1. Searching the Pharmacology
Literature
INDS 208: Pathobiology Treatment & Prevention of Disease
Robin Featherstone
robin.featherstone@mcgill.ca
Andrea Miller-Nesbitt
andrea.miller-nesbitt@mcgill.ca

2. Objectives
By the end of this lecture, you will be able to:
1. Describe the five phases of the drug life cycle
2. Identify appropriate sources in which to find
pharmaceutical information
3. Execute a search for drug information using
subject headings, subheadings (where
appropriate) and filters
4. Export citations to a RefWorks account and
output a bibliography for an academic paper

3. 1
.
Pre-Clinical Review Ongoing
Drug Discovery Clinical Trials
Research Analysis
Lab Research (animal testing)
1 approved Review of
5 K – 10 K ~250 side effects
drug
potential drugs potential drugs
2 – 10 years 3 – 6 years Life of
6 - 7 years 1 – 2 years
the drug
Health Canada
www.hc-sc.gc.ca
Drug Products Database
1. http://hlwiki.slais.ubc.ca/images/e/ef/Drugapproval.gif

4. Databases
PubMed Embase
Journal of Clinical ACC Cardiosource Review
Bioinformatics Journal
Gut Pathogens
Biomagnetic Research and American Journal of Biochemistry and
Technology Journal of Biotechnology
Physiotherapy
Advances in
Hematology
Thyroid Research 9505 titles Journal of the History 7687 titles
of Biology
International seminars in surgical Journal of Translational Cancer Cell
oncology Medicine International
Journal of Pharmacy Technology
Acta Toxicologica
Environmental Entomology
Actualites Pharmaceutiques
Conflict and Health Hospitalieres
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/projects/linkout/doc/lojournalsproviders.shtml
http://embase.com/info/what-is-embase/coverage

5. Database comparison
Database Subject areas Subject How to export
headings to RefWorks
PubMed Biomedicine and Yes Save citations
health care and import
Embase Biomedicine and Yes Direct export
pharmacology
SciFinder Chemistry and No Save citations
biochemistry and import
ClinicalTrials.gov Patient trials of No RefGrabIt
interventions

6. What is the best source for these questions?
1. What is the molecular structure of Dronedarone? A. EMBASE
2. Which injection method is the most effective for B. Clinical
administering lidocaine? Trials.gov
3. What drug therapies are most effective for alcohol C. SciFinder
withdrawal in adolescence?
4. Where can you find information about patient D. PubMed
recruitment for a study of enzyme use in celiac
disease?

7. • Web-based citation management software
• Information on RefWorks:
http://www.mcgill.ca/library/library-
using/citationsoftware/refworks
• McGill group code: RWMcGillUni
• Request a RefWorks consult or ask a question:
citations.library@mcgill.ca

8. Drug Discovery
Lab Research
5 K – 10 K
potential drugs
Drug Discovery
2 – 10 years
• Identify a target molecule
• Find a promising “lead compound”
• Determine pharmacokinetics

9. Drug Discovery
Lab Research
5 K – 10 K
potential drugs
Drug Discovery
2 – 10 years
What are the pharmacokinetics of orally
administered anti-cancer drugs?
Anti-
Pharmaco Administer
cancer
kinetics ed orally
drugs

10. Drug Discovery
Lab Research
5 K – 10 K
potential drugs
2 – 10 years
Audience Experts
Compare to NCBI Entrez
Cost Subscription (registration required)
Coverage Chemistry and biochemistry
URL http://scifinder.cas.org/

11. Pre-Clinical
Research
Pre-Clinical Research
(animal testing)
~250
potential drugs
3 – 6 years
You are interested in the research done on
orexin antagonists for the treatment of
insomnia.

12. Pre-Clinical
Research
(animal testing)
~250
potential drugs
3 – 6 years
Audience Experts
Compare to Web of Science
Cost Subscription
Coverage All subjects (science focus)
URL http://www.scopus.com/

13. Clinical Trials
Clinical Trials
6 - 7 years
You’re interested in therapeutic use of
enzymes for patients with celiac disease.
How would you combine the terms for celiac
disease and enzymes?
celiac disease
enzymes

14. Clinical Trials
Celiac Disease OR Enzymes
6 - 7 years
✗
celiac disease
enzymes

15. Clinical Trials
Celiac Disease AND Enzymes
6 - 7 years
celiac disease
✓ enzymes
What’s missing from
this search strategy?

16. Clinical Trials
How to Search
6 - 7 years
• Start with your first concept
“celiac disease”
• Combine any synonyms with OR
”celiac disease” OR “coeliac disease” OR “celiac
sprue”
• Repeat for your second, or any subsequent
concepts
enzyme* OR biocatalyst*
• Finally, group your concepts with brackets
and combine with AND
(“celiac disease” OR “coeliac disease OR “celiac sprue”)
AND (enzyme* OR biocatalyst*)

17. Clinical Trials
6 - 7 years
Audience Everyone
Compare to ISRCTN
Cost Free
Coverage Patient trials of interventions
URL http://clinicaltrials.gov/

18. Clinical Trials
Clinical Trials
6 - 7 years
You’re interested in therapeutic use of
enzymes for patients with celiac disease.
What if you wanted to know more about the
results from trials of oral enzyme therapy for
patients with celiac disease?

19. Clinical Trials
6 - 7 years
Audience Experts
Compare to PubMed
Cost Subscription
Coverage Biomedicine and pharmacology
Training URL http://ovidsp.ovid.com/ovidweb.cgi?T=JS
&PAGE=main&D=oemezd
U/N & P/W mcgtrain & training

20. Review
1 approved
drug Drug Review
1 – 2 years
You’re interested in the availability of the
new oral dose medication Gilenya
(Fingolimod) for patients with relapsing
remitting multiple sclerosis.
Where would you look to find information
about approval of this drug in Canada?

21. Review
1 approved
drug
Health Canada
www.hc-sc.gc.ca
1 – 2 years
Drug Products Database
Audience Everyone
Compare to eCPS
Cost Free
Coverage Drug product information / drug
monographs
URL http://webprod3.hc-sc.gc.ca/dpd-
bdpp/index-eng.jsp

22. Ongoing
Analysis
Review of
side effects Ongoing Analysis
Life of
the drug
You’re interested in rates of patient
compliance with drug therapy post heart
attack.
Where would you look to find studies on
patient compliance?

23. Ongoing
Analysis
Review of
side effects
Life of
the drug
Audience Experts
Compare to Embase
Cost Free
Coverage Biomedicine and health care
URL http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/e
ntrez?otool=icamuhslib

24. What is the best source for these questions?
1. Where can you find administration and dosage
information for a patient taking ampicillin for
meningitis?
2. Which drug therapy for patients with type I diabetes
is associated with the fewest adverse reactions?
3. What is the molecular structure of tapentadol
hydrochloride?
4. What is the safest method of administering
antibiotics to febrile infants?

25. SUMMARY QUIZ
1. The 5 phases of the drug life cycle are …
2. A database that contains information about
pre-clinical research is…
3. Combine synonymous terms with …
4. PubMed tools for finding pharmaceutical
studies are …
5. Three methods for importing citations into
RefWorks are…

26. Questions?
Robin Featherstone
robin.featherstone@mcgill.ca
Andrea Miller-Nesbitt
andrea.miller-nesbitt@mcgill.ca
RefWorks help
citations.library@mcgill.ca