Section 1 Flashcards
In vitro studies
Identification of a new drug target
Screening for a lead compound
Target validation -> target identification -> lead compound ID -> Candidate Optimization
Pre-clinical Testing
Animal Testing
2-4 years
Tests: Efficacy, Selectivity, Mechanism
Clinical Testing: Phase I
Phase I: is it safe? What are the pharmacokinetics?
20-100 people
Clinical Testing: Phase II
Does it work in patients with the disease?
100-200 patients
Usually conducted in special clinical centers
Measures: safety and efficacy “proof of concept”
Phase II: have the highest rate of drug failures
Lipinski Rule of 5
No more than 5 H-bond donors No more than 10 H-bond acceptors Molecular mass of less than 500 Da Octane-water partition coefficient NOT greater than 5 (Solute in octanol / solute in water)
Preclinical Testing
Tests acute toxicity: determines maximum tolerated dose
Determines dose that is lethal in 50% of animals
Subacute Toxicity:
- determines the biochemical and physiological effect
Effect on reproductive performance
Carcinogenic Potential
Mutagenic Potential
Limitations of Preclinical Testing
Expensive and time consuming (2-6 years)
Large number of animals needed
Extrapolations of therapeutic index Anand toxicity data from animals
Rare and adverse effects are unlikely to be detected in preclinical testing
Confounds to clinical testing:
Variable hx of disease = overcome by large population evaluated over time
Presence of other diseases/risk factors = over come by cross over technique
Subject/observer bias =
- placebo responses = overcome by single blind, crossover design
- observer bias = double-blind design
IND
Investigational new drug application filed with the FDA
Includes:
- info on composition/source of drug
- chemical information
- all data from preclinical
- proposed clinical trial plans
Phase I Clinical Trial
20-100 healthy volunteers
Effects of drug as function of dosage for expected toxicity
To find the maximum tolerated dose so that a dose can be recommended for phase II
Pharmacokinetics measured
- absorption, distribution, 1/2 life, metabolism, excretion
Dose Escalation Methods of a Phase I Clinical Trial
Amount of drug in dose is increased with each cohort added
- each cohort is called a “dose cohort” (~10)
- new dose cohort cannot be initiated before safety in previous cohort has been fully assessed
Modified Fibronacci Series: add previous dose to the current one to get the new dose
With dose increases, the action between 2 consecutive doses get smaller
Phase 0 Clinical Trial
To test to see how much of a drug is present in tumor, blood, tissue after one dose —> to see if the drug actually got INTO the tumor
To check whether there is a problem with how the drug is:
Absorbed, distributed, metabolized
Pharmacokinetics and dynamics
Phase II Clinical Trial
In patients with the targeted disease (n = 100)
To determine efficacy = proof of concept
Evaluates safety, tolerability, efficacy
Phase III Clinical Trial
Evaluated in larger patients (1000-6000)
Performed in settings similar to those anticipated for ultimate use of the drug
- formulated as intended for the market
- usually expensive due to large number of patients
Safety and Efficacy
NDA
New Drug Application
- if phase III trial meets expectations, NDA is filled out to market agent
(For biological, a BLA is filed)
Takes months/years for FDA to review
Number of subjects avg 5000
Priority review for breakthrough drugs -> accelerated approval might be granted
Orphan Drug Program
Gives incentives for drugs that treat rare disease
(If less than 200,000 puts or R+D costs do not expect to be recovered)
Eg. Gleevec - oral treatment for CML
Accelerated Approval of NDA: use surrogate endpoints for effectiveness
- bio markers that are likely to predict clinical benefits
Phase IV Clinical Trial
Post marketing surveillance begins
NDA approved
Delienate treatment risks, benefits and use under “actual use” conditions
Efficacy Study
Patent Rights
20 year term for a drug patent filed after 1995
- sometimes the patents expire after the drug is approved
Post expiration of the patent = any company can produce the equivalent
- file a ANDA (abbreviated new drug application) to market a generic version
MW of drugs
100-1000 Da
Agonist
Drugs that mimic actions of endogenous compounds
Agonist interacts with receptor to produce a pharmacological response
Partial Agonist
Agonist that produces a partial response when the receptor is fully saturated
Inverse Agonism
Binds to the same receptor as an agonist but produces the opposite effect
Requires that the receptor has a basal level of activity in absence of ligand
Antagonist
Interferes with action of an agonist/partial agonist/inverse agonist by binding to the receptors
- they bind to the receptor and do not produce a pharmacologic response
Total number of receptors on a cell determines…
Maximal drug effect that the drug might produce
E = [D] x Emax/[D] + EC50
Binding of different agonists to the same receptor:
Plotted on semi log
Sigmoidal curve
EC50 corresponds to the inflection point on the graph
Two drugs will show the same Emax, yet different EC50
Low EC50
High Potency
Less drug needed to reach half of maximal response
High EC50
Low potency
Need more concentration to reach 1/2 max
High drug is not desirable, since adverse effects are likely to increase
Potency Ratio
Differences in potency between two drugs
EC50 of Drug A/EC50 of Drug B = potency ratio
What determines the efficacy of the drug?
Emax
Agonist versus partial agonist behavior = PA shows lower efficacy
How are drugs selected?
On efficacy or Emax
The amount of drug given is based on the determination of the potency factor
Antagonists
Drugs that block actions of endogenous agents
Carry no activity
Observing Effects:
- plot dose-response curve of an agonist
- determine how that curve is affected by differing antagonist concentrations
Competitive Antagonists
One whose effects can be overcome by adding more agonist
Agonist and antagonist compete with one another
Commonly observed if they have reversible binding property to receptor
By adding more:
- curve shifts to the right (EC50 increases)
- Emax is unchanged
Better antagonist = tighter binding to the receptor
Non Competitive Antagonists
Prevents agonist from reaching maximum effect
Irreversible binding = like a covalent modification
Antagonist bound receptors are effectively removed from the pool of agonist targets
By adding more non-competitive antagonist:
- Emax is reduced
- EC50 remains unchanged
Makes the agonist look like a PARTIAL agonist (Emax lowered, EC50 unchanged)