Toxicity Testing Flashcards
toxicity is an extension of a drug’s pharmacological action and therefore all toxic effects are predictable
true or false
true
Acute toxicity of a drug occurs after
a single dose
subacute or subchronic tox is after exposure to the drug for
days or weeks
chronic toxicity of drugs is observed after exposure for
months to years
what are the goals (5) of non-clinical safety evaluations?
- characterization of toxic effects with respect to target organs
- dose dependence of toxic effects, i.e. dose response relationship
- relationship to exposure
- reversal potential
- dose determination for human clinical trials
animal tox studies can be seen as risk reduction measures for clinical trials
True/false
True
How are tox studies performed, 6 key attributes of a well designed study.
- according to a protocol
- use toxic doses
- record functional, structural or biochemical abnormalities compared with a control group
- determine the No Adverse Effect Level
- determine Maximum Tolerated Dose
- Evaluate safety margin over the therapeutic dose range in man
what are the four types of tox studies often performed?
- Acute Tox - single dose
- Short term chronic - up to 3 months (Repeat Dose)
- Long term chronic - 1-2 years (Repeat Dose)
- Special: Mutagenicity, teratogenicity, carcinogenicity
what is a key pharmaceutical consideration for conducting tox studies?
you want your molecule or test article to be representative in terms of purity and formulation to that used in man or long term tox studies to ensure you get consistent and good results
what other factors about species choice and dosage schedule are important to understand when designing tox studies?
- species have different metabolic rates and toxic effects
- compare metabolic profile in chosen species with man
- justify choice
- understand the plasma concentration of drug in the animal model and compare with man
When conducting acute tox studies the following must be performed prior to starting the study?
dose ranging study to determine doses that will demonstrate toxic effects
acute tox studies (single dose studies) should include which routes of administration
parenteral, that planned to be used in man, and any other appropriate routes
acute tox studies must include: (4 things)
- 2 species
- have equal male to female ratio
- include observation of physical and behavioural changes
- performed for 7 days
Lethal dose studies determine
the LD50, or the dose at which 50% of the population dies
what are some criticisms of the LD50 Methodology (7 things)
- kill animals unnecessarily
- require a large number of animals to complete
- can achieve the same if not better results with less animals using geometric methods
- varies between species and within strains of the same species
- values can differ by 500x or more with age
- nutritional status influences results
- environmental factors such as acclimatization, light, humidity, temperature, noise, socialization can infuence results