Discovering and Developing Drugs

Question 1

What is a placebo?

Answer 1

A version of the drug which doesn’t contain any active ingredient.

Question 2

What is a double-blind trial?

Answer 2

Where neither the patients or the doctors know which group receive the placebo, preventing bias from doctors who pay closer attention to the group receiving the real drug.

Question 3

How was penicillin discovered?

Answer 3

Alexander Fleming left a petri dish with bacteria in it. Mould which grew in the petri killed the surrounding bacteria.

Question 4

What is the first step of drug trials?

Answer 4

Computer simulation.

Question 5

What is the second step of drug trials?

Answer 5

Tissue and organ testing.

Question 6

What is the third step of drug trials?

Answer 6

Animal testing.

Question 7

What is the fourth step of drug trials?

Answer 7

Clinical trials on healthy people.

Question 8

What is optimum dosage?

Answer 8

The amount of drug which gives the most effect with the least side effects.

Question 9

What does testing on animals show scientists?

Answer 9

If it is lethal.

Question 10

What information can scientists gain from testing?

Answer 10

Optimum dosage, effectiveness, danger (lethality)