on how and when the drug should be used.
Pharmacovigilance — according to the WHO, this is the assessment, monitoring and prevention of adverse drug/vaccine effects

Glossary of Abbreviations

NHS -National Health Service
MHRA -The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency
NICE -National Institute for Clinical Excellence
WHO -World Health Organisation

If you have made it this far, thank you for reading! To develop this guide further, I would love to hear what your insights are on clinical pharmacology, other related science fields or just generally what it’s like to pick a field of interest.