Principles of clinical pharmacology

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PREFACE
Dear colleagues,

Clinical pharmacology and therapeutics is an integral medical specialty that studies and assesses the effects of drugs in humans both as regards the general population and in specific subgroups and individual patients. This assessment is based on the relationship among therapeutic effects (benefits) and adverse drug reactions (risks) and therapy cost. The role and importance of clinical pharmacology has been progressively growing worldwide in recent years due to the increasing need for effective, safe and cost-efficient use of medicinal products.

Writing this textbook has been prompted by the longtime lack of a new and up-to-date study guide in clinical pharmacology and therapeutics for medical students studying at the Faculty of Medicine of the Medical University of Sofia. It is the intention of the authors that the textbook will help them enrich and add to their knowledge of drugs acquired during their training in pharmacology as well as acquire the required theoretical knowledge and practical skills of rational prescribing of medicinal products in the clinical practice according to the specific individual characteristics of patients.

The textbook discusses the principles of drug action, the approaches to rational drug choice and individualization of therapy, the impact of some concurrent diseases on the action of drugs as well as the importance of drug interactions. The principles of and approaches to planning and conducting clinical trials of drugs as well as the ways of obtaining objective information about authorized medicinal products are discussed. The approaches to monitoring of drug safety, the ways of registration of medicinal products for marketing in the EU countries and their postregistration control as well as some economic aspects of pharmacotherapy are presented.

The textbook is intended mainly for medical students at the Faculty of Medicine of the Medical University of Sofia. It should serve as the basis to their training in clinical pharmacology and therapeutics. At the same time it can also be used as a handbook by doctoral candidates and residents from the Medical University of Sofia whose training is conducted in English as well as by all medical specialists who are interested in this clinical specialty.

As a compiler and editor of the textbook I would like to thank all my colleagues who have taken an active part in writing it for their efforts, diligence and precious time. We have been all led by the intention to add to the students’ knowledge of the basic principles which rational pharmacotherapy is based on sincerely hoping that in this was they will become better doctors.

I wish all my colleagues successful professional fulfillment and satisfaction with the highly noble profession chosen.