The Discipline of Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology is a multidisciplinary group of medicines experts spanning the scientific, clinical and social science aspects of medicines development, clinical trials regulation, pricing, clinical use of medicines and pharmaceutical policy.

Members of the group have extensive skills in assessing the beneficial and toxic effects of medicines and chemicals; in conducting clinical trials as well as expertise in teaching and curriculum development in the areas of pharmacology, biological modelling, pharmacoepidemiology and pharmacoeconomics. Different members of the Discipline drive various research projects depending on their expertise.

The Discipline of Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology is a World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Pharmaco-economics and Rational Pharmacotherapy.

The Newcastle Evaluation Group, within the Discipline, has provided external evaluation of pharmaceutical submissions to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee and the Department of Health since 1995.

The Discipline is physically located at the Calvary Mater Newcastle Hospital, Waratah, to enable close collaboration with clinical researchers in hospital policy and therapeutics. Members of the Discipline are also practicing clinicians in the Department of Medicine and the Department of Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology. The Discipline's projects and policies span research programs in the HMRI and the mass spectroscopy facility at Callaghan where our pharmacology scientists undertake work around therapeutic drug monitoring and biomarker development.

Newcastle has a long history of being a leading international site for clinical pharmacology and toxicology/toxinology policy, teaching, research and clinical service. The mission of this Discipline is to ensure this tradition continues. The Discipline also aims to support pharmacology research to improve medicines use in clinical practice,  and via its WHO collaborations to contribute to pharmaceutical policy issues across the globe as they arise.