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Time: 1 h.
Task: The discovery of penicillin (video left) involved a great deal of luck but also a quick insight on the part of Alexander Fleming. It was one of the most important medicines of the 20th century. Research another important scientific discovery that can be attributed to luck. Create a 3 slide PowerPoint presentation about it and the consequences of its discovery. |
References:
Smithsonianmag.com,. (2016). History, Travel, Arts, Science, People, Places | Smithsonian. Retrieved 18 January 2016, from http://www.smithsonianmag.com/ist/?next=/science-nature/painting-with-penicillin-alexander-flemings-germ-art-1761496/
Smithsonianmag.com,. (2016). History, Travel, Arts, Science, People, Places | Smithsonian. Retrieved 18 January 2016, from http://www.smithsonianmag.com/ist/?next=/science-nature/painting-with-penicillin-alexander-flemings-germ-art-1761496/
Activity 2: The dangers of clinical drug testingSub-topic D1 - Pharmaceutical products and drug action
NOS statement 4.8 - "Ethical discussions, risk-benefit analyses, risk assessment and the precautionary principle are all parts of the scientific way of addressing the common good."
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(Digito.me, 2016)
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Time: 30 min.
Task:
Task:
- Read the following article - LINK (Chrisafis, 2016).
- Class discussion -
- How does the drug research and development process act to minimise incidents such as those in the article?
- Is anyone at fault for the accident? The pharmaceutical company developing the drug? The researchers for not discovering the risk beforehand? The patients for signing up to the trials?
- How might you view the use of animals in the pre-clinical trials (before the clinical phase 1 trial in the article)? Are animals always suitable to show side-effects for a drug intended for human use? Should more animal testing be carried out to reduce risk in the human trials?
References:
Digito.me,. (2016). Digital health: Clinical trials. Retrieved 16 January 2016, from http://digito.me/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/drug_trials.jpg
Chrisafis, A. (2016). French drug trial leaves one brain dead and five critically ill. the Guardian. Retrieved 16 January 2016, from http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jan/15/french-drug-trial-one-person-in-coma-and-five-critically-ill
Digito.me,. (2016). Digital health: Clinical trials. Retrieved 16 January 2016, from http://digito.me/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/drug_trials.jpg
Chrisafis, A. (2016). French drug trial leaves one brain dead and five critically ill. the Guardian. Retrieved 16 January 2016, from http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jan/15/french-drug-trial-one-person-in-coma-and-five-critically-ill
Activity 3 - Public understandingSub-topic D2 - Aspirin and penicillin (Mild analgesics)
NOS statement 5 - The public understanding of science
Time: 5 min
Task: A recent advert for the painkiller 'Nurofen' was banned (LINK) after misleading the public with some of the claims about the way it works. This is a good example of how scientific terminology and understanding is often manipulated or misrepresented for commercial gain. The video above shows a similar advert from 2009 with some similar claims. The main active ingredients in Nurofen is the mild analgesic ibruprofen. Use your knowledge of mild analgesics to respond to the following claims seen in this advert.
1. This mild analgesic works differently to others. 2. Mild analgesics move towards a specific site of pain. |
Extension: Use your knowledge of medicinal modifications to suggest a method for achieving the claim below.
"Nurofen Express targets headaches faster than standard paracetamol or ibruprofen." (Nurofen.co.uk, 2016) |
References:
Nurofen.co.uk. (2016). Nurofen Express 256mg Tablets. [online] Available at: http://www.nurofen.co.uk/our-products/express/nurofen-express-256mg-tablets/ [Accessed 15 Jul. 2016].
Nurofen.co.uk. (2016). Nurofen Express 256mg Tablets. [online] Available at: http://www.nurofen.co.uk/our-products/express/nurofen-express-256mg-tablets/ [Accessed 15 Jul. 2016].