The Wonderful World of IDS

If you have ever wondered how a drug goes from the lab to your bedside then wonder no longer. The Investigational Drug Service (IDS) at the University of Michigan Hospital (UMHS) provides students the opportunity to get a glimpse of the drug approval process. IDS manages over 300 different studies at UMHS. We work with the sponsor to maintain study drug and all that goes with that process. This includes managing records, staying current with all the updates to the protocol, and preparing the study drug for patient use.

This summer is my second year working at IDS. My first summer was mostly spent making capsules. In compounding lab during P1 year, I remember taking over an hour to make 6 capsules. Now I am able to use machines that allow me to make 100 at a time. Last year my record was 1600 capsules in one day. This summer we hired a new intern, Meenakshi, so she will now be making all the capsules.

This year my role has changed from capsule making to more pharmacist responsibilities. For each new study that opens we create a document called the Dispensing Guidelines. This document is a 7 to 10 page summary of a clinical protocol which is usually over 100 pages. We read through the protocol and pull out all of the information that pertains to the drug and its dispensing. So far this summer I have had the chance to write several dispensing guidelines.

When I first started here I really had no idea what IDS was about. Over the last year I have learned a great deal and I look forward to be able to share it.