10th Fisher/Shafer NONMEM/PLT Tools Workshop

Dear Colleagues: Our next NONMEM Workshop is now just 8 weeks away. The workshop is being held in Basel, Switzerland, from Tuesday, November 3rd through November 10th, 2009. You can see the course description and registration details at http://www.nonmemcourse.com www.nonmemcourse.com. There are still seats available for this course. The workshop will be based on NONMEM VI. With the imminent release of NONMEM 7 by Globomax, Dennis and I have worked hard to see that PLT Tools is compatible with NONMEM 7. If you are using NONMEM 7, or intend to switch to NONMEM 7, the version of PLT Tools that we will distribute with the workshop should ease the transition. Our NONMEM Workshops are now in their 5th year. Dennis and I have spent the past two years developing PLT Tools. We introduced PLT Tools as the workshop platform for the 9th Fisher/Shafer NONMEM course last month, giving participants in that course access to bootstrap analysis, log-likelihood profiling, and jackknife analysis, in addition to the outstanding diagnostic graphics from PLT Tools. The latest version incorporates suggestions from the attendees at the last NONMEM workshop, including time after dose graphics and improved bootstrap handling and is compatible with NONMEM 7. You can download the completely functional unlicensed version of PLT Tools from www.pltsoft.com. Model validation is facilitated with automated procedures for visual predictive checks, log likelihood profiling, jack-knife analysis, and extensive bootstrap analysis for determination of standard errors. PLT Tools also includes a robust library of control streams and a control stream editor. CFR 11 Part 22 compliance is built into the program, as is extensive run archiving and creation of audit trails. PLT Tools also includes a comprehensive set of graphical and statistical analyses facilitate model development and testing. A sample output can be downloaded from www.pltsoft.com. The licensed version of PLT Tools supports multiple simultaneous NONMEM runs, which can substantially facilitate throughput on multicore computers. A multiuser networked version of PLT Tools is also available. The multiuser networked version can distribute NONMEM jobs across multiple networked computers. One of the joys of teaching this course is the considerable evolution in course material every time the workshop is offered. Dennis and I continuous update the course materials, based both on feedback from course participants and our own exploration of novel pharmacometric problems. The feedback from the 9th course indicated that PLT Tools was exceedingly well received, and workshop participants appreciated their having access to these advanced and powerful tools. Dennis and I hope to see you in 8 weeks in Basel! Sincerely, Steven L. Shafer, MD Professor of Anesthesiology, Columbia University Adjunct Professor of Anesthesia, Stanford University Adjunct Professor of Biopharmaceutical Sciences, UCSF Editor-in-Chief, Anesthesia & Analgesia