Pharmacy education in India has been primarily focused on the pharma industry, in order to achieve self-sufficiency in medicines at affordable prices. The advent of globalization, penetration of the Internet, increasing western influence, and rising patient expectations have led to the Pharmacy Council of India introducing PharmD (PB) in 2008, with pharmaceutical care as its primary educational focus.  Manipal College of Pharmaceutical Sciences is among the pioneers in having introduced PharmD from the very beginning, supported by a team of teachers with excellent international exposure at leading universities and health centers in the USA and Canada.  The multi-specialty clinical environment provides an exemplary training ground for practice-based pharmacy education. PharmD (PB) curriculum focuses on core pharmacy practice courses integrated with practical training in the clinical settings in the first two years, followed by one year in a full-time internship.

This three-year program provides opportunity for the B Pharm graduates to acquire practice-based Pharm D (PB). As mentioned earlier, the first two years consist of coursework, followed by one year of internship, which is similar to that of regular Pharm D.  This program functions as a bridge between traditional B Pharm and regular Pharm D by advancing professional skills and career options in clinical practice and research.

PharmD (PB) students are fully integrated into the multi-disciplinary, multi-specialty health care team of 2032 bedded Kasturba Hospital from the first year, concluding with a first-rate comprehensive multi-specialty internship in the final year. Interns may also train themselves at other recognized centres in India or abroad for a maximum of three months. PharmD (PB) trains students to work in hospital settings, and relevant industry environments and to pursue higher degrees or clinical research in the international setting.

PharmD (PB) Course Curriculum Offered by MCOPS

• Pharmacotherapeutics
• Pharmacotherapeutics Lab
• Hospital Pharmacy
• Clinical Pharmacy
• Biostatistics and research methodology
• Biopharmaceutics and pharmacokinetics
• Clinical toxicology
• Clinical research
• Pharmacoepidemiology and pharmacoeconomics
• Clinical pharmacokinetics and pharmacotherapeutic drug monitoring
• Practical / laboratory work on the above courses
• Hands-on training on different software like SPSS, Micromedex and Winnonlin

PharmD (PB) Assessment

• The course is conducted as per the annual basis
• Three sessional exams will be conducted in each subject and the average will be calculated as best 2 out of 3
• The academic performance of a student is evaluated at two levels, internally by the course instructors concerned and at the university level as per the Manipal Academy of Higher Education procedure laid for the conduct of the university examination
• Theory examination pattern: Section A: long essays; Section B: short essays; Section C: give reasons for the following
• Practical examination pattern: synopsis, major experiment, minor experiment and viva voce
• Attendance: 80% is the minimum attendance required to be eligible to appear for the university exams