Medicines, policy, economics and ethics

Course overview

Medicines save lives but they can be costly and can have serious adverse effects. Value-laden decisions are continuously being made at individual, institutional, national and international levels regarding the medicines we need, want and can afford. In this short course, we will explore and critique global and national policies and processes related to medicines, examining how research and development agendas are set; how medicines are assessed and evaluated; and how new technologies are translated into practice. We will also explore broader trends such as globalisation, commercialisation and changing consumer expectations.

This course is designed to appeal to a wide range of students from ethics, law, public health, health care, policy, communications, economics, business, politics, administration, and biomedical science.

This course will enable students to:

• Understand the forces shaping the development, regulation, funding and uptake of medicines both nationally and internationally.
• Engage in debate about the political, ethical, legal and economic issues involving the development, regulation, funding and uptake of medicines.
• Critique current and proposed medicines policies.

Important: This short course is a variant of the unit of study, Medicines Policy, Economics and Ethics (BETH5209). It enables you to complete the unit without formal university enrolment. You will receive a certificate of completion, however, you will not receive credit points towards a University of Sydney degree.

To receive credit points and an academic transcript, please see the Medicine Postgraduate Non Award.

Individuals

Complete the online application. You will be able to enter payment details as part of this secure process. 

Groups (three or more)

Complete the group application form (pdf, 57.7KB) and submit it to bioethics.admin@sydney.edu.au.

University of Sydney staff

Contact us regarding a journal transfer after you have submitted your application form.