EXAM 1 - lecture 1: intro

Question 1

What are the two main components of a drug?

Answer 1

• active pharmaceutical ingredient API (small molecule that holds the biological properties against the target)
• excipients (everything else in the drug that allows it to be a drug, such as taste/color)

Question 2

What is medicial chemistry?

Answer 2

a field focused on the discovery and development of APIs

identifying an initial compound with promising biological activity and optimizing the properties to produce an API that will work in humans

Question 3

Why are excipients needed?

Answer 3

Excipients have different roles in a formula,
ex. drug delivery, bioavailability, overall safety, effectiveness, storage, taste, controlled timed release.

Question 4

What is the average time it takes to develop and drug and how much $?

Answer 4

6-10 years, ~$1.3 billion

Question 5

What is important to remember about the drug development pathway?

Answer 5

• teamwork is extremely important
• never a linear process

Question 6

What is potency?

Answer 6

A measure of how strong the drug molecule interacts/binds with its intended target

Question 7

What is selectivity?

Answer 7

Measure of how much stronger the compound interacts with its intended target compared to other targets

Question 8

What is efficacy?

Answer 8

Whether or not the compound provides a therapeutic effect in patients

Question 9

Does potency + selectivity = efficacy?

Answer 9

Not always, excellent potency and selectivity do not guarantee efficacy