Clinical Pharmacology Unit

Research
Research conducted in the clinical pharmacology unit reflects the issues of the doctors in the Unit and acts almost entirely in the field of personalized Medicine. The research focuses on identifying genetic markers and others that can be used by the doctor to adjust the dose and medication to the patient's characteristics. This research area includes but is not limited to blood clotting drugs (Warfarin), analgesic drugs (opioids), drugs that produce a response through interaction with receptors in the adrenergic system, drugs used to suppress the immune system.

Other research areas include but are not limited to research on the correct method of dealing with the prevention of thromboembolic events in patients in the Division of Internal Medicine, preventing errors among hospitalized patients in internal medicine departments, characterization of the drug intervention in an elderly population and more...

Teaching
Instruction is explained across a number of levels:

• The team of doctors in the Clinical Pharmacology Unit are responsible for the transfer of selected topics in the field of medication treatment to fourth and sixth year students who are in the Department of Internal Medicine as part of their studies.
  
• The Clinical Pharmacology Unit is responsible for the transfer of workshops on rational drug therapy to Clinical Pharmacy students on the PhD track.
  
• The Clinical Pharmacology Unit guides students performing research projects.
  
• Controls the use of drugs within the hospital.
  
• This activity extends over a number of levels as follows:

Drugs Committee
The Clinical Pharmacology Unit Manager serves as chairman of the hospital's pharmaceutical committee, and and Prof. Muszkat Mordechai is a member of the committee. The Committee deals with determining the pharmaceutical composition that is available for use in treating the hospitalized patient and that is decided according to the criteria formulated and adopted by the Committee. The Committee works by the Code of Ethics originally formulated and adopted by it and it meets once a quarter. The presentation of new drugs to the Committee is carried out by senior doctors of the hospital and this again is according to the rules formulated and adopted by the Committee.

Treatment authorization form 29 / c.
Medical staff in the unit are solely responsible for approval of treatment inside and outside the walls of the hospital that are not recorded on the label.

Pharmacoeconomics
The Clinical Pharmacology Unit Director has been delegated authority by the hospital management to approve the use of expensive drugs whether they are or are not in the drug basket/formulary of the hospital. Requests only come to the administrator on a daily basis and are discussed with the staff of the department on the basis of evidence based Medicine. The decision of the director of the unit has the power of a management decision.

Counseling and medication
The Clinical Pharmacology Unit deals with providing advice on issues related to drug therapy to hospital doctors on a daily basis.

Drug Information Center for 70 year olds and up (available in Hebrew only)
The drug information center for 70 year olds and up was initiated by Prof. Caraco and established three years ago. The center was established in cooperation and with the support of "Eshel" (Organization for Service to the Elderly) in the framework of the 'Joint' organization. At the basis of the Center is the assumption that medical information provided to the elderly patient can significantly improve the responsiveness and the patient's adherence to the medication given to him. The center answers inquiries from all over the country totaling about 1500 to 2000 per year. Last year following requests from the field, the Center was expanded to include a Russian-speaking service.

Drug Information Center staff
Dr. Hadassa Vornovitsky
Ms. Regina Frutkin, pharmacist who coordinates referrals in Russian
Ms. Hadassah Ashraf, Center Secretary

Clinical Research Center Hadassah Clinical Research Center (HCRC)
About three years ago, at the initiative of the director of the Unit, a Clinical Research Center was established at Hadassah. This center specializes in clinical studies in the early stages of drug development, we especially research phase I and phase II. The Clinical Research Center also supports studies of phase III and helps principal investigators who have an interest in carrying these out but do not have a team of their own. The Clinical Research Center is located in the Technology Park Building. The scope of the HCRC in the past year included the transmission and execution of over 10 Phase I studies and 4 phase II research studies, as well as making some 12 phase III studies with a total of over 6 million shekel. At the base of the construction of the HCRC was the desire to utilize the resource of trained personnel in performing preliminary studies as well as building the research infrastructure that enables Hadassah researchers to perform Phase I studies of drugs developed at Hadassah.

The Clinical Research Center (CRC) at Hadassah University Hospital, Ein Kerem offers biotechnology and medical companies a complete package of services and facilities for drug and medical device studies. Companies, conducting pre-clinical through Phase IV studies, have the opportunity to benefit from a full array of state-of-the-art equipment, a full service, on site GMP facility, and a professional and highly experienced medical team, specifically trained and qualified to conduct preclinical and clinical trials. The CRC is part of the Clinical Pharmacology Unit, which is affiliated with the Department of Medicine at the Hadassah University Hospital. The CRC is the right choice for companies interested in one stop shopping for all of their pharmaceutical and medical product development needs.

Center staff
Mr. Eric Kornblit, head nurse at HCRC
Ms. Yafit Cohen, Research Coordinator
Ms. Mirit Weinroth, Research Coordinator
Ms. Moriah Lerner, National Service
Ms. Ilanit Lintzer, Administrative Director

Laboratory blood drug level monitoring
The laboratory monitors the level of the medications which requires special training while using critical analytical skills. Most of the activity is in the measurement of the level of immunosuppressive drugs used in organ transplant recipients such as cyclosporine, Tacrolimus, sirolimus and everolimus. The lab also monitors the level of drugs for which there is no reliable automatic method including methotrexate, Lamotrigine, phenobarbitol and more.

Laboratory staff
Dr. Simcha Blotnik, director of the Laboratory of Clinical Pharmacology
Mrs. Esther Tzedaka, lab technician monitoring drug levels in blood
Leah Ben-Yaakov, lab technician monitoring drug levels in blood

Computerization of medical treatment in hospital
The Director of the Clinical Pharmacology Unit is the Chairman of the Committee that deals with the issue of computerizing the Medication side that is on the patient's records in the framework of the project MACHAR SOFTWARE - medical computing. The Committee dealt with the establishment and improvement of a pharmaceutical database to enable easy and precise conduct at the patient's bedside. The committee is also engaged in adding computerized treatment aids based on the database and are "extra intelligence" that could improve the efficacy and safety of drug therapy in the hospitalized patient.

Helsinki Committee
As part of the activities of the Clinical Pharmacology Unit, the Unit Head is a member of the hospital's Helsinki Ethics Committee and the deputy chairman of the committee.

"Eshel" Drug Information Center for Ages 70 and Over