2.6. Pharmaceutical Chemistry

Question 1

How long does a medicine take to develop?

Answer 1

~12 years.

Question 2

How much does the development of a medicine cost?

Answer 2

~1.15 billion GBP

Question 3

What is an agonist?

Answer 3

An agonist is a medicine which mimic’s the body’s naturally active molecules and bind to the receptor. It triggers the same natural response.

Question 4

What is an antagonist?

Answer 4

An antagonist is a medicine which binds more strongly to the receptor and prevents the naturally occurring molecule from binding. The antagonist blocks the site and so the natural response is not triggered.

Question 5

What do chemists need to consider when making more effective medicines?

Answer 5

The functional groups present in the compounds that are important that allow the compound to interact with the active site.
Also the distance between these functional groups. If there are too little or too many carbons between them, then the group would not be able to interact with the right part of the active site.

Question 6

What is a pharmacophore?

Answer 6

The part of the medicine responsible for the interaction with the active site.