Clinical Pharmacology & Toxicology

The Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology Department strives to achieve the ‘Quality Use of Medicines’ in every patient of St Vincent’s Hospital. We look after and help patients who have had negative effects or insufficient response from their medicines and interactions between their medicines.

 It is not uncommon for patients to experience adverse reactions to medicines as each individual can have a different response to their medication due to their age, sex, weight, organ functions and genetics. Our Department investigates these different reactions through careful assessment of a person’s medical history, measuring the concentrations of the drug in their blood, assessment of vital organ functions such as the kidney and liver and the genes relevant to that medicine as well as directed research.  Our aim is to recommend how to tailor treatment to each patient accordingly.

 As the first Clinical Pharmacology Unit established in Australia, today our Department is at the international forefront in discovering the reasons for variability in response to medicines and is one of the few hospitals in Australia accredited to train the next generation of clinical pharmacologists.

Therapeutic Drug Monitoring (TDM) Advisory Service for Vancomycin

The TDM Advisory Service is now available to provide dosing advice for vancomycin.

The therapeutic target will be AUC24 >400 mg.hr/L. Not trough concentrations.

What does this mean for treating teams?

1. If your patient is on vancomycin, call the TDM Advisory Service.

• Clinical Pharmacology registrar (pg 6822)

2. Review the dose recommendation report.

• Available on MediWeb (Clinical Pharmacology tab)

3. Treating team to order daily vancomycin levels until advised.

• Do not withhold doses to obtain trough concentrations.
• Samples can be collected any time two hours post-infusion (i.e. trough not required)

4. The TDM Advisory Service is available to discuss individual cases.

For any questions email: svhs.tdm@svha.org.au or page (pg 6822)

Consultants

Professor Richard O Day AM MBBS (Hons) MD FRACP

Associate Professor Darren M Roberts BPharm MBBS PhD FRACP

Dr Jonathan Brett MBBS (hons) BMedSci (hons) PhD FRACP FAChAM

Advanced Trainee

Dr Maurizio Stefani BSc (Hons I) MBBS PhD

Senior Hospital Scientists

Dr Mark Hicks BA MSc PhD

Dr Jane Carland BMedSc (Hon I, University Medal) PhD

Dr Sophie Stocker BSc (Honours) PhD

Honorary Visiting Associates

Professor Garry G Graham MSc PhD

Professor Kenneth M Williams BSc (Hons 1), PhD

Contact Details

Administrative Officer:            Ms Thuy Huynh

Location:                                 Therapeutics Centre, Level 2 Xavier Building

Phone No.:                              61 2 8382 2304

Fax No.:                                  61 2 8382 2724

TDM Service Email:               svhs.tdm@svha.org.au 

General Enquiries:                  cpt@unsw.edu.au