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PHA-30067 - Module Specification
School of Allied Health Professions and Pharmacy
Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences

For academic year: 2025/26 Last Updated: 04 December 2025

PHA-30067 - Advanced Pharmaceutics & Drug Delivery
Coordinator: Gary Moss Tel: +44 1782 7 34776
Lecture Time: See Timetable...
Level: Level 6
Credits: 15
Study Hours: 150
School Office:

Programme/Approved Electives for 2025/26

None

Available as a Free Standing Elective

No

Co-requisites

None

Prerequisites

PHA-20018

Barred Combinations

PHA-30043

Description for 2025/26

This module will bring together all of the concepts in pharmaceutics & drug delivery that have been covered in earlier modules to deliver an in-depth examination of topics in this, and related fields, which representing current thinking and recent advances in drug delivery and formulation development, providing appropriate linkages.
The application of knowledge gained is key to success in this module. The module starts with a general introduction to advanced drug delivery and then will address various delivery systems including targeted drug delivery systems, polymeric drug delivery systems, parenteral emulsions (including total parenteral nutrition) and liposomes, as well as medicines focused on specific patient groups. You will be encouraged to engage with the primary and secondary literature throughout the module in order to advance skills in research. You will research the literature describing formulation and drug delivery in two pharmaceutical approaches of their choice.

Aims
This module aims to explain and evaluate recent advances in pharmaceutics (formulation science applied to pharmaceutical systems) and drug delivery, and how they relate to the pharmaceutical sector, and to drug delivery in particular, notably appraising their clinical relevance and ability to translate research potential into viable, marketed products.
The physicochemical properties of new drug delivery systems will be examined with emphasis on the relevance to their in vivo behaviour, and the therapeutic benefits of these drug delivery systems will also be discussed.
This theme is extended beyond currently accepted therapeutic strategies to encourage students to evaluate current research, and its potential, in selected therapeutic areas.

Intended Learning Outcomes

demonstrate a systematic understanding of the relationship between in vitro properties of drug delivery systems to their in vivo behaviour: 1,2
evaluate the physicochemical properties of drugs and formulations and how they would be used to create clinically relevant drug delivery systems: 1,2
review, consolidate, and demonstrate a contextual understanding of the physicochemical properties and methods of production for current and emerging drug delivery systems: 1,2
apply established techniques to acquire laboratory data and critically evaluate data from the literature about the properties of novel drug delivery systems: 1
critically appraise published clinical and experimental data using a structured approach, in order to assess its quality and validity, with the principal aim of understanding the successes and failures in formulation research and development: 2
demonstrate how formulations are developed for specific patient groups and the barriers / challenges that exist in the development and marketing of new drug delivery systems for such groups, for example paediatric and geriatric patient groups: 2

Study hours

Large- and small-group teaching sessions: 21 hours, with approximately two hours focusing on each particular route of administration / dosage form and its formulation.
Skills-based laboratory and practical skills activity: 9 hours, including four hours recommended for pre-reading prior to the commencement of the labs.
Independent study, revision and assessment: 120 hours, including coursework components (4 hours for the research reports including the reflective account and eight hours to completion of the laboratory report) and 2 hours for the online exam.
Examinations: 2 hours (as part of the independent study, making this 120 hours in total)

School Rules

None

Description of Module Assessment

1: Report weighted 60%
Coursework
Laboratory One laboratory report of 1500 words (weighting 60%), safety form (weighting 20%), batch record sheet (weighting 20%) which will be based on current trends in pharmaceutics and drug delivery, which will reflect current practice, for example in the development of modified release formulations, suspension formulations, polymorphism or coating technologies. The laboratory sessions each year will be picked from a portfolio of laboratory classes and will be based on relevance and current trends in pharmaceutics and drug delivery.

2: Open Book Assessment weighted 40%
End of module examination
The end of module examination will comprise one paper (with a suggested active working time of 2 hours) and will contain written answer questions (LAQs). This examination may contain seen components. This is an open book examination which means it is an opportunity for students to apply their knowledge, understanding and skills within a 28-hour assessment window. This means that the examination paper will be available for a 28-hour period and it is recommended that once suitable preparation has been completed that the paper should take two hours to complete. Time is also provided within this 28-hour window for uploading the completed paper to the KLE.

The University undertakes a continuous review of its teaching and research provision to ensure programmes are of a high quality and changes may be made to modules where it is necessary and reasonable to do so. Please be aware that minor changes to modules, such as a change to an individual assessment, can occur up until enrolment, although we endeavour to give you as much notice as possible of any changes. Details about the circumstance in which changes are made to programmes can be found in the Student Agreement, available at: https://www.keele.ac.uk/legalgovernancecompliance/governance/actcharterstatutesordinancesandregulations/studenttermsconditions/

Last Updated: 04 December 2025