General principles of pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics

As medicines experts, it is imperative that pharmacists understand pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic principles. These principles are used daily in pharmacy practice to ensure effective and safe drug dosing, drug monitoring and identification of potential drug-drug interactions and other adverse drug reactions.

This article is the first in a two-part series and covers key pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic concepts and discusses their importance in clinical practice. The article that follows will cover the impact that individual variation and disease states have on dosage regimens and drug therapy.