Discovery and Development of Drugs

Question 1

Which plant/microorganism was the heart drug digitalis extracted from?

Answer 1

Foxglove plant.

Question 2

Which plant/microorganism was the painkiller aspirin extracted from?

Answer 2

Willow trees.

Question 3

Which plant/microorganism was the antibiotic penicillin extracted from?

Answer 3

Penicillium mould.

Question 4

Why do new drugs have to be tested and
trialled before being used?

Answer 4

This allows for the drug to be tested for safety, dosage and effectiveness.

Question 5

Describe how preclinical testing is done in a
laboratory

Answer 5

The drugs are tested using computer simulations and human cells grown in the lab. This allows the efficacy and the possible side effects to be tested. Drugs that pass the first stage are tested on animals in the second part of a preclinical drug trial.

Question 6

Describe the stages of a clinical trial using healthy
volunteers and patients.

Answer 6

Drugs are tested on healthy volunteers to check that they are safe as the healthy volunteers are more likely to survive and it is easier to see the possible side effects. Drugs are then tested on people with the illness to ensure that they are safe and that they work.

Question 7

Explain the use of a placebo in a double-blind
trial

Answer 7

A placebo is a fake treatment that looks like a real drug. One group of participants will be given the drug and another control group will be given the placebo. It is important that participants and researchers are not aware of which group they are in. This also reduces bias when interpreting the results.