Foreword

For a pharmacist, medicinal chemistry education is critical to developing an adequate knowledge base and critical thinking skills. In this eBook, the fundamental principles of medicinal chemistry including the functional groups occurring in medicinal agents, the acidity and basicity of drugs, and their water and lipid solubility as well as drug-receptor interactions are described. The physicochemical principles, isosterism, and spatial characteristics of drugs are prerequisites to understanding drug pharmacodynamics. Another important aspect that is crucial to comprehending the mechanism of drug action is the knowledge of important biosynthetic pathways that are frequently encountered in pharmaceutical interventions; a chapter has been devoted to this important aspect in this first volume. In this book, a comprehensive approach has been taken to explain the phases of drug metabolism, modifications of drug chemical structures, and their effects on drug pharmacokinetics, safety, and efficacy.

It is apparent that the authors have taken into consideration the integrated aspect of PharmD curricula while developing the contents. The standout feature of this eBook series is its layout, which includes 4 volumes in three distinct areas - the fundamental concepts, detailed structure-activity relationships of different drug classes, and recent developments in the area of medicinal chemistry and drug discovery. It offers students the opportunity to learn the principles of drug action in a stepwise manner. The case studies, student’s self-study guide, and self-assessment at the end of each chapter are unique features of this book that would be beneficial to both students and instructors. Although there are several medicinal chemistry textbooks available on the market, to my understanding this is the first textbook of its kind focusing on the integrated aspects of PharmD curricula.

As a pharmacy educator, leader, journal editor, and an expert in pharmacy curriculum, I am pleased to testify and endorse this eBook to pharmacy educators, and learners as one of the most useful resources in medicinal chemistry. Based on my pedagogical research and assessment of student learning, it is my understanding that this book takes a student-friendly approach that incorporates appropriat Reillustrative diagrams and study guides as well as self-assessments. In my early years as a student in the pharmacy, I found medicinal chemistry as a challenging subject area. The inclusion of clinical and management focuses in the modern PharmD curriculum left the students with limited time available to grasp all the basic concepts which made it more challenging for them to manage the old hard-core science-driven medicinal chemistry courses. This eBook series brings those memories of my early years as a pharmacy student and the evolution of pharmacy education, and gives me the confidence that it will pave the way for future medicinal chemistry education for pharmacists and other health professionals.