This online course will build upon basic pharmacology and medicinal chemistry to make links between the basic sciences and demonstrate how basic principles can be used to improve clinical therapy. It will also include a critical evaluation of evidence for specific mechanisms and therapies. Topics covered include the effect of metabolism on drug response and factors that influence drug metabolism and kinetics; interactions of drugs with receptors, genetic differences in response, and mechanisms of tolerance; antimicrobials and antineoplastics; autocoids, antihistamines, vasopressin, anticoagulants, iron, estrogens, androgens, and the use of drugs in the perinatal period; antithyroid drugs, drugs to treat diabetes, and corticosteroids; eicosanoids, antihyperlipidemic drugs, and vitamins; drugs affecting bone metabolism, cholinergic agonists and antagonists; adrenoreceptor agonists and antagonists, agents affecting muscles and movement; opioids; CNS organization; anticonvulsants, anesthetics, and anxiolytics; antipsychotics, antidepressants, inotropic agents, antiarrhythmic drugs, diuretics; anti-inflammatory drugs, respiratory drugs, immune system organization; drugs to treat acid-peptic disorders, intestinal motility disorders, and inflammatory bowel disease; and adverse drug reactions and poisoning. An emphasis is placed on developing critical reasoning and evaluation skills to discern between standard of care and complementary therapies that have been developed in the past showing poor safety and/or efficacy, with poor regard to the scientific process. This course is restricted to Pharmaceutical Chemistry specialist program students.