Pharmacology of Antibacterial Agents (Coursera)

Pharmacology of Antibacterial Agents (Coursera)

The online course “Pharmacology of antibacterial agents” has been designed and developed by the team of authors of Department of General and Clinical Pharmacology, Medical Institute of People’s Friendship University of Russia (RUDN University). The main objective of the course is to provide systemic knowledge on pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic parameters of the main groups of antibacterial agents and insight into their proper and safe use.

Class Deals by MOOC List - Click here and see Coursera's Active Discounts, Deals, and Promo Codes.

The course is divided into 11 Modules covering the main questions of rational antibacterials’ use, pharmacodynamics, pharmacokinetics, indications, contraindications, adverse drug reactions of the main classes of natural antibiotic and synthetic agents, and parameters of their safety and use in specific population of patients.
The course is performed with multimedia enriched videos, complementary educational material, interactive links to the actual articles and guidelines according to each module, and online Quizzes.
The course “Pharmacology of antibacterial agents” is intended for students studying Medicine (including next specialties: General Medicine, Pharmacy, Dentistry, Pediatric), post-graduate students studying Clinical Pharmacology and clinicians who want to refresh knowledge on antibacterial agents’ pharmacology. Students of medical universities of 2nd year education and up.

Syllabus

WEEK 1
Introduction to the course of Pharmacology of antibacterial agents. Rational antibiotic therapy
Week 1 is “Introduction to the course of Pharmacology of antibacterial agents. Rational antibiotic therapy”, which is aimed on consideration of the actual problems of antibiotic use.

WEEK 2
Pharmacodynamics of antibacterial drugs
Week 2 is “Pharmacodynamics of antibacterial drugs”, highlighting the main mechanisms of antibacterial action, types of effects, general mechanisms of antibacterial resistance development and strategies to overcome it.

WEEK 3
Pharmacokinetics of antibacterial agents
Week 3 is “Pharmacokinetics of antibacterial agents”, dedicated to next parameters, absorption and bioavailability, distribution, and elimination, as well as to pharmacokinetic drug interactions.

WEEK 4
Beta-lactam antibiotics. Penicillins
Week 4 is “Beta-lactam antibiotics. Penicillins”, it includes the questions of beta-lactams classification with consideration of penicillins pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic parameters, indications, contraindications, adverse drug reactions including penicilliun-induced allergy, resistance mechanisms and ways to fight them.

WEEK 5
Beta-lactams. Cephalosporins. Carbapenems. Monobactams
Week 5 is “Beta-lactams. Cephalosporins. Carbapenems. Monobactams”, dedicated to the named groups of beta-lactam antibiotics and the actual parameters of their effective and safe use.

WEEK 6
Pharmacology of natural antibiotics
Week 6 is “Pharmacology of natural antibiotics”, covering the main pharmacologic characteristics and actual problems of effective and safe use of Tetracyclines, Aminoglycosides, Macrolides, Glycopeptides, Streptogramins, Lipopeptides, Lincosamides.

WEEK 7
Pharmacology of antibacterials of synthetic origin
Week 7 is “Pharmacology of antibacterials of synthetic origin”, dedicated to the main parameters of pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics, indications, contraindications, adverse drug reactions and safe use of Quinolones/Fluoroquinolones, Phenicols, and Oxazolidinones.

WEEK 8
Pharmacology of antibacterial drugs against Mycobacterium tuberculosis
Week 8 is “Pharmacology of antibacterial drugs against Mycobacterium tuberculosis”, which is aimed on providing information about pharmacologic characteristics of the first line antituberculosis agents and highlining the actual problems of their safe use.

WEEK 9
Antibacterial agents’ safety. Part I
Week 9 is “Antibacterial agents’ safety. Part I”, covering the actual problems of antibiotic-induced cardiotoxicity, nephrotoxicity, adverse drug effect involving skeletal muscles.

WEEK 10
Antibacterial agents’ safety. Part II
Week 10 is “Antibacterial agents’ safety. Part II”, which includes actual questions regarding antibiotic-associated neurotoxicity, gastrotoxicity, and hematotoxicity.

WEEK 11
Antibacterial agents use in special populations
Week 11 is “Antibacterial agents use in special populations”, highlining the main problems of safe and effective antibiotic use in pediatric practice, in elderly and geriatric patients, in hepatic or renal failure.

Go to Class
MOOC List is learner-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Related Courses

Antimicrobial Stewardship for Africa (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy - BSAC,ICAN - Infection Control Africa Network,College of Medicine, University of Lagos

Antimicrobial Stewardship for Africa (FutureLearn)

Improve your knowledge of the spread of antimicrobial resistance in Africa and how to reduce it. Learn how to tackle antimicrobial resistance in Africa. Communicable diseases remain to be a leading cause of death in African countries (WHO). This course will look at the threat of antimicrobial resistance in Africa and how best to tackle it.

Self Paced
3 Weeks
Measuring Pharmacodynamics: From Ligand Binding to Clinical Outcomes (edX) EdX
Davidson College,DavidsonX

Measuring Pharmacodynamics: From Ligand Binding to Clinical Outcomes (edX)

Drugs are biologically active compounds. Drug discovery and drug development rely on methods for measuring biological activity. The term “activity” is quite general. In practice, a substance’s biological activity can refer to how a substance affects a biological pathway, cell-level responses, safety risks, how long a substance resides within in a system, as well as a substance’s effects in an organism (called pharmacodynamics). The design of methods for measuring activity is a critical aspect of drug discovery. The design of robust and informative methods can accelerate the drug discovery and development process.

Self Paced
Self-Paced
Intravenous to Oral Switch: Within Outpatient Parenteral Antibiotic Therapy (IVOST) (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy - BSAC

Intravenous to Oral Switch: Within Outpatient Parenteral Antibiotic Therapy (IVOST) (FutureLearn)

Are you involved in the prescribing/administration of antibiotics? Explore the benefits and barriers of IVOST and COPAT. Discover the principles and practices supporting IVOST and COPAT. The use of intravenous antimicrobials and complex oral antimicrobial regimes within outpatient clinical environments is helping with non-admission to and early discharge from hospital. The course will lead you through the principles underlying these therapies, how to determine their suitability, and key practices for prescribers.

Self Paced
4 Weeks
Cannabis, Mental Health, and Brain Disorders (Coursera) Coursera
University of Colorado Boulder

Cannabis, Mental Health, and Brain Disorders (Coursera)

This Cannabis, Mental Health, and Brain Disorders course is designed to have you think critically about the health effects of cannabis (i.e., marijuana) in the context of several mental health and neurocognitive disorders. You'll be able to identify key features of several anxiety disorders (e.g., panic disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, PTSD), major depression, schizophrenia, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, traumatic brain injury, and Alzheimer's and Parkinson's Disease.

Nov 2nd 2026
4 Weeks
Manejo del enfermo semicrítico y crítico por COVID-19 (Coursera) Coursera
University of Barcelona

Manejo del enfermo semicrítico y crítico por COVID-19 (Coursera)

Después de realizar este curso serás capaz de conocer los elementos clave del abordaje del paciente crítico y semicrítico por COVID-19, basados en la evidencia científica disponible y que puedan ayudarte en la toma de decisiones clínicas. Curso dirigido a los profesionales de medicina y enfermería, con conocimientos básicos en la atención a pacientes críticos y, que debido a la crisis sanitaria, atienden en las áreas de críticos o semicríticos COVID-19 y/o a estos pacientes fuera de su ubicación habitual.

Nov 2nd 2026
5-12 Weeks
Opioid Epidemic: From Evidence to Impact (Coursera) Coursera
Johns Hopkins University

Opioid Epidemic: From Evidence to Impact (Coursera)

While prescription opioids serve an invaluable role for the treatment of cancer pain and pain at the end of life, their overuse for acute and chronic non-cancer pain as well as the increasing availability of heroin and illicit fentanyl, have contributed to the highest rates of overdose and opioid addiction in U.S. history. Evidence-informed solutions are urgently needed to address these issues and to promote high-quality care for those with pain. This course and the report it is based on are a response to that need. They offer timely information and a path forward for all who are committed to addressing injuries and deaths associated with opioids in the United States.

Nov 16th 2026
4 Weeks
Opioids and Surgery (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
University College London

Opioids and Surgery (FutureLearn)

Gain a practical approach to perioperative opioid stewardship to minimise harms from opioids prescribed at the time of surgery. On this three-week course, you’ll explore the key concepts of opioid stewardship. You’ll learn how to minimise the risks associated with opioid use around the time of surgery whilst allowing safe administration to patients who are most likely to benefit from them.

Self Paced
3 Weeks
Pharmacy Dosages and Prescriptions Essentials (Coursera) Coursera
MedCerts

Pharmacy Dosages and Prescriptions Essentials (Coursera)

In the Pharmacy Dosages and Prescriptions Essentials course, students will learn the language of medicine, using pharmacy nomenclature and the skills necessary to measure different types of prescriptions through four lessons. This includes understanding the dosage calculation methods, mathematical conversions, and formulas most commonly used within the pharmacy.

Nov 9th 2026
4 Weeks
TARGET Antibiotics – Prescribing in Primary Care (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy - BSAC,TARGET

TARGET Antibiotics – Prescribing in Primary Care (FutureLearn)

Helping primary care professionals to target the use of antibiotics to reduce antimicrobial resistance. Discover ideas about how to optimise prescribing in Primary Care. Antimicrobial resistance is a growing problem and everyone can play a part in tackling this issue. This course will look at many aspects of antibiotic prescribing in Primary Care from prescribing for urinary tract infections through to managing patient expectations.

Self Paced
5-12 Weeks
Antimicrobial Stewardship: Managing Antibiotic Resistance (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
University of Dundee,British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy - BSAC

Antimicrobial Stewardship: Managing Antibiotic Resistance (FutureLearn)

Understand antibiotic resistance, and how antimicrobial stewardship can slow down or reduce it, with this free online course. Antimicrobial stewardship is a fast-growing field that aims to address this issue by managing our use of antibiotics to slow down or reduce the occurrence of antimicrobial resistance. Designed for healthcare professionals, this six-week course will inform you about - and empower you to provide - safe, high-quality antibiotic use.

Self Paced
5-12 Weeks