Testing Drugs Flashcards
In the past where were drugs found from
Microorganisms and plants
Name the different types of drugs being developed today
Pain killers
Anti(retro)viral drugs
Antibiotics
What are the three main criteria for drugs being tested
Efficacy - Does the drug work
Dose - How much of the drug is needed
Toxicity - Are there any side effects. Is the drug safe?
What is preclinical testing
Early stage testing in human cells and tissue grown in the lab
Also early stage testing on live animals
Useful on live animals to show toxicity of a drug to cells
In UK new medicines have to undergo tests on live animals
Many drugs fail at this stage if they damage cells or do not work
What is clinical testing
Clinical trials tests drugs on healthy volunteers and patients to check that they are safe. They usually use low doses of the drug
If a drug is found to be safe at low doses there are more clinical trials to work out the optimum dose for the drug
What are double blind trials
Make sure the test is perfectly fair
Neither the doctor nor the patient know what they were taking - could be a placebo
Identical conditions
