Past Year Questions (2005)- Final Year MBChB

Therapeutics section-

1. Write short notes on 3 of the following:
a) Finasteride
b) Cyanocobalamin
c) Losartan
d) Insulin glargine

2. 'All drugs licensed for heart failure have been shown to influence suvival but no drugs for angina have been shown to influence survival.
How far is this antithesis a) True b) Defensible?

3. Draw a decision tree for treatment of
a) Epilepsy or b) Depression
Have drugs introduced in the last decade for your chosen condition had more influence on the efficacy or tolerability of treatment?

4. Discuss rationale behind British Toracic Society Guidelines for the Rx of asthma
Why are different glucocorticoids used depending on the route of administration?
What's the purpose of hospitalisation in pt with status asthmaticus?

5. What is meant by Therapeutic Index?
Give examples and expect how use of the drugs is affected. Illustrate for drugs with a range of half lives.

6. What factors determine t1/2 of a drug?
Use comparison of the following -
Nifidipine vs Amlodipine
Trimetaphan vs nitroprusside
Bendrofluazide vs Bumetanide
Chlorpropamide vs gliclazide
GTN vs ISMN
co-careldopa vs pergolide

7. Outline stages of new drug discovery and development.
Whose responsibility is the safety of purchased medicines?
What type of formularies have you encountered and what's their purpose?