B6.4 - Developing new drugs

Question 1

drugs are tested for

Answer 1

-toxicity
-dosage
-efficacy
-how it can be taken in and removed from body

Question 2

preclinical testing

Answer 2

takes place in labs
-drugs are tested on animals/live cells or tissues/organisms

Question 3

clinical trials

Answer 3

-after drugs pass animal testing
-they begin being tested on healthy volunteers

Question 4

why are healthy volunteers used in clinical trials

Answer 4

• low doses are prescribed
  to observe side effects

Question 5

After the drug is tested for side effects…

Answer 5

-it moves onto a small group of patients to observe its efficacy

Question 6

bigger clinical trials are used to…

Answer 6

find optimum dosage

Question 7

if drugs are certified..

Answer 7

they will be licenced for a dr to prescribe

Question 8

double blind trials

Answer 8

-some patients are given a placebo and some are given the new drug
-dr nor patient knows
-observed carefully to identify differences

Question 9

placebo in double blind trials

Answer 9

-often contains a diff drug
-so patient isn’t deprived treatment