Discovery and Development of Drugs Flashcards
What are 4 different types of drugs?
Digitalis
Aspirin
Morphine
Penicillin
What is digitalis and where does it originate from?
Digitalis is heart medication, and originates from foxgloves
What is aspirin and where does it originate from?
Aspirin is a pain killer, and originates from willow tree bark
What is morphine and where does it originate from?
Morphine is a painkiller, and originates from poppy seeds
Where does Penicillium originate from?
It originates from penicillium mould
Why do we need to test a drug before they are prescribed to the public?
-Toxicity
-Efficacy
-Disage
What is meant by toxicity?
-Drugs can be toxic and have significant side effects
What is meant by efficacy?
How effective it is at curing disease / relieving symptoms
What is meant by dosage?
What is the appropriate amount for best efficacy with least toxicity
What is Stage 1 of drug testing?
Pre Clinical testing
What happens in Phase 1 of Pre Clinical testing?
The drugs are tested on human cells and tissues in a lab
What is the issue with Phase 1 of Pre clinical testing?
You don’t know how effective it will be on whole system at this point
What happens in Phase 2 of Pre Clinical testing?
The drugs are tested on live animals
Why is it good to test on live animals in Phase 2 of Pre Clinical testing?
This allows you to test for toxicity, efficacy and dosage for the drug
-It is also law in the UK to test on 2 live animals
What is Stage 2 of Drug testing?
Clinical Trials
What is Phase 1 of Clinical Trials?
Small-scale trials on healthy individuals
What is Phase 2 of Clinical Trials?
Medium-Scale trials on people affected by the target disease
What is Phase 3 of Clinical Trials?
Large-scale trials on people affected by the disease plus an application for licensing
What is Phase 4 of Clinical Trials?
The drug is licensed and prescribed for general use
What is Stage 3 of drug testing?
Post-Market Survelliance
What happens in Post-Market Surveillance (stage 3 of drug testing)
-Once a drug has been prescribed to general public, regular feedback is given by doctors and patients. The findings of trial can be published once peer reviewed.
How long on average does it take for a drug to be licensed?
12 years
What is thalidomide?
When testing wasn’t as great as it is now, thalidomide was created to prevent morning sickness in pregnancies. However, it was not tested on anyone pregnant, this lead to women who took this giving birth to babies with severe limb deformities.
What happened as a result of the thalidomide incident?
Drugs in the process of being made now have to be tested on 1-2 pregnant animals.
