Drug development and testing

Question 1

why did thalidomide cause lots of problems in the 50’s and 60’s?

Answer 1

-thalidomide was developed as a sleeping pill and also was found to releive morning sickness
-however it had not been tested on pregnant animals
-this meant when pregnant women used the pill it caused limb abnormalities in the womb
-its now used to treat auto-immune diseases and some cancers but not for pregnant women

Question 2

what are the stages of drug testing?

Answer 2

stage 1: PRE-CLINICAL TESTING
drugs are tested on human cells/tissues in the lab

stage 2:PRE-CLINICAL
testing on live mammals, this is to see if the drugs efficacy, toxicity and dosage

stage 3:CLINICAL trials
tests on healthy human volunteers, this is to see the effect of the drug on a body working normally

stage 4:CLINICAL TRIALS
testing on patients to check the drug works on diseased people

stage 5:CLINICAL TRIALS
drugs are tested on a large number of patients. Half are given a drug and the other a placebo

Question 3

what is a placebo?

Answer 3

medicine with no effect that is given to patients instead of the real drug