B6f Drug development Flashcards
Give an example of an antibiotic
Penicillin
Which type of pathogen can be killed by antibiotics
Bacteria only
How do antibiotics treat disease?
Kills bacteria inside the body
Can antibiotics be used to kill viruses?
No
Name two diseases that can be treated using antibiotics
Salmonella
Gonorrhoea
Why must you finish an course of antibiotics?
Reduces the number of resistant strains of bacteria
Do painkillers destroy pathogens?
No
What do painkillers do?
Treat symptoms ie reduce pain
What is the drug digitalis used to treat?
Heart conditions
Why is it difficult to develop drugs that kill viruses?
Viruses live inside human cells
The drug will also damage human cells
What plant is the heart drug digitalis extracted from?
Foxgloves
What painkiller originates from a chemical found in willow bark?
Aspirin
Who discovered the drug penicillin?
Alexander Fleming
Name the organism that makes penicillin
Penicillium mould (fungus)
How are most new drugs made?
By chemists in the pharmaceutical industry
Name the two stages used in testing potential new medicines
Pre-clinical and clinal testing
Why must new drugs be tested and trialled before being used?
Check they are safe and effective
In drug development what are new drugs tested for?
Toxicity
Efficacy
Dose
On what and where is pre-clinical testing is done?
In the lab
Initially on cells and tissues
Animal testing
A small group of healthy individuals are used for initial clinical trials.
Why?
If there is a problem with the drug.
Only a small number of people will be effected/
Checking that drug is safe to use
Why are low doses of drug used in initial clinical trials?
Drug might cause significant damage to organs in the body.
Reduces the amount of damage caused
Why are patients used in clinical trials?
Test whether drug works (efficacy)
What is a double blind test?
Neither the doctor nor patient know whether they been taking the placebo or active drug
Why are double blind tests used?
Prevent bias
Prevent placebo effect
What is a placebo?
A tablet/injection that does not contain the active drug
If an antibiotic is used too much, what might happen to the bacteria?
Bacteria become resistant to the antibiotic
Antibiotic no longer works
How is clinical testing carried out?
- Healthy volunteers test low doses to check it is safe
- Tested on a large scale to find the optimum dose
- Tested on patients to check it works using a double blind test
