Astropharmacy: Roles for the Pharmacist in Space

Abstract

Since disease is a natural aspect of life, human deep space missions will largely depend on preventing disease, diagnosis, and treatment. Pharmaceuticals are used to identify, treat, prevent, or cure illnesses, but they are unstable on Earth and even more so in space. What if the pharmacist could prepare small quantities of medicines in space, on site, as needed? The alteration in pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic (PK-PD) and pharmacogenomics with flying and medications will need to be customised for each person individually and specifically at the point of need because of drug stability issues. We can't meet the expense of bringging everything we might need, so pharmacists must devise ways to manufacture medications in-situ and on-demand. With this skill, pharmacists would be able to fulfill the demand of any exploration mission that involved spaceflight with robust pharmaceuticals that would be stable enough to last the duration of the mission, comprehensive enough to treat all potential medical events, safe, and effective, notwithstanding the known PK-PD and pharmacogenetic alterations that take place during spaceflight. The purpose of this article was to review topics related with Astropharmacy. The topics include: the need of Astropharmacy in space, health-related problems caused by hostile space conditions, storage problems in space, methods to establish the stability and effectiveness of pharmaceutical products in space, and alteration in human physiology including PK-PD and pharmacogenomics and highlight the pharmacist's potential roles in the pharmacies orbiting the space.

Training and Education Requirements for Pharmacists in Zero Gravity Environments

“…Pharmacists play a critical role in ensuring the safe and effective use of medications [3] . However, a review by Shireen et al, [4] revealed that the practice of pharmacy in zero gravity environments presents unique challenges. Altered pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics [5] , compounding and storage difficulties, emergency medication management, and the lack of established guidelines and protocols are some of the key challenges pharmacists face [6] .…”

Astropharmazie und ‐toxikologie in der Raumfahrt

“…Bisher war der Beitrag von Pharmazeuten zur Gesundheit von Astronauten eher gering [34], es ist aber absehbar, dass die rasante Entwicklung der bemannten Raumfahrt hier für eine deutliche Steigerung sorgen wird [35]. Ähnliches dürfte für die Toxikologen gelten.…”

Spaceflight Induces Strength Decline in Caenorhabditis elegans

“…With the increased interest in precision medicine in space, the commercialization of space, and the rise of synthetic biology [107][108][109], astropharmacy has recently emerged as a recognized field of specialization [110,111]. The goals of astropharmacy mirror those of pharmacy on Earth but with a specific focus on medication storage [112][113][114][115], access [114,115], use, and manufacturing beyond Earth [111,116].…”

“…With the increased interest in precision medicine in space, the commercialization of space, and the rise of synthetic biology [107][108][109], astropharmacy has recently emerged as a recognized field of specialization [110,111]. The goals of astropharmacy mirror those of pharmacy on Earth but with a specific focus on medication storage [112][113][114][115], access [114,115], use, and manufacturing beyond Earth [111,116]. Current challenges include understanding how detrimental physiological changes in flight might be countered by existing medications, how medications may work differently in flight, and how to ensure our explorers receive the best possible outcome while minimizing side effects despite limited resources.…”