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Reviews: Modern pharmaceutics. Edited by Gilbert S. Banker and Christopher T. Rhodes. (Drugs and the pharmaceutical sciences, Vol. 7.) Dekker, 270 Madison Ave., New York, NY 10016. 1979. 840 pp. 17 × 25 cm. Price $85.00
BOOKS
REVIEWS Modern Pharmaceutics. Edited by GILBERT S. BANKER and CHRISTOPHER T. RHODES. (Drugs and the Pharmaceutical Sciences, Vol. 7.) Dekker, 270 Madison Ave., New York, NY 10016.1979. 840 pp. 17 X 26 cm. Price $85.00. This reviewer had the distinct pleasure of reading Modern Pharmaceutics from cover to cover and finding from the editors and the 22 additional contributors a wealth of information presented using a relatively new approach that justifies the title. This book is the seventh volume in the Drugs and the Pharmaceutical Sciences aeries. Its pwpoae is clearly stated in the first sentence of the Preface: “This book covers the design and evaluation of modern pharmaceutical dosage forms, with particular emphasis on their quality performance.” To accomplish this end, two important decisions apparently were made. One decision was to assemble experta to write on their subject matter. The other decision was to request that the contributors use the approach of the modern industrial pharmacist in their erpoaitions. Relative to all of the contributors, it may be said that other authors may have been chosen to prepare particular sections equally well, but certainly no one could have been chosen who was more qualified than those in the present list. The selection of the contributors perhaps was the wisest choice since the entire book is very readable despite the diverse styles of each individual. The basic strength of this volume is the direction taken in the expoaition of the various classid technologiesused in pharmaceutica Previous texb in pharmaceutical techn~logytried to cater to the extemporaneously compounding pharmacist who was to prepare an elegant dosage form, Realizing that this technique is outdated, the contributors take the industrial and totally clinical approach offormulation and design of dosage f o m by discussingthe various factors, both biological and physical, that are operative in attempting to present a drug to a patient in the best possible manner. Not too surprisingly, this method of presentation becomes even more relevant to the practicing pharmacist who must dispense these products. Since 19 chapters are kidded. some subjects covered willbe grouped together for comment. For example, prefacing the dosage form discussions, there appears a basic review of Principles of Drug Absorption and Pharmacokinetics. In the latter case, definitions are established and employed in simple models wlth example calculations. Two chapterson Factors Influencing Drug Abeorptioh and Availability and the Effect of Route of Administration and Distribution on Drug Action bring uniqueness in review form to the complexity of merely presenting a drug to the biological system. A chapter on preformulation promised more from its title than WBB received because of its brevity, but all of these discussions precede chapters with more classical titles. The chapters that follow introduce extremely well-organized treatments of Kinetics and Drug Stability, Disperse Systems, Solid Oral Dmage Forms, Parenteral Products, Depot Medications. and Aerosol Packaging of Pharmaceuticals. One might expect these titles to be included. The coverage here is better than average, in particular, the chapter on depot medication with its very futuristic view. They all are well documented, as are all of the chapters, and this reviewer cannot suggest the slightest improvement. However, there is no coverage of the primary liquid dosage forms such as syrups and elixirs. They obviously were purposefully omitted, even though they remain popular. Discussion of these systems allows the presentation of solubility and cosolvency theory as well as introduction of the much neglected clinical area of palatability, i.e., color, odor, taste, flavor in general, taste panels. and general acceptance by the patient. With all of the physiologically important factors determining drug availability that are covered in these chapters, little, if any, consideration is given to patients’ acceptance. placed between the two group of chaptersjust mentioned is achapter on Topical Drug Absorption and Topical Pharmaceutical Systems. The well-documenkd points covered may ba found diaperaed in other works, but when unified here, they attain uniquenew that is extremely valuable for health professionals. Even pharmacists in general practice may particular relevance here since dermatological prescriptions appear to be the last vestage of extemporaneous compounding.
The chapter on Food and Drug Laws is well placed near the end. Because it is current, it is well suited for treatment in thie book. Although one would expect a chapter on ophthalmica to be included, the one presented here is taken separately because it, too,is at the forefront with the latest thinking in the field. A comprehensive treatment of contact lens solutions is given in a fashion seldom seen in other texts.
Packaging (materials, design, labeling, ete. ) of pharmaceuticals is a much-neglected topic in most texts. A wise choice was made to include this topic in this volume. What was hoped to be most informatively new in this text was the chapter on Optimiition Techniquw in Formulation and Proceseing.This one chapter may be more suited for graduate education than undergraduate, but the treatment did not seem to fulfill the needs of either group. For example, it fails to treat a complex problem simplistically for undergraduates because sufficient examples are not given. For graduates, i t still acts BB a reference to the literature for better comprehension. Perhaps the chapter that impressed this reviewer the most was Appraisal of Drug Product Quality and Performance. The authors present basic bioavailability data in many ways and show the pitfalls in making comparisons. All health practitionera and researchers should read thii chapter, gs well as all health administrators. legislators, and informed consumers, if sanity is to prevail in product selection. The first and last chapterswere reaerved for the editors, who introduce medication as a prologue initially and leave the reader with an iatereating, prophetic look into the future of pharmaceutice. Aside from a few typographical errors, which only become confusing when symbols on figures do not correspond with those in equations and the text, this book is well written for undergraduate and practitioner comprehension. Furthennore. it is well documented for graduate students and researchers. Therefore, it is highly recommended for these groups, although the cost is high (the publisher makes special rates available for five or more copies). Reviewed by Bartley J. Sciarrone College of Pharmacy R u t g e r e T h e State University Piscataway, N J 08854
Radiopharmaceuticals11: Proceedings of the Second International Symposium on Radiopharmaceuticals. The Society of Nuclear Medicine, 475 Park Ave. S..New York. NY 10016.1979.867 p p 21 X 28 cm. Price $40.00. This book is a compilation of papers presented in Seattle, Wash., in March 1979 at the Second International Symposium on Radiopharmaceuticals. The symposium, organized under the auspices of the Society of Nuclear Medicine, provided an update to information in the field and covered knowledge gained since the First International Symposium, which was held in 1974. The book contains 16 review artidea written by invited authors. These papers alone make this publication valuable to individuals working in nuclear pharmacy. An additional 53 articles are included that relate to the material in the review articles. The invited papers cover diverse topics which the planners of the conference considered to be important in the production and use of radiopharmaceuticals in diagnostic nuclear medicine. Papers are presented on the status of governmentalregulation, both in the United States and abroad, as well as on current developments in radiopharmaceutical technology. The review articles include papers in the areas of quality control; organic radiopharmaceuticah inoqanic radiopharmaceuticals; functional imaging; radioinmunoassay; o n c o l m hematology; pharmacokinetics; renal system;cardiopulmonary system; reticuloendothelialhiliarysystem; skeletal system; thyroid; pancreas, prostate, and adrenal glands; and radionuclide production. In addition, the keynote speech of the symposium presented by Dixie Lee b y , Governor of Washington, is included. Her remarks are of interest and should be read by workers in the field. Jounel of ~ C ~ l csciences a I J 1243 VOI. 69. Ab. 10, October 1980
REVIEWS Modern Pharmaceutics. Edited by GILBERT S. BANKER and CHRISTOPHER T. RHODES. (Drugs and the Pharmaceutical Sciences, Vol. 7.) Dekker, 270 Madison Ave., New York, NY 10016.1979. 840 pp. 17 X 26 cm. Price $85.00. This reviewer had the distinct pleasure of reading Modern Pharmaceutics from cover to cover and finding from the editors and the 22 additional contributors a wealth of information presented using a relatively new approach that justifies the title. This book is the seventh volume in the Drugs and the Pharmaceutical Sciences aeries. Its pwpoae is clearly stated in the first sentence of the Preface: “This book covers the design and evaluation of modern pharmaceutical dosage forms, with particular emphasis on their quality performance.” To accomplish this end, two important decisions apparently were made. One decision was to assemble experta to write on their subject matter. The other decision was to request that the contributors use the approach of the modern industrial pharmacist in their erpoaitions. Relative to all of the contributors, it may be said that other authors may have been chosen to prepare particular sections equally well, but certainly no one could have been chosen who was more qualified than those in the present list. The selection of the contributors perhaps was the wisest choice since the entire book is very readable despite the diverse styles of each individual. The basic strength of this volume is the direction taken in the expoaition of the various classid technologiesused in pharmaceutica Previous texb in pharmaceutical techn~logytried to cater to the extemporaneously compounding pharmacist who was to prepare an elegant dosage form, Realizing that this technique is outdated, the contributors take the industrial and totally clinical approach offormulation and design of dosage f o m by discussingthe various factors, both biological and physical, that are operative in attempting to present a drug to a patient in the best possible manner. Not too surprisingly, this method of presentation becomes even more relevant to the practicing pharmacist who must dispense these products. Since 19 chapters are kidded. some subjects covered willbe grouped together for comment. For example, prefacing the dosage form discussions, there appears a basic review of Principles of Drug Absorption and Pharmacokinetics. In the latter case, definitions are established and employed in simple models wlth example calculations. Two chapterson Factors Influencing Drug Abeorptioh and Availability and the Effect of Route of Administration and Distribution on Drug Action bring uniqueness in review form to the complexity of merely presenting a drug to the biological system. A chapter on preformulation promised more from its title than WBB received because of its brevity, but all of these discussions precede chapters with more classical titles. The chapters that follow introduce extremely well-organized treatments of Kinetics and Drug Stability, Disperse Systems, Solid Oral Dmage Forms, Parenteral Products, Depot Medications. and Aerosol Packaging of Pharmaceuticals. One might expect these titles to be included. The coverage here is better than average, in particular, the chapter on depot medication with its very futuristic view. They all are well documented, as are all of the chapters, and this reviewer cannot suggest the slightest improvement. However, there is no coverage of the primary liquid dosage forms such as syrups and elixirs. They obviously were purposefully omitted, even though they remain popular. Discussion of these systems allows the presentation of solubility and cosolvency theory as well as introduction of the much neglected clinical area of palatability, i.e., color, odor, taste, flavor in general, taste panels. and general acceptance by the patient. With all of the physiologically important factors determining drug availability that are covered in these chapters, little, if any, consideration is given to patients’ acceptance. placed between the two group of chaptersjust mentioned is achapter on Topical Drug Absorption and Topical Pharmaceutical Systems. The well-documenkd points covered may ba found diaperaed in other works, but when unified here, they attain uniquenew that is extremely valuable for health professionals. Even pharmacists in general practice may particular relevance here since dermatological prescriptions appear to be the last vestage of extemporaneous compounding.
The chapter on Food and Drug Laws is well placed near the end. Because it is current, it is well suited for treatment in thie book. Although one would expect a chapter on ophthalmica to be included, the one presented here is taken separately because it, too,is at the forefront with the latest thinking in the field. A comprehensive treatment of contact lens solutions is given in a fashion seldom seen in other texts.
Packaging (materials, design, labeling, ete. ) of pharmaceuticals is a much-neglected topic in most texts. A wise choice was made to include this topic in this volume. What was hoped to be most informatively new in this text was the chapter on Optimiition Techniquw in Formulation and Proceseing.This one chapter may be more suited for graduate education than undergraduate, but the treatment did not seem to fulfill the needs of either group. For example, it fails to treat a complex problem simplistically for undergraduates because sufficient examples are not given. For graduates, i t still acts BB a reference to the literature for better comprehension. Perhaps the chapter that impressed this reviewer the most was Appraisal of Drug Product Quality and Performance. The authors present basic bioavailability data in many ways and show the pitfalls in making comparisons. All health practitionera and researchers should read thii chapter, gs well as all health administrators. legislators, and informed consumers, if sanity is to prevail in product selection. The first and last chapterswere reaerved for the editors, who introduce medication as a prologue initially and leave the reader with an iatereating, prophetic look into the future of pharmaceutice. Aside from a few typographical errors, which only become confusing when symbols on figures do not correspond with those in equations and the text, this book is well written for undergraduate and practitioner comprehension. Furthennore. it is well documented for graduate students and researchers. Therefore, it is highly recommended for these groups, although the cost is high (the publisher makes special rates available for five or more copies). Reviewed by Bartley J. Sciarrone College of Pharmacy R u t g e r e T h e State University Piscataway, N J 08854
Radiopharmaceuticals11: Proceedings of the Second International Symposium on Radiopharmaceuticals. The Society of Nuclear Medicine, 475 Park Ave. S..New York. NY 10016.1979.867 p p 21 X 28 cm. Price $40.00. This book is a compilation of papers presented in Seattle, Wash., in March 1979 at the Second International Symposium on Radiopharmaceuticals. The symposium, organized under the auspices of the Society of Nuclear Medicine, provided an update to information in the field and covered knowledge gained since the First International Symposium, which was held in 1974. The book contains 16 review artidea written by invited authors. These papers alone make this publication valuable to individuals working in nuclear pharmacy. An additional 53 articles are included that relate to the material in the review articles. The invited papers cover diverse topics which the planners of the conference considered to be important in the production and use of radiopharmaceuticals in diagnostic nuclear medicine. Papers are presented on the status of governmentalregulation, both in the United States and abroad, as well as on current developments in radiopharmaceutical technology. The review articles include papers in the areas of quality control; organic radiopharmaceuticah inoqanic radiopharmaceuticals; functional imaging; radioinmunoassay; o n c o l m hematology; pharmacokinetics; renal system;cardiopulmonary system; reticuloendothelialhiliarysystem; skeletal system; thyroid; pancreas, prostate, and adrenal glands; and radionuclide production. In addition, the keynote speech of the symposium presented by Dixie Lee b y , Governor of Washington, is included. Her remarks are of interest and should be read by workers in the field. Jounel of ~ C ~ l csciences a I J 1243 VOI. 69. Ab. 10, October 1980