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Waller's Medical Pharmacology and Therapeutics

  • 7th Edition - December 18, 2026
  • Latest edition
  • Authors: Derek G. Waller, Andrew W. Hitchings, Dagan Lonsdale, Emily J. Swindle
  • Language: English

Waller's Medical Pharmacology and Therapeutics, 7th Edition, gives medical, biomedical and healthcare students clear, up-to-date guidance on pharmacology and drug prescr… Read more

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Description

Waller's Medical Pharmacology and Therapeutics, 7th Edition, gives medical, biomedical and healthcare students clear, up-to-date guidance on pharmacology and drug prescribing, supporting your studies and preparation for qualifications such as the Prescribing Safety Assessment (PSA). It provides thorough coverage of the pathogenic mechanisms of disease, drug actions, unwanted effects, and the therapeutic principles of drug use—all while taking a helpful, systems-based approach that orders information according to body systems and disease areas rather than by drug class.

Key features

  • Fully updated to include the latest scientific understanding of drug action and usage and current best practice in prescribing medications
  • Clinical focus throughout, suitable for medical, pharmacy, nursing, and other healthcare and biomedical students throughout their training
  • NEW to this edition: expanded information on obesity, significant updates to the chapter on cancer, with all-new single best answer questions
  • Extensive self-assessment questions to support learning and revision
  • Content aligned with the British National Formulary (BNF), NICE guidelines and relevant professional benchmarks
  • Comprehensive drug compendia allow all drugs to be identified and placed within their respective classes and clinical indications
  • An eBook version is included with purchase. The eBook allows you to access all of the text, figures, and references, with the ability to search, customize your content, make notes and highlights, and have content read aloud

Readership

Medical, pharmacy and pharmacology students

Table of contents

Preface Drug Dosage and Nomenclature

SECTION 1 GENERAL PRINCIPLES

1. Principles of Pharmacology and Mechanisms of Drug Action

2. Pharmacokinetics

3. Drug Discovery, Safety and Efficacy

4. Neurotransmission and the Peripheral Autonomic Nervous System

SECTION 2 THE CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM

5. Ischaemic Heart Disease

6. Systemic and Pulmonary Hypertension

7. Heart Failure and Shock

8. Cardiac Arrhythmias

9. Cerebrovascular Disease and Dementia

10. Peripheral Artery Disease

11. Haemostasis

SECTION 3 THE RESPIRATORY SYSTEM

12. Asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

13. Respiratory Disorders: Cough, Respiratory Stimulants, Cystic Fibrosis, Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis and Neonatal Respiratory Distress Syndrome

SECTION 4 THE RENAL SYSTEM

14. Diuretics

15. Disorders of Micturition

16. Erectile Dysfunction

SECTION 5 THE NERVOUS SYSTEM

17. General Anaesthetics

18. Local Anaesthetics

19. Opioid Analgesics and the Management of Pain

20. Anxiety, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and Insomnia

21. Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder

22. Depression, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Narcolepsy

23. Seizures and Epilepsy

24. Extrapyramidal Movement Disorders and Spasticity

25. Other Neurological Disorders: Multiple Sclerosis, Motor Neuron Disease and Guillain-Barré Syndrome

26. Migraine and Other Headaches

SECTION 6 THE MUSCULOSKELETAL SYSTEM

27. The Neuromuscular Junction and Neuromuscular Blockade

28. Myasthenia Gravis

29. Nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs

30. Rheumatoid Arthritis, Other Inflammatory Arthritides and Osteoarthritis

31. Hyperuricaemia, Gout and Pseudogout

SECTION 7 THE GASTROINTESTINAL SYSTEM

32. Nausea and Vomiting

33. Dyspepsia, Peptic Ulcer Disease and Gastrooesophageal Reflux Disease

34. Inflammatory Bowel Disease

35. Constipation, Diarrhoea and Irritable Bowel Syndrome

36. Liver Disease

37. Obesity

SECTION 8 THE IMMUNE SYSTEM

38. The Immune Response and Immunosuppressant Drugs

39. Antihistamines and Allergic Disease

SECTION 9 THE ENDOCRINE SYSTEM AND METABOLISM

40. Diabetes Mellitus

41. The Thyroid and Control of Metabolic Rate

42. Calcium Metabolism and Metabolic Bone Disease

43. Pituitary and Hypothalamic Hormones

44. Corticosteroids (Glucocorticoids and Mineralocorticoids)

45. Female Reproduction

46. Androgens, Antiandrogens and Anabolic Steroids

47. Anaemia and Haematopoietic Colony-Stimulating Factors

48. Lipid Disorders

SECTION 10 THE SKIN AND EYES

49. Skin Disorders 50. The Eye

SECTION 11 CHEMOTHERAPY

51. Drugs for Infections

52. Drugs for Cancer

SECTION 12 GENERAL FEATURES, TOXICITY AND PRESCRIBING

53. Drug Toxicity and Overdose

54. Substance Abuse and Dependence

55. Prescribing, Adherence and Information About Medicines

56. Drug Therapy in Special Situations Index

Product details

  • Edition: 7
  • Latest edition
  • Published: December 18, 2026
  • Language: English

About the authors

DW

Derek G. Waller

Derek G. Waller, BSc, DM, MBBS, FRCP, Consultant Cardiovascular Physician, Southampton General Hospital; Senior Lecturer in Medicine and Clinical Pharmacology, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
Affiliations and expertise
Former Consultant Physician and Senior Clinical Lecturer, Department of Medicine, University Hospital Southampton, Southampton, UK

AH

Andrew W. Hitchings

Affiliations and expertise
Reader in Clinical Pharmacology, St George’s, University of London, Honorary Consultant in Neurointensive Care, St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK

DL

Dagan Lonsdale

Dagan Lonsdale, BSc(Hons) MBBS MRCP FHEA, Honorary Senior Lecturer, St George’s, University of London; Specialty Registrar in Clinical Pharmacology, General Medicine and Intensive Care Medicine, St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
Affiliations and expertise
Honorary Senior Lecturer, St George’s, University of London; Specialty Registrar in Clinical Pharmacology, General Medicine and Intensive Care Medicine, St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK

ES

Emily J. Swindle

Affiliations and expertise
Associate Professor in Pharmacology GI Module Lead, Pharmacology Subject Lead and PSA Academic Assessment Lead (BMBS) Clinical and Experimental Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, UK