3.1 Developing New Medicines Flashcards
What are large numbers of substances tested for?
To see if they will cure a disease or relieve symptoms
What is the first stage of drug testing?
Testing the drug on cells, tissues and organs in laboratories
What is done after the drugs have been tested on cells, tissues and organs?
The drugs are tested on animals
What is done after the drugs are tested on animals?
The drugs are tested in very low doses on healthy human volunteers
What is a placebo?
Placebo is not actually a drug
What happens in a placebo test?
Half the patients are given the drug and half the patients are given a placebo to check that the drug really does have an effect and it’s not just psychological
What is a double-blind trial?
When both the doctor and the patient don’t know whether it is a real drug or not
What are people taking part in a drug trial asked to report?
Any side effects
What was thalidomide originally developed as?
A sleeping pill
What did doctors later realise thalidomide could treat?
Morning sickness in pregnant women
Why is thalidomide bad?
Because it caused some babies to be born with limb abnormalities
More recently, what is thalidomide used to treat?
Leprosy
As a result of discovering how bad thalidomide was, what has happened?
Drug testing has become more rigorous
