(T4.3, L9) Drug development Flashcards
Why do we use plants to make some drugs?
Chemicals produced by plants to defend themselves can be used to treat human diseases/symptoms.
What is digitalis made from and what is it used for?
Made from foxglove flowers and can treat heart problems.
What is penicillin made from and what is it used for?
Made from penicillin mould (fungus) and can kill bacteria.
What is aspirin made from and what is it used for?
Made from willow (bark and leaves) and relieves pain.
A good medicine is: (5)
- Effective
- Safe
- Stable
- Easy to take
- Successfully removed from the body
What are the 3 stages of drug development?
- Preclinical testing
- Clinical testing
- Peer reviewed
What happens during the preclinical stage?
Drug is tested on human cells/tissues and animals, looking for toxicity.
What happens during the clinical stage? (2)
Drug is tested on healthy human volunteers using low doses, then is tested on ill patients to find the optimum dose. This helps look for efficiency, side effects and toxicity.
What happens during the peer reviewing stage?
The drug is reviewed by an independent body so there are no false claims or bias about the drug.
Why are the patients split into two groups during the clinical testing stage?
One group is given the real drug and the other is given a placebo, this is to test and see if the drug has any real effects on the patients.
What is a placebo/ the placebo effect?
A placebo is a substance like a drug but does nothing. The placebo effect is when the patient thinks their treatment will work even though it isn’t doing anything.
What is a blind/ double-blind trial?
A blind trial is when the patient does not know if they are getting the drug or the placebo, a double-blind trial is when both the doctor and the patient don’t know.
