Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics is about improving patient care through the safe and effective use of medicines and the evaluation of new therapies. Specialists in Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics (CPT) promote rational and cost-effective prescribing. They have expert knowledge of drug licensing, pharmacoeconomics and pharmacovigilance.

Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics is underpinned by the basic science of pharmacology, with added focus on the application of pharmacological principles and methods in the real world. It has a broad scope, from the discovery of new target molecules, to the effects of drug usage in whole populations.

Clinical pharmacologists work in a variety of settings in academia, industry and government. In the laboratory setting they study biomarkers, pharmacokinetics, drug metabolism and genetics. In the office setting they design and evaluate clinical trials, create and implement regulation guidelines for drug use, and look at drug utilisation on local and global scales. In the clinical setting they work directly with patients, participate in experimental studies, and investigate adverse reactions and interactions.

Doctors in this specialty generally combine their work with another specialty such as Cardiology, Stroke Medicine, Internal Medicine or Geriatric Medicine. Our Higher Specialist Training Programme in Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics was introduced in 1997. There are currently 8-10 practicing clinical pharmacologists in Ireland.

Training in Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics is completed in two stages:

• Basic Specialist Training in General Internal Medicine (or an equivalent programme) – Two years
• Higher Specialist Training in Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics – Five years
• Our Higher Specialist Training programme in Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics offers Dual Training, which is additional training in General Internal Medicine.