Psychopharmacology: Drug Discovery and Pre-Clinical Development

What is a Drug?

• A drug is any substance, other than food, used in the prevention, diagnosis, or treatment of a disease
• Examples of drug sources: plants (e.g. Digitalis), minerals (e.g. Iron, calcium), synthetic (e.g. Aspirin), semi-synthetic (e.g. Etoposide, paclitaxel, codeine), and animals (e.g. Insulin)

What is Drug Discovery and Development?

• Drug discovery is the process of discovering new chemical entities as potential therapeutic agents
• Drug development is the process of bringing a lead compound to the market by testing safety and efficacy in humans with a suitable formulation

Characteristics of a Good Drug

• Targets an unmet medical need
• Cures a disease or alleviates its symptoms
• Works quickly with a simple dosing regimen
• Safe to use with no serious adverse side effects or long-term toxicity
• Does not alter the pharmacology of other medications and is not affected by other drugs
• Economically viable

Challenges in Drug Discovery and Development

• High-risk undertaking with high attrition rate (only 30% successful)
• Process is expensive and carries high risk