Book excerpt: This revised second edition covers the pharmacologic principles underlying the individualization of patient therapy and contemporary drug development, focusing on the fundamentals that underlie the clinical use and contemporary development of pharmaceuticals. Authors drawn from academia, the pharmaceutical industry and government agencies cover the spectrum of material, including pharmacokinetic practice questions, covered by the basic science section of the certifying examination offered by the American Board of Clinical Pharmacology. This unique reference is recommended by the Board as a study text and includes modules on drug discovery and development to assist students as well as practicing pharmacologists. - Unique breadth of coverage ranging from drug discovery and development to individualization and quality assessment of drug therapy - Unusual cohesive of presentation that stems from author participation in an ongoing popular NIH course - Instructive linkage of pharmacokinetic theory and applications with provision of sample problems for self-study - Wide-ranging perspective of authors drawn from the ranks of Federal agencies, academia and the pharmaceutical industry - Expanded coverage of pharmacogenetics - Expanded coverage of drug transporters and their role in interactions - Inclusion of new material on enzyme induction mechanisms in chapters on drug metabolism and drug interactions - A new chapter on drug discovery that focuses on oncologic agents - Inclusion of therapeutic antibodies in chapter on biotechnology products